• Despite objections from sexual-abuse activists, the Israeli Opera said it will host a weeklong singing competition organized by Spanish opera star Placido Domingo in Tel Aviv later this year. Domingo's Operalia, an annual opera singing competition, will take place at Tel Aviv's opera house Oct. 22-28. Domingo, 80, has withdrawn from all U.S. performances since articles by The Associated Press last year detailed accusations of sexual harassment or other inappropriate, sexually charged conduct. While many American outlets dropped Domingo, he continues to perform in Europe. He received a standing ovation in Milan in December and had two sold-out shows in Berlin in January. The Israeli Opera's decision to host Domingo in spite of the allegations against him has angered Israeli activists. The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel wrote on its Facebook page that "the entire world is renouncing the serial assaulter, and only Israel receives him with open arms." And, an op-ed piece in the Hebrew daily Haaretz called the Israeli Opera "disconnected and outdated" for welcoming Domingo "as though there was no such thing as the #MeToo movement." In response, the Israeli Opera said in a statement that while it has a "very strict policy" against any kind of harassment, there has been "no official report" about the AP claims made in the articles. "Since many leading opera houses around the world decided to continue to invite Mr. Domingo to perform on their stages," it added, "the Israeli Opera saw no reason not to act in the same way."
• Actress Natalie Portman and dancer Misty Copeland will be sharing a stage this spring as they discuss a common identity -- children's book author. Events producer Reedpop announced this week that Portman and Copeland are among the scheduled speakers during an author's breakfast at BookExpo, which takes place the last week of May at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. Judy Blume will host the event, with other guests including best-selling writers Raj Haldar, Marie Lu and Kwame Mbalia. Oscar-winner Portman will be promoting her debut book, Natalie Portman's Fables, in which she retells "The Tortoise and the Hare," "The Three Little Pigs" and "City Mouse/Country Mouse." Copeland's Bunheads is the first of a planned picture book series based on her experiences in ballet. Her previous works include the memoir Life in Motion and the picture book Firebird.
A Section on 02/20/2020