Despite my composerly grousing to follow, it sure seems that Chicago has got it going on with some striking investments in public space for the arts. While New York has been figuring out ways to cannonize Marsalis as the saviour of Jazz, or annoint Jazz as the savior of our cultural selves (or at least toss American Modernism down the memory hole), Chicago has moved the dirt and welded the metal.

What a beautiful site -- the garden entrance to the opera house in Chicago, by Kathyrn Gustafson, covered in today's NY Times. Gotta love the wild Gehry design of the open air pavilion. Granted, Chicago has done it's part to build an American concert music -- and yet what fills the halls of their Opera house? The same old repeat-toire. And the music festival goes it one better -- celebrate a touch of Copland, then Corigliano.

I've linked to him a lot in this post -- Greg Sandow has a lot of interesting things to say, especially this article about new music. While I don't agree with everything he says, he surely makes many good points, and thank goodness there's a voice even talking about it without the dated hysteria of other journalists.