Matt Smith News

TORONTO, July 18, 2016–The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Art, Honour, and Ridicule: Asafo Flags from Southern Ghana, this fall as part of its Of Africa project. The exhibition features flags, uniforms and musical instruments relating to the visual and performance art of the Fante militias of the West African country of Ghana. Asafo Flags will be on display from September 3, 2016 to February 27, 2017, in the Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles & Costume.

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce its newest staff member, Jennifer Balch Hale, who takes on the position of Director of Development & Donor Services August 1, 2016.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 13, 2016 – The Merola Opera Program's Summer Festival concludes with its 2016 artists performing in the Merola Grand Finale Saturday, August 20 at 7:30 pm at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Conductor Rory Macdonald will lead the orchestra and 2016 Merola Apprentice Stage Director Aria Umezawa will stage the program, featuring works by Bizet, Bernstein, Donizetti, Offenbach, Mozart, J. Strauss, Puccini, Berlioz, Britten, Humperdinck, Flotow, Glück, and Rossini. The performance is a culmination of the 12-week Merola Opera training program, and all 23 of the 2016 Merola singers will perform, under the coaching and direction of their fellow artists. A special artists' reception follows the Grand Finale (tickets sold separately).

Pacific Symphony launches its upcoming 2016-17 season in glorious style this September with a one-night-only spectacular—“An Evening with Renée Fleming,” featuring “America's reigning diva” (The Washington Post) for more than a decade in a rare Orange County appearance! One of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry and compelling stage presence. From the Metropolitan Opera and the White House to the Super Bowl and now the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the internationally sought-after soprano arrives to inaugurate the Symphony's 10th season in its home. There is no better place in the world to hear this modern diva's sumptuous voice and dazzling technique than in the opulent and acoustically superior Segerstrom Concert Hall.

On the occasion of the exhibition William Eggleston Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London, David Zwirner is pleased to host a rare book signing with William Eggleston, in partnership with The Photographers' Gallery.

The National Portrait Gallery, London, has unveiled its most recent commissioned portrait, a painting of Baroness Gail Rebuck by the artist Jennifer McRae, it was announced today, Thursday 14 July 2016. It was commissioned by the Gallery with the support of J. P. Morgan through the Fund for New Commissions.

The Brooklyn Museum will house a special Opening Ceremony pop-up shop in the exhibition Who Shot Sports: A Photographic History, 1843 to the Present. The space will be open from July 15, 2016, to January 8, 2017.

BOCA RATON, Florida, July 13, 2016 - Lynn University and Producer Jan McArt, director of theatre arts program development, today announced that both season subscriptions and individual show tickets are available for the popular Libby Dodson's Live at Lynn Theatre Series. 

(New York) – July 13, 2016 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congress as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world,” returns to the United Kingdom, Lausanne, Switzerland, and Copenhagen, Denmark to perform a dozen ballets from September 6 – October 30. Robert Battle will lead Ailey through the UK (September 9 – October 19) for the first time since becoming Artistic Director, including the Company's inaugural visits to Southampton and Canterbury, England. Presented by Dance Consortium, the UK engagement will include 10 works performed across 10 cities. The Company will then head to the Salle Métropole in Lausanne (October 22 – 23) and The Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen (October 26 – 30). Bank of America is the lead sponsor of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 2016 and 2017 international tours.

Mori Art Museum is proud to present 'The Universe and Art: Princess Kaguya, Leonardo da Vinci, teamLab' from Saturday, July 30, 2016 to Monday, January 9, 2017.

NEW YORK, NY AND MIDDLETON, WI — July 8, 2016 — Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, and American Girl®, a premium brand for and about girls, today announced that it will launch an extensive publishing program based on the iconic American Girl brand beloved by millions of girls around the world. The multi-year licensed agreement includes rights to publish books in print and digital formats starting in January 2017, and marks the first time American Girl has licensed the rights to publish books based on its characters. Under the agreement, Scholastic will publish and distribute books simultaneously in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.

West Palm Beach, FL – July 7, 2016)  The Kretzer Piano Music Foundation today announced the Talent Roster for the 5th annual PHYSICIANS TALENT SHOWCASE (PTS) that will be held at The Harriet Himmel Theater at CityPlace in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, August 16 at 7:30 pm.

SEATTLE, WA— In a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Seattle Art Museum, Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal has announced an evening of new dance works performed in, on, and around Olympic Sculpture Park artworks during the Summer at SAM series. As part of The Wallace Foundation's Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative, PNB has commissioned works from five local choreographers, created in conversation with sculptures on-site at the park. This free public event features five new works created by Donald Byrd, Kiyon Gaines, Ezra Thomson, Kate Wallich and Olivier Wevers, performed by dancers from Pacific Northwest Ballet, PNB School, Spectrum Dance Theater, and Whim W'Him. SCULPTURED DANCE will be presented one night only, 6:00 – 8:00 pm on Thursday, August 11, 2016, at SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Avenue on Seattle's waterfront. For more information visit PNB.org/sculptureddance or visitSAM.org/summer. 

SAN FRANCISCO (July 11, 2016) - In recognition of internationally renowned singer, painter and civic leader Tony Bennett's contributions to San Francisco, the City will honor him with several tributes celebrating his 90th birthday. The festivities will begin with a free, public dedication and unveiling of the 8-foot-tall bronze statue of Mr. Bennett atop Nob Hill on the lawn of Fairmont San Francisco on Friday, August 19 at noon; festivities start at 11:30 a.m. Friday evening, the World Champion San Francisco Giants will pay tribute to the legend with "Tony Bennett Night" as they take on the New York Mets. The weekend's events culminate on Saturday, August 20 with a benefit dinner and concert in Fairmont San Francisco's famous Venetian Room where he first performed I Left My Heart in San Francisco in public. Proceeds from the evening will support The Tony Bennett Fund for Emergency Pediatric Care at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and the San Francisco Special Events Committee. For more information about the free, public dedication and unveiling visit the official Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/815205018581663/. For tickets and details about the benefit dinner and concert call (415) 554-5257.

A new report has found that Melbourne's iconic East End theatres contributed over two-thirds of a billion dollars to the Victorian economy in 2014-15, demonstrating the enduring appeal of the historic venues.

New York based contemporary dance company, ZviDance, now in its 25th year, has appointed a new executive director, Allen Maniker M.D.

MELBOURNE, TUESDAY 12 JULY 2016 - The collective stories of six champions of Western Sydney's underground Parkour community will be brought to the Fairfax Studio stage in Jump First, Ask Later from 2 - 6 August. Directed by acclaimed choreographer Byron Perry, the work is an urban choreographic portrait of Western Sydney, the most culturally diverse region in Australia.

Have you ever wanted to see the portraits on our walls come to life? Well, now you can! Now in its tenth year, Portraits Alive! theatrical tours animate our collection. Teens from Washington, D.C.--working at the National Portrait Gallery through the 2016 Mayor Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program--perform original, student-written monologues based on sitters in the museum, in what is sure to be a memorable journey.

The National Youth Theatre (NYT) have announced that the UK's leading casting resource, Spotlight, is to sponsor industry performances for their REP cast in the West End this autumn.

Shazam, one of the world's most popular apps for connecting artists and fans, and Exposure The Musical, a thrilling new West End musical tale of fame and celebrity excess, announces a partnership around the launch of the musical with its entire print campaign, which will use Shazam's Visual Recognition to engage wider audiences for the new musical.