Election Aftermath and the Arts
The drama of the 2004 elections is over. And what amazing theater it turned out to be. Thanks to a well orchestrated, tightly choreographed campaign, incumbent Republican president George Bush narrowly won re-election, and the Republican party gained many Congressional seats. Democratic candidate John Kerry won Minnesota, and DFL-ers gaining significant ground in the state House. What does the new state of politics mean for the arts? Larry Redmond, lobbyist for Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, joins us.
Composers Institute
Imagine writing classical music and but not being able to hear it performed properly. That's one of the biggest challenges facing young composers. For the last several years, the Minnesota Orchestra has been trying to address the problem by holding a "Composers Institute." Recently, seven promising young composers spent a week in Minneapolis, immersed in the world of a top-flight orchestra. Not only did they hear their work played in Orchestra Hall, they also were schooled on how to make composing their livelihood. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts reports.
Blogumentary
Ten years ago—in fact for most people 2 years ago—the word "blog" wasn't even in our vocabulary. But today web logs—online journals commonly known as blogs—are steadily gaining in popularity—and cultural prominence. Political blogs played a key role in this year's elections, and helped presidential candidate Howard Dean raise significant sums of money for his campaign. A new documentary tracks the blog's rise to power, and explores how it's changed the way people communicate.
"Blogumentary" screens tonight in Minneapolis as part of the Get Real documentary film festival. Filmmaker Chuck Olson joins us.
