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Culture funding rejected in House

Looks like the Mass. Cultural Council budget could be one of many in the state budget that gets hit this year. The MCC sent out word last night that the state House of Representatives today rejected amendments to restore $600,000 to the MCC budget, which had been cut from $9.7 million this year to $9.1 million for next year. Not a great surprise. Of course 600k is a drop in the bucket, probably less than our selfless solons spend on car allowances and steak dinners.

The $9.1 million is down about a quarter from last year and is about half of what the MCC got a few years ago. The debate now heads to the Senate, and the two chambers must then agree on a budget before sending it back to the Governor. The new fiscal year begins July 1. The MCC will try to make the case to the senate that its various programs and grants for cultural activities are a net gain for the state.

Berklee bolsters N. Shore free concert lineup

For the third year in a row, Berklee College of Music student and alumni groups will perform outdoors in Salem, during May through August. The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival/Berklee Summer Series at Derby Square, starting May 8, features jazz-funk act Annette Philip, the reggae-got-soul of Tubby Love (right), soulster Nicky Egan and jazz violinist Ben Powell (jazz violin). In addition, Berklee funk act Dopapod will be featured on the main stage at the fourth annual Salem Jazz and Soul Festival at Salem Willows on August 21. All concerts are free and open to the public. The series takes place the second Saturday of each month from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at Derby Square, in front of Old Town Hall, Front Street, Salem, MA. The rain location is in the lobby of the Museum Place Mall, off Essex Street.

Robert DeNiro joins Pops to honor Kennedys

Robert DeNiro, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman will join the Boston Pops on May 18 for the world premiere performance of "The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers" at Symphony Hall, the centerpiece of the Boston Pops 125th anniversary season celebration. "The Dream Lives On" was composed by Peter Boyer with Tony Award-winning lyricist Lynn Ahrens and commissioned by Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops.  This new multi-media work combines quotes from speeches by JFK, RFK and Teddy with original text and video, accompanied by a dramatic orchestral and choral score. The performance will be repeated on May 19, both nights at 8 p.m. Alec Baldwin will narrate a July 18 (2:30 p.m.)Tanglewood performance of the piece. Our own Oscar winner Chris Cooper will serve as narrator for a performance on the Hyannis Village Green on Aug. 1 (5 p.m.).Tix:  www.bostonpops.org  or  617-266-1200.

"The Dream Lives On" will receive additional performances on May 20, 21, and 22, and on July 3 and 4 at the Charles River Esplanade as part of the annual Pops Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular concert (narrators for these performances TBA).  The complete release is after the jump...

(Photo: Petr Novák, Wikipedia, under a Creative Commons license.)

Shakespeare + beer = fun in Salem

The Salem Theatre Company is once again hosting the free annual Shakespeare Open Mic to celebrate the 446th birthday of the Bard.  Last year’s festivities drew around 100 attendees, many of whom took to the stage to declaim and otherwise perform soliloquies, sonnets and whatnot.  This year’s celebration will again be held at Gulu-Gulu Café on the corner of Essex and Washington Streets in downtown Salem on Thursday at 8:00pm.  It's first-come first-served for timeslots; sign up at the main table when you arrive.  And if you're not off book, the STC will have scripts available. Gulu-Gulu has a nice beer list, too. 'Nuff said. (Pictured: Last year's festivities.)

BSO names James Levine's new backups

It's a good week for subs in Boston, given Darnell McDonald's up-from-the-minors heroics over at Fenway Park. There's the potential for something similar at Symphony Hall, given James Levine's numerous health problems and subsequent absences from the podium. Today the Boston Symphony Orchestra named its newest pair of assistant conductors, Marcelo Lehninger (left) and Sean Newhouse, who'll be on the job next season. They replace Julian Kuerti and Shi-Yeon Sung, whose service will end this summer.

Lehninger has dual citizenship in Brazil and Germany, and is currently associate conductor of the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra and chief conductor of the Dell’Arte Sinfonieta.  Newhouse has been associate conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony since 2008, and before that was Music Director and Conductor of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles. 

Of course, neither of them has to wait for Levine to get a chance to conduct. Lehninger will make his subscription debut with the BSO October 21 – 26, conducting Barber, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. Newhouse will make his debut during the 2011 Tanglewood season.

Collective Soul tops EarthFest lineup

Headliners Collective Soul, Gin Blossoms, Crash Kings and Marcy Playground are the mainstage bands for the 17th annual Radio 92.9 EarthFest at the Hatch Shell on May 22, Noon to 5:00 pm. Again, plans include recycling efforts, renewable energy, a bike valet and a Kids Planet area featuring family friendly entertainment and environmental activities. And as usual it's all free, so no complaining that there's no Midnight Oil or Bonnie Raitt.

Lucky Days for film fans at Coolidge

Angelica Torn is the the daughter of Rip Torn and Geraldine Page; no surprise those genes turned out an actress. She's coming to Boston May 4-9 with the touring company of "August: Osage County," which plays the Colonial. And on May 10 she'll swing by the Coolidge Corner Theatre to screen her indie flick "Lucky Days," which she wrote and  co-directed with her brother Tony. In her spare time, she also stars, as a 30-year-old Coney Island virgin facing some uncomfortable revelations about her life and loves. Rip Torn also has a role in the movie, and he and the late Paul Newman are listed among the producers. The romantic and tragic slice of neighborhood life was the last movie shot at Coney island amusement park. It's been on the festival circuit and will be released theatrically in May. After the 7 p.m. screening, the three Torns and other cast members will appear for a discussion.

Tickets are $9.75/general admission, $6.75/seniors and students, and free for Coolidge Corner Theatre members.  Tickets are available online at www.coolidge.org  or at the box office.  For more info, visit the web site or call 617/734-2501. A portion of the proceeds will benefit PAVE, (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment), an international nonprofit organization against sexual and domestic violence. Here's the trailer...

King Sunny Adé cancels tour

World music giant King Sunny Adé canceled his North American tour including his May 16 World Music show at the Somerville Theatre. But unfortunately it's not a simple volcano problem. During the last week of March, two members of his African Beats band, talking drummer Gabriel Ayanniyi and percussionist Omo Olope, died in a car crash.  And while the band assembled replacements, the U.S. government did not come across with travel documents for the new players. It sounds, however, like the break is a good idea. A statement from the band's representatives said the tour is canceled "until such a time as King Sunny Adé and his group have sufficiently regrouped and are ready to face the rigors of an international tour again.” Refunds are available at point of purchase, World Music says.

BSO soloist concerto-blocked by volcano

From the Boston Symphony Orchestra: "Violinist Leonidas Kavakos is unable to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in this week’s program (April 22-27, 2010) due to travel difficulties caused by volcanic ash over Europe. BSO principal horn James Sommerville will perform Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 2, replacing the originally scheduled Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 in A. Bernard Haitink will conduct as scheduled. The rest of the program remains as announced."

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