The ballet academy attached to the Vienna State Opera has come out badly from an official investigation into allegations of abuse against child dancers.

Children, the inquiry has found, were encouraged to smoke cigarettes to keep their weight down and were verbally abused by teachers if they failed to stay ultra-slim.

Report here.

The Dallas News has hired a full-time classical music critic, with a salary supported by the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism. The new guy, Tim Diovanni, wll work alongside veteran critic Scott Cantrell on a one-year contract.

Dallas, like many US newspapers, has made deep cuts in its cultural coverage.

Steve Rubin’s institute has enabled the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Houston Chronicle and the Minneapolis Star Tribune to maintain full cover of the classical scene in cities with important orchestras that might otherwise die for lack of media oxygen.

Read on here.

Brexit or not, the London architects practice DRDH has won the contract to design a 70 million euro opera house in Ghent.

The same firm has already renovated the city’s concert hall.

Business as usual, then.

Anthony Roth Costanzo has jumped in at the last moment for tonight’s New York Philharmonic Messiah, replacing an unwell Iestyn Davies.

No need to rehearse.

Anyone can sing Messiah.

The Baden-Württemberg Culture Prize 2020, worth 20,000 euros, has been awarded to the violinist Anne Sophie Mutter.

Why?

Tireless commitment and social responsibility, they say.

What’s the point?

Your call.

Singers of the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris called off last night’s Christmas concert at Saint-Sulpice church, as well as all other seasonal events, in protest at the dismissal of several members of the adult chorus.

The cathedral is making cutbacks after suffering the loss of one-quarter of its revenues as a result of the devastating fire. On the plus side, it has raised 922 million Euros in donations.

Whatever.

Tis the season to be striking.