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Annual Report of the Executive Board for the financial year ended April 30, 1997.
Overview: Against Background of Increasing Globalization, Fund Acts to Review Surveillance Operations, Consider Adding Capital Account Liberalization as a Goal, Address Problems of Heavily Indebted Countries
toggleThe Global Economy
Chapter 1. Main Developments in the World Economy
Chapter 2. World Economic Outlook
Chapter 3. International Capital Markets
toggleThe fund in 1996/97
Chapter 4. Issues in Fund Surveillance
Chapter 5. Article IV Consultations
Chapter 6. Fund Support of Member Countries
Chapter 7. ESAF and the HIPC Initiative
Chapter 8. Special Onetime Allocation of SDRs
Chapter 9. Fund Financial Operations and Policies
Chapter 10. Technical Assistance and Training
Appendix I. International Reserves
Appendix II. Financial Operations and Transactions of the Fund
Appendix III. Relations with Other International Organizations
Appendix IV. External Relations
Appendix V. Principal Policy Decisions of the Executive Board
Appendix VI. Press Communiqués of the Interim Committee and the Development Committee
Appendix VII Executive Directors and Voting Power on April 30, 1997
Appendix VIII Changes in Membership of Executive Board
Appendix IX Administrative and Capital Budgets, Staffing, and Organization
Appendix X Financial Statements
The operations of the International Monetary Fund in 1996/97 took place against the background of a recovery in world economic growth. This reflected the progress made by many industrial and developing countries and transition economies within the context of an increasingly close integration of markets for goods, services, and capital. The growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide—known as globalization—presented both new opportunities and new challenges, accentuating the benefits of good policies and the costs of bad policies.
In light of the challenges posed by growing economic integration, the Fund acted to review further its surveillance operations, including in the areas of banking soundness, data dissemination, and good governance; to adapt its financial instruments and procedures; and to examine the adequacy of its quota resources, while augmenting its capacity to borrow in special circumstances. In addition, the Executive Board1 took new steps to address the problems facing the low-income countries, by endorsing the continuation of Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) operations and, in conjunction with the World Bank, developing an Initiative to help resolve the pressing problems of the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs). In a further significant development, the Interim Committee of the Fund's Board of Governors, meeting in April 1997, endorsed the concept of an amendment to the Articles of Agreement that would make the promotion of capital account liberalization one of the purposes of the Fund and give the Fund appropriate jurisdiction over capital movements. The Board also made further progress toward an amendment to the Articles to ensure that all members receive an equitable share of cumulative SDR allocations through a special onetime allocation of SDRs.
Largely because of the successful policy reforms adopted by many countries—including a number of countries that had earlier made substantial use of the Fund's resources—new financial commitments from the Fund fell from the exceptionally high levels of the two previous financial years. At the same time, the Fund continued to provide financial support under a number of major adjustment programs approved earlier for members.
Surveillance over the exchange rate policies of members, a responsibility at the core of the Fund's work, remained a subject high on the Board's agenda in 1996/97. The Board's deliberations encompassed several aspects of the subject, including a number of evolving issues.
In September 1996 the Board reviewed the broad policy framework for surveillance laid out in the Madrid Declaration on Cooperation to Strengthen the Global Expansion (Annual Report, 1995, pages 207-208). While it agreed that the global strategy to sustain and extend economic growth embodied in the declaration remained valid, it recommended that the Interim Committee take account of the changing needs of the global economy, so as to prepare it to meet new challenges, and to strengthen members' policy implementation in several areas. Later that month, the Interim Committee incorporated these conclusions in its Declaration on Partnership for Sustainable Global Growth(see Box 3 in Chapter 4), which set out a broad range of policy principles. The declaration's principles emphasized the complementarity and mutually reinforcing roles of macroeconomic and structural policies, and in particular the need to;
— implement sound macroeconomic policies that consolidate success in reducing inflation, strengthen fiscal discipline, enhance budgetary transparency, and improve the quality of fiscal adjustment;
— foster financial and exchange rate stability and avoid currency misalignments;
— maintain the impetus toward trade liberalization and current account convertibility;
— improve the composition of fiscal adjustment, including through the reduction of unproductive expenditure and the adequate provision for health and education;
— tackle labor and product market reforms more boldly;
— ensure the soundness of banking systems; and
— promote good governance in all its aspects.
In March 1997 the Board conducted its biennial review of the underlying principles and procedures of surveillance. Directors noted the number of initiatives taken since the Mexican financial crisis to increase the effectiveness of Fund surveillance, especially in detecting emerging financial crises at an early stage. In particular, they welcomed the increased focus on financial and banking sector issues, capital account developments, provision of information to the Fund, and the dissemination of data to the general public.
In an effort to enhance transparency, the Board agreed in April 1997 to the issuance, on a voluntary basis, of Press Information Notices following the conclusion of members' Article IV consultations with the Fund, for those members seeking to make the Fund's views known to the public.
During the year, the Board twice discussed issues relating to banking soundness in member countries and their implications for the Fund's surveillance work. Directors focused on the relations between systemic bank restructuring and macroeconomic policy, and on the efforts made to develop a framework for banking soundness. The Board agreed that the Fund should pay more attention to both these issues—within its surveillance role and in cooperation with other international institutions and bodies—since it was uniquely placed to alert members to weaknesses in their banking systems or regulatory regimes, and to promote sound banking principles and practices worldwide.
In a November 1996 review of the provision of information to the Fund by members, the Board noted that the quality and integrity of data had a major bearing on the Fund's ability to conduct effective surveillance. Directors welcomed the increased effort to provide comprehensive and candid assessments of data issues in the context of Article IV consultations. They suggested that future consultation reports should identify data deficiencies, address the reasons for these, and outline the steps necessary to overcome them. They also suggested that the implementation of the recommendations of technical assistance should be monitored and any shortcomings noted in staff reports.
Work continued on the development of standards to guide member countries in the dissemination of economic and financial statistics to the public.
— In September 1996, the Fund opened the electronic bulletin board for the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) to public access on the Internet's World Wide Web. This standard is designed to enhance the availability of timely and comprehensive statistics for members having or seeking access to capital markets.
— In March 1997, the Board endorsed the framework for the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS). This system will provide broad guidance for all members for publishing data that will be less prescriptive than that for the SDDS.
At a preliminary discussion of the issue in January 1997, there was a strong consensus in the Board on the vital importance of good governance for economic efficiency and growth. Directors emphasized that sound economic performance depended on the efficient use of public resources, the creation of an environment conducive to private sector activity, and public support for economic reforms. It was also recognized that greater transparency in macroeconomic policy could contribute to private sector confidence in government policies and that external financing—both official and private—was tied closely to governance issues.
Against the background of the very rapid growth and increased integration of international capital markets, in early 1997 the Board twice discussed the issue of capital account convertibility. The Board emphasized that, for the Fund to exercise effective surveillance over international capital flows, which have an increased importance for the stability of the international monetary system, there should be an appropriate amendment to the Fund's Articles. The central role of the Fund in promoting the orderly liberalization of capital movements was endorsed by the Interim Committee at its April 1997 meeting, which called on the Board to continue its work on this topic with a view to making specific recommendations on key elements of an amendment to the Articles by the Committee's next meeting in September 1997.
The Board gave considerable attention during 1996/97 to two important means of providing support to the Fund's poorest members: the continuation of the ESAF as the centerpiece of the Fund's support for the poorest of its members, and the Initiative to assist the HIPCs.
The Board endorsed the continuation of the ESAF beyond the year 2000, when current ESAF resources are expected to be fully committed. There is to be an interim period of operations from 2001 to 2004, with an expected commitment level of SDR 1 billion a year for which new financing would be mobilized. This would be followed in 2005, or earlier, by a self-sustained ESAF with commitments of about SDR 0.8 billion a year.
The key features of the HIPC Initiative were outlined by the Fund's Managing Director and the President of the World Bank in a report endorsed by the Interim Committee in September 1996. This Initiative is designed to ensure that HIPCs with a sound track record of economic adjustment can attain a sustainable debt situation over the medium term. Subsequently, in proceeding with implementation, the Board took the following actions.
— In February 1997, it set up the ESAF-HIPC Trust to finance special ESAF operations in the form of grants, or highly concessional loans, to countries assisted under the HIPC Initiative and to subsidize the interest rate on interim ESAF operations.
— In April 1997, it gave its first approval of a country's eligibility for assistance under the HIPC Initiative in the case of Uganda.
— Also in April 1997, it gave preliminary consideration of HIPC assistance in the cases of three other countries—Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire.
The Board's actions to implement the Fund's participation in the joint Fund-World Bank HIPC Initiative were welcomed by the Interim Committee at its April 1997 meeting. The Committee urged members to work to secure the resources necessary to complete the funding of the Fund's participation in the Initiative as well as of the continuation of ESAF.
The Board addressed a number of equity issues regarding the present SDR system. These derive from the fact that some recent members of the Fund have never received an allocation of SDRs; other members have not participated in every SDR allocation; and changes in the relative quotas of members that have participated in every allocation have led to substantial differences in ratios of cumulative allocations of SDRs to quotas of individual members. The Board's proposal to remedy the situation by a special onetime allocation of SDRs through an amendment to the Articles was endorsed by the Interim Committee in September 1996. Thereafter the Board made substantial progress on a proposed amendment. The Interim Committee in April 1997 requested the Board to finalize its work as soon as possible and report to the Committee in September 1997.
During 1996/97, the Fund approved 28 new Stand-By, Extended, and ESAF arrangements, totaling SDR 5.3 billion (more than $7.1 billion) in new commitments. This represented a moderation in the demand for Fund resources compared with commitments of SDR 19.7 billion (almost $27 billion) in 1995/96 and SDR 16.6 billion (about $23 billion) in 1994/95. Many Fund-supported arrangements approved in those previous years, however, remained in effect in 1996/97, including the three-year Extended Arrangement with Russia totaling SDR 6.9 billion approved in March 1996, the largest such Extended Arrangement in the history of the Fund. During the year, the Board held monthly reviews of the Russian economy under this arrangement.
Altogether, as of April 30, 1997, 60 Fund-supported programs with member countries were in effect (14 Stand-By Arrangements, 11 Extended Fund Facility arrangements, and 35 ESAF arrangements). In addition, in April 1997, a drawing of SDR 9 million was made by Rwanda under the Fund's policy of emergency assistance to postconflict countries. Total Fund credit outstanding at the end of the year was SDR 40.5 billion ($55.3 billion), a slight decline from the level of SDR 42.0 billion a year previously.
Members' drawings from the Fund during the year totaled SDR 5.6 billion, including purchases of SDR 2.1 billion by Russia under its Extended Arrangement, and sizable purchases by Algeria (SDR 512 million), Argentina (SDR 321 million), Ukraine (SDR 598 million), and Venezuela (SDR 350 million). Repayments were SDR 7.2 billion, including voluntary advance repurchases of SDR 2.6 billion by Mexico and SDR 140 million by Hungary
The liquidity ratio—the ratio between the Fund's uncommitted usable resources and its liquid liabilities—rose to 121 percent at the end of April 1997, compared with a level of 90 percent a year earlier. This reflected the more moderate use of Fund financing and an increase in the pool of currencies used by the Fund to finance members' purchases.
Even though Fund credit outstanding declined slightly during the year, it remained high in historical terms. The Board continued to work on actions to strengthen the Fund's resources.
The Board's consideration of the Eleventh General Review of Quotas focused on the size and distribution of an increase in quotas, as well as on the size of ad hoc increases for countries whose quotas are most out of line with their relative positions in the world economy.
In January 1997, the Board adopted a decision on the New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB), under which the Fund may borrow up to SDR 34 billion when it needs additional resources to forestall or cope with an impairment of the international monetary system or to deal with an exceptional situation that poses a threat to the stability of the system. The NAB will come into force once a set number of potential participants have adhered to the decision. It will not replace the existing General Arrangements to Borrow but, if needed, will serve as the facility of first and principal recourse.
To broaden Directors' understanding of the economic problems and policies in individual member countries, a trial program of group travel by Board members was initiated in 1996/97. Two separate groups of Directors traveled to three countries of the Middle East and to three transition economies in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
With the challenges posed by increasing globalization and the widespread transition to market-based economic systems, member countries' demand for the Fund's technical assistance and training services remained strong. The main focus of assistance was on the monetary and fiscal aspects of macroeconomic management, but related areas of statistics, financial law, Fund financial organization and operations, and information technology were also covered. Total technical assistance by both Fund staff and the assignment of short- and long-term advisors amounted to 277 person-years in 1996/97, or some 14 percent of the Fund's administrative budget.
Although its activities have increased markedly in recent years, the Fund's medium-term budget strategy, which was endorsed by the Board in January 1997, reflects a commitment to keeping the authorized staffing level at current or slightly lower levels and keeping administrative expenses relatively flat in real terms. In line with this policy, resources are being redeployed to strengthen surveillance and the ongoing work associated with the use of Fund financing. At the same time, steps have been taken to broaden the scope of the evaluation function through the establishment at the beginning of the year of the Office of Internal Audit and Inspection and the formation of a group of Executive Directors to coordinate external evaluation. Complementing the long-standing process of internal review and evaluation, an evaluation of technical assistance provided by the Monetary and Exchange Affairs Department was completed by outside experts in early 1996 and reviewed by the Board in May 1996. Also, an external evaluation of certain issues related to the ESAF was launched, which is being coordinated by a group of Executive Directors on behalf of the Board; the conclusions are to be reported around the end of 1997.
To strengthen relations with member countries in Asia, in March 1997 the Fund announced the establishment of a new Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, located in Tokyo, which was to begin operations in the fall of 1997. As a further measure to enhance efficiency in the Fund's relations with its Asian members, a single Asia and Pacific Department was established in January 1997, through amalgamating the former Central Asia and Southeast Asia and Pacific Departments.
The membership of the Fund remained constant at 181 countries during 1996/97. The Republic of Palau applied for membership in late December 1996. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) has yet to complete arrangements for succession to membership. The Board decided in December 1996 to extend the period within which the country should complete such arrangements.
In this Report, "Board" refers to the Executive Board of the Fund; references to the Board of Governors are stated fully.


Calliope School of Music was founded on the simple idea that students shouldn't just learn "how" to play their instruments, they should be learning "why" things work the way they do. At our studio we believe that the proper foundations and practical theory provide our students with the skills they need to be successful in their musical endeavors. Whether you want to play guitar in a metal band or classical piano concertos, we can help you develop the tools you need to meet your goals.
At Calliope School of Music we believe in teaching self reliance, we don't want our students to have a teacher showing them how to play for the rest of their musical careers. We want to make musicians, a player who can pick up a piece of music and play for themselves. We teach how music works, not just how to play it.
We offer instrumental lessons in piano, guitar, violin and drums as well as voice lessons.
A wide range of styles is possible with the voice, from classical opera to jazz and pop, almost every genre of music may contain a vocal element.
There is an old joke; How do you get a guitar player to stop playing? The answer of course is to put sheet music in front of him. For far too long the guitar has been looked upon as less of an instrument than others, but this wasn't always the case. We are looking to bring back the old way of thinking, where the guitar is more than a second class instrument and those that play it are more than just guitar players, but musicians.
No matter what style you are interested in, from classical to jazz or heavy metal, lessons can help you develop your craft and focus on what can make you a better musician.
Celebrating strong and inspiring women Happy International Women's Day!
Happy Presidents' Day! While Presidents Day was originally established in recognition of President George Washington, it is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents - past and present.
In honor of Memorial Day, we will be closed today May 28th. We will be resuming normal business hours tomorrow.
#ThisDayInMusicHistory 1893: Walter E. "Furry" Lewis was born. He was an American country blues guitarist and songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee.


New for 2012, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express has been updated for another UK tour. With new orchestrations, arrangements and some new songs, the show continues its energetic pace on stage. Designed by Ben Harrison, the sound system includes 2 dual-CSC systems. One 24-output system lives in the pit, controlled by the MD to run the wealth of click tracks for the show - much of the new music requiring layers of electronic stabs and synth sounds in addition to the touring orchestra. A second 16-output system resides at FOH to provide sound effects and the famous "Voice of Control". This system is triggered by the DSM at side of stage and uses the new tRemote iPad based trigger list system.
Focussing on the months leading up to her death in 1969, End of the Rainbow follows Judy Garland as she emabarks on a triumphant comeback. Following a Sydney premiere in 2005 and a UK West End run, this Broadway production at the Belasco Theatre features Tracie Bennetts "Electrifying Interpretation" of Judy Garland, with popular songs such as 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. Sound Design is by Gareth Owen and features an Avid Venue Mixing System, Sennheiser 3732 Microphones, D&B PA and a dual CSC system based on bootcamped MacMini computers and RME Fireface 800 interfaces. The show has been nominated for the 2012 Tony Awards for 'Best Sound Design of a Play' - Well done Gareth!
Now in its 60th year, the Mousetrap is the longest running show, of any kind, in the world. And for the last 34 years the show has lived in its current home at the St Martins theatre in Londons West End. Since then the show has seen many changes, not just actors, but even the set and technical aspects of the show have changed. Starting life using mechanical sound effects, then later phonograph, then reel to reel, then CD, and now finally computer, the show is consistently brought up to date. For this refit a new CSC playback system has been installed, and all the original sound effects cleaned up, as well as all-new atmospheres and music cues. Read the full story here.
Its back to the 60s for another helping of nostalgic, feel good Rock n Roll classics, from the same team that brought Dreamboats and Petticoats to the West End and UK Touring venues. Following two teenage sisters through the summer of 1963 in the traditional seaside town of Lowestoft, everything changes for the girls when they are invited to a nearby US Air Force base for a dance, and soon young love and holiday romance is the backdrop for the non stop hits of Pomus and Shuman, among others, from this unique era of music. Aboard the trip is a dual CSC system replaying sound effects and click tracks throughout the production.
Simply the Best with CSC!
Touring the UK from September 2011, Sister Act tells the story of disco diva Deloris Van Cartier who witnesses a murder and is placed in police protection in the one place the cops are sure she wont be found - a convent. The show follows Deloris and her antics as she tranforms the Convent choir, upsets the Mother Superior, and forms longlasting bonds with her newfound friends. Packed with funk, soul and disco style songs the show has proved a feel good outing for individuals and families alike. Sound designer Gareth Owen specc'ed a dual CSC system for the show, in a design replicated on both the UK tour and in Milan.
Warren Clarke returns to the stage for the first time in over a decade as Winston Churchill in the World Premiere of Ben Brown�s thrilling political drama. Now running at the Trafalgar Studios in Londons West End, Trafalgar Studios 1 is situated on Whitehall and in close proximity to both No.10 and the Cabinet War Room � right at the heart of where the action of the play took place, 70 years ago. Ben Brown�s gripping and fascinating portrayal takes us behind the doors of Number Ten during three of the most pivotal days in British history when, extraordinarily, giving in to Hitler was considered by some to be a viable option. Adding a slightly more modern element to the show, CSC is in place for Sound Effects, Scene Change music and atmospheres all easily controlled by the DSM.
Where Music and Dancing has been banned!
Bill Kenwright's production of Evita continues to tour this year on to countries such as Greece, Italy and Germany as part of planned tour dates. The sound system has been redesigned for this leg of the journey and now includes a fully redundant CSC sound effect and click track playback system. Although touring a large band, the show still includes a large amount of click track material, all of which is triggered by the software's External Trigger List by the MD. Sound effects are fired by the sound operator using recessed buttons mounted in the shows Yamaha CS1D control surface. Touring a dual computer system vastly cuts down touring equipment requirements whilst retaining the backup and redundancy required by professional productions.
The 60s are back and the hair is big!
No stranger to working alongside the Digidesign Venue consoles, CSC is back on the road with the West End Production of Hairspray, having left its previous home on Shaftesbury Avenue earlier this year. Touring as a fully redundant system, CSC is in use controlling scenes on the desk using CSCs unique intelligent bank-program change control method allowing scenes greater than 128 to be recalled instantly using Program Changes as well as contributing to sound effects and click tracks.
CSC - Great for Train Control Too!
The well known musical Starlight Express featuring singing and dancing racing trains has become a national tour in New Zealand. Featuring numerous voice overs by the young "Voice of Control", designers are always looking for a fast and simple method of programming and delivering these lines night after night. Designed primarily by Oceania audio in NZ, the team have adopted CSC to run on a dual computer system with a single custom built button for the operator to trigger the voice and associated sound effects. The rest of the system includes Yamaha PM5D consoles, Shure microphones and EV X-Line.
Back out again for another UK tour , UK Productions' Beauty and the Beast has seen a large change in the sound system. Once comprising of a large analogue mixing desk, dual multi-track playback machines for click track, samplers for sound effects and computers for desk control, designer Glen Beckley has reduced FOH down considerably, now only needing to load in a PM1D and 2 racks at mix position. A dual tracking CSC system has been chosen to replace all the sampler and hard disk playback systems, and is being used to replay the multi-channel click tracks started by the MD, control the desk scenes and fire the numerous sound effects within the show. Not only does the system provide imense power and flexibily but makes moves a lot easier for the touring crew!
Demonstrating how versatile its applications can be, CSC has recently been installed in the British Pavillion for the 53rd Venice Biennale. Representing Britain is Steve McQueen and his specifically made film, Giardini. The film is split across 2 projection systems, syncronised together in a purpose built viewing area. The system is entirely controlled by CSC - including the lighting - using clock triggers to start the day off, telnet to talk to CTR's simple lighting controller and USB DMX interface, send Sony 9-pin protocol messages to start the 2 video servers, time the whole sequence to bring the lights back up at the end of the film and automatically schedule the next lighting and film sequence based on further clock triggers. All on a single laptop!.
The Sponge Who Could Fly!
Direct from America, the UK sees the new tour of SpongeBob Squarepants - The Sponge who could fly! Aimed primarily at kids, but with whitty punchlines and intriguing sets and models to keep any adult amused, the SpongeBob tour kicked off its first previews in Hackney, London. Officially opening in March at the Hammersmith Apollo, CSC has been placed in charge of controlling the many music tracks, sound effects and voice overs, as well as controlling the M7CL desk.
Becoming a firm standard in Pantomime production, CSCs use has being taken to new levels all over the country- in some cases being used to play back not only sound effects but also music tracks and control desk states. A rapid days training was all the shows operators needed to be up to speed with the software, inserting new sound effects and moving music cues around during rehearsals ready to be the sole sound source (apart from the actors voices, of course!) on opening night. The sense of live performance was retained by filling in the hotscene window with many spot sound effects and drum rolls to continue the standard "unrehearsed, unpredicted" comedy moments.
Still finding no time to rest, CSC continues to be used on both National Touring Productions and West End Installations. Recent shows include: Witches of Eastwick National Tour featuring Marti Pellow; Cant Smile Without You, the Barry Manilow musical with Chesney Hawkes; Rogers and Hammerstein's classic Carousel, soon to have a West End transfer;La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse in Londons West End; the creepy White Devil at the Chocolate Factory designed by Keith Hutchinson (probably the first 'officially known' person to use his iPod to control and programme CSC!); French and Saunders at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, filling in whilst Oliver fits up behind the scenes and Tons of Money, Alan Ayckbourn�s revised version of the famous Aldwych farce.
Inspired by his debut Album, "All the Fun of the Fair", this new stage production sees David Essex starring as fairground owner Levi, and follows his life on the road amdist love triangles, motorcyles, dodgems and tragedy. An extensive soundscape created by Steve Jonas and Seb Frost, merged with pre-recorded music tracks for this 'band-less' performance required the use of a flexible playback system, and CSC has been chosen to do just this. The studio recorded tracks were mixed in 5.1 and transferred to a 16-channel ADAT based dual CSC system for surround sound playback in the live venues, and the software also used to control the outboard effects and Yamaha M7CL. PA is D&B Q Series and Radio microphone systems are Zaxcom digital. The results from such a small setup are extraordinary and could well be the shape of things to come.
Its back to the 80's for another film to stage transition, and this time its the turn of Flashdance, the 1983 film following the life of Alex, a welder by day and aspiring dancer by night whos dream it is to win a place at the Shipley Dance Academy. With musical classics such as "She's a Maniac", "I love Rock & Roll" and many new songs written for the show, the system design had to deal with all types of musical genres from the quiet ballads to the all-out 80's sound. PA is D&B Q Series and the system is based around a Digidesign Venue mixing system. Zaxcom digital radio mics are in use on stage, and CSC is running on dual-redundant tracking PC systems with over 300 cues for the desk (using CSC's unique MIDI memory state command), outboard and 8-channel sound FX.
The 1998 film "The Wedding Singer" has been reaching new audiences since its adaption for the stage. Opening first in Broadway, and now touring the UK, this new production has set numerous challenges for the sound department. With a touring sound crew of only 2 and no additional production engineer, the system had to be easy to move and set up. The show opened to the public at the Palace Theatre in Manchester and is set to tour many UK venues over the coming months. FOH consists of a Digidesign Venue console, with the "silent" band using the Venues PQ system for monitoring. There is also a heavy requirement of click track on the show. CSC has been chosen to run the multi-channel click tracks for the band, using the new trigger lists as control, as well as changing desk and reverb states and running the sound effects used throughout the show.
Only a short run on Shaftesbury Avenue, CSC has been specified to run the sound for this new London production. The show provides a perfect time to fully roadtest CSC's trigger lists. According to the operator "The show contains a lot of AV material, but we had to be prepared for the loss of audio from the video feed. Every audio clip was loaded into CSC but not inlcuded as part of the cuelist. A button on the 8-way remote control was assigned to fire the triggerlist so I was ready at all times for audio loss. I always knew i was on the right point in the triggerlist due to the unique 'Advance list on failed entry' option, whereby if the audio had successfully run and I hadnt fired the trigger, it would move on automatically to cue up the next clip - A very useful feature not seen anywhere else".


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| Revered School of Music professor Aldo Parisot dies at 100
Revered School of Music professor Aldo Parisot dies at 100
Allison Park	10:33 pm, Dec 30, 2018
Aldo Parisot MUS '48, a beloved Yale School of Music faculty member and highly esteemed teacher and performer, passed away on Saturday. He was 100.
In a 60-year career in which he became the School of Music's longest-serving faculty member, Parisot established a legacy through his influential teaching and successful performance career. For decades, cello students from around the globe came to Yale to study with Parisot. His passing comes just six months after the announcement of his retirement from the School of Music.
"I am feeling unbearably sad and heartbroken," said assistant professor of cello at the School of Music Ole Akahoshi MUS '95.
In addition to studying under Parisot during his time as a graduate student in the School of Music, Akahoshi served as the only other cello professor teaching alongside Parisot at the School of Music for the past 21 years.
Akahoshi said that he has "the deepest gratitude towards Mr. Parisot for his musical, artistic, emotional, philosophical and paternal guidance; unconditional love; and his limitless friendship" and added that Parisot's "inspiration and spirit is irreplaceable and will be carried in our hearts forever."
A Brazilian-born cellist, Parisot began his music career at age 7 and made his professional debut at age 12. Soon after, Parisot joined the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and served as principal cellist. While studying at the Yale School of Music, Parisot received critical acclaim for his United States debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. His first European tour began the following year.
In the following decades, Parisot appeared in some of the world's most prestigious concert halls, performing and premiering cello concertos with orchestras in New York, Berlin, London and Vienna.
Before joining the School of Music's faculty in 1958, Parisot held faculty positions at The Juilliard School, Peabody Conservatory, Mannes College of Music and the New England Conservatory. Today, many of his students hold positions in leading orchestras around the world — a testament to his influential teaching. One former student, Carter Brey MUS '79, currently serves as principal cello of the New York Philharmonic.
"He certainly had a huge arsenal of ideas and advice that he so generously gave to his students for decades and decades," said Boston Symphony Orchestra cellist Owen Young '86 MUS '87. "He had such a strong, strong will — a conviction that I thought to myself: He will be teaching as long as he possibly can, and he will live a long life just from his sheer willpower."
Young said that when he was a student, he recalls thinking that Parisot "will live and teach forever."
Many of Parisot's students have gone on to lead successful teaching careers as well, passing on Parisot's unique pedagogy to new generations of cellists.
"He was a master teacher," said Ralph Kirshbaum '68, a former student of Parisot who currently serves as professor of cello at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. "That means not only was he someone who was well versed in all things cello technique and so forth, but he was a wonderful instinctive psychologist with his students."
Kirshbaum said that Parisot could "read his students well" and knew when to step in and apply pressure and when to observe and encourage. Kirshbaum said that many of the principles he teaches his own students — such as mastering the cello's fingerboard and developing technique in the left hand — stem from Parisot's pedagogy.
Kirshbaum said his relationship with Parisot evolved from a teacher-student relationship into a friendship.
"I am infinitely grateful for that, and this was someone who I really cared about deeply," said Kirshbaum. "I mean, I loved Aldo Parisot. He was a very important part of my life."
School of Music visiting professor of cello Paul Watkins said that "even for a 100-year-old man, it was a shock to hear that news." He added that "it was very moving to meet such a great figure in the world of music and particularly in the world of cello playing." Watkins emphasized that Parisot "didn't produce cookie-cutter cellists — he nurtured the individual."
A former student of Parisot and current performer and professor Inbal Megiddo '98 MUS '01 MUS '02 said that Parisot was "so much more than a teacher — he was a friend, and you always knew he was there to fight for you for what you needed."
"Everywhere that I go in my career, I meet his students, and a lot of times you can tell who his students are just by the way they play," Megiddo added.
Brinton Smith, principal cellist of the Houston Symphony and associate professor of cello at Rice University, said that "the legacy of [Parisot's] teaching over many decades made Aldo perhaps the most influential cellist of his generation, beloved in the cello community and a loss that we all feel deeply." He emphasized the fact that "nearly every professional U.S. cellist studied with Aldo or with a student of Aldo's at some point in their career."
In addition to teaching cello students, Parisot led the Grammy-nominated ensemble Yale Cellos since its formation in 1983. The group gained international renown following the releases of numerous award-winning CDs and has performed around the world in venues including Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.
According to a statement by School of Music Dean Robert Blocker, the Parisot family requests that memorial gifts be directed to the Yale Cellos Fund at the Yale School of Music.
Allison Park | allison.park@yale.edu

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Обераммергау () — коммуна в Германии, в земле Бавария. Коммуна характеризуется наличием общинного (общего, совместного) управления.

Подчиняется административному округу Верхняя Бавария. Входит в состав района Гармиш-Партенкирхен. Население составляет 5228 человек (на 31 декабря 2010 года). Занимает площадь 30,06 км². Официальный код — 09 1 80 125.

История
В 1633 году появляется идея «живой» постановки «Страстей Христовых». Постановка, известная на весь мир, ставится до сих пор.

Сегодня это один из наиболее комфортных и удобных туристических центров Баварии.

Ежегодно Обераммергау посещают более полумиллиона человек, а в годы представлений Страстей Христовых — до нескольких миллионов за сезон.

Достопримечательности
Почти все дома в этом небольшом городке, особенно в его центре, украшены фресками () с сюжетами из сказок, религиозными сценами или традиционными орнаментами.

Известные люди
Обераммергау — родина известных немецких писателей и художников, архитекторов и политиков и даже министров. В этом местечке родился, жил и работал Франц Сераф Цвинк (1748—1792), автор нового направления в архитектурном искусстве, которое стало известно на весь мир под названием «Люфтльмалерай». Также родом из Обераммергау немецкий учёный Олаф Хардер (род. 1941).
 Фриц, Герберт (1916–1996) – немецкий военачальник.

Примечания

Ссылки

 Обераммергау по-русски
 Деревня Обераммергау (Германия): Описание с фотографиями

Города Баварии

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The ecological material wood as a basic construction with its outstanding heat-insulating properties provides for interior natural comfort. On the outside, the frame made of weather-resistant aluminum or metal is robust in function and slim in design. With the SLIMLINE® window system, in addition to integral windows, sliding doors, fixed glazing, mullion-transom facades, element facades and entrance doors can be realized and combined.


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Voices without bodies
Posted by Richard Coyne ⋅ November 30, 2013 ⋅ 2 Comments
Filed Under cinema, sound, voice
Question to Siri: "What's The Wizard of Oz about?" Siri: "It's about some Dorothy, her intelligent assistants, and her little dog too. Some are not so intelligent, I guess."
The development of speech recognition and speech synthesis on smartphones (eg Siri) brings to mind how important the voice is in helping people feel engaged, at least with the devices they carry. But it's really more about fantasy and sci-fi than convenience … which is in turn about the city and film.
"All the world's a stage," wrote Shakespeare. Baroque architects arranged the urban environment as if a stage set. Now city inhabitants are more likely to view the world as if through a cinematic frame. Those miniature screens we carry around, plus the animated bilboards, urban screens and projections remind me that the world is mediated by and assessed as if a cinematic experience, at least for some of the time. As well as the visuals, we carry around sound tracks — and voices.
The disembodied voice
What's "Inception" about?
The sound theorist Michel Chion bases his studies of voice in cinema on the concept of the acousmêtre, the acousmatic being, the voice whose source is invisible and unknown — like Siri. In film this is the voice of the narrator, someone off-stage, or behind the curtain. For Chion, the acousmêtre conveys "ubiquity, panopticism, omniscience, and omnipotence" (24), in other words authority.
So the acousmêtre is all-seeing, knows everything, and is all powerful. Apparently the voice-over narration in documentaries and news broadcasts inherits its authority from this tendency. As a hapless acousmêtre, the fated Wizard of Oz concealed his modest human frame behind a screen and used his voice to convey the authority he lacked otherwise.
Chion refers to the "already visualised acousmêtre," the voice whose face we know but currently don't see, and that generally projects reassurance. The voice of a friend or known voice on the phone can have this function … or perhaps some of the pre-wired, indefatigable and soothing quips fron Siri.
The "commentator acousmêtre" is a category of disembodied voice, but a voice that has no personal stake in the action. Comparable to the narrator of a news item or nature programme, is the public address announcement, whether live or recorded.
The commentator acousmêtre is otherwise close to Chion's "radio acousmêtre," the voice over the radio that doesn't have the option of showing its face.
The "complete acousmêtre" is the voice to whom we can't yet attach a face, "but who remains liable to appear in the visual field at any moment" (21). The complete acousmêtre is a powerful element in cinema. Film directors play with the possibilities of revelation at any time, and the suspense this builds, the "epiphany of the acousmêtre," as in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho: "the acousmêtre brings disequilibrium and tension" (24).
There's an amusing scene from The Big Bang Theory (and on YouTube) where Raj actually gets to meet Siri (clearly an impossibility), though the tension comes from wondering whether Raj can speak back.
The grafted voice
You need to have an up-to-date phone and operating systems to interact with Siri, and to be online. It's grafted on and sometimes drops out. But wer'e used to that with voices, which are frequently detached from the bodies they serve. Cinema rarely uses the voice as recorded by the actors at the same time they are filmed. Voices are added afterwards by the actors and engineers in a sound studio, and adjusted and placed with the image as part of the editing process.
This over-dubbing, or post-synchronisation, indicates the disjunction between voices and bodies, sounds and visual images. In some cases the connection can be disengaged deliberately, as in the case of Fellini's use of voices that "hang on the bodies of actors in only the loosest and freest sense, in space as well as in time" (85).
Cinema draws on the false attribution of vocal agency, the simulation of vocal apparatus (dubbing, post-synchronization, Foley editing). You can change Siri's gender and accent, and sometimes it goes mute. This is a cinematic treatment of the voice.
Siri-alism
Algorithms simulate the voice, digital devices read documents out loud, advise on what movies are showing nearby, and the progress of software processes, and satellite navigation systems provide vocal directions.
The detached voice is also a bit menacing. In 2001, Stanley Kubrick presents the breakdown of the Hal 9000 computer as an acousmatic event. Throughout the film, Hal is an all-seeing and insistent voice. Hal's dismantling is accompanied unnervingly by his reversion to a childish state, revealing his digital substrate as he recites a nursery rhyme. For Chion this is "a strange death, leaving no trace, no body," (46) and no echo.
The vehicle for this speculation is the acousmêtre, a cinematic term that recognises the voice as already disembodied, floating, caught in cycles and cuts, at times mute, and often grafted.
Question to Siri: "What's 2001: A Space Odyssey about?" Siri: It's about an assistant named HAL who tries to make contact with a higher intelligence. These two guys get in the way and mess it all up."
This post has been published at the conclusion of an exciting symposium called "What is sound design?" in the University of Edinburgh.
This post is adapted and updated from a book chapter Martin Parker and I wrote: Coyne, Richard, and Martin Parker. 2009. Voice and space: The agency of the acousmêtre in spatial design. In P. Turner, S. Turner, and E. Davenport (eds.), Exploration of Space, Technology and Spatiality: Interdisciplinary Perspectives: 102-112. Hershey PA: Information Science Reference. Siri wasn't around then.
Page reference in this post are to Chion, Michel. 1999. The Voice in Cinema. Trans. C. Gorbman. New York: Columbia University Press.
Slavoj Zizek writes: "We have thus arrived at the formula of the relationship between voice and image: voice does not simply persist at a different level with regard to what we see, it rather points towards a gap in the field of the visible, toward the dimension of what eludes our gaze. In other words, their relationship is mediated by an impossibility: ultimately, we hear things because we cannot see everything" (Zizek, 1996, p. 93). The voice points towards a series of gaps.
Also see The King's speech impediment, Haunted by media and Where is that sound?.
Chion, Michel. 1994. Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen. Trans. C. Gorbman. New York: Columbia University Press
Chion, Michel. 1999. The Voice in Cinema. Trans. C. Gorbman. New York: Columbia University Press. First published in French in 1982.
Coyne, Richard, and Martin Parker. 2005. Sounding Off: The Place of Voice in Ubiquitous Digital Media. In K. Nyíri (ed.), Proc. Seeing, Understanding, Learning in the Mobile Age, Budapest, April 28–30: 129-134.
Coyne, Richard, and Martin Parker. 2006. Voices out of place: Voice, non-place and ubiquitous digital communications. In K. Nyíri (ed.), Mobile Understanding: The Epistemology of Ubiquitous Communication: 171-182. Vienna: Passagen Verlag.
Coyne, Richard, and Martin Parker. 2009. Voice and space: The agency of the acousmêtre in spatial design. In P. Turner, S. Turner, and E. Davenport (eds.), Exploration of Space, Technology and Spatiality: Interdisciplinary Perspectives: 102-112. Hershey PA: Information Science Reference.
Zizek, Slavoj. 1996. "I hear you with my eyes"; or, the invisible master. In R. Saleci, and S. Zizek (eds.), Gaze and Voice as Love Objects: 90-126. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
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2 thoughts on "Voices without bodies"
Really Interesting! Made me also think of the technique Shakespeare (amongst others) used – I don't remember how it is called… I was reading a relevant article recently.. : The fact that the script itself (the words the actors said) directed the act. The stage direction was implicit in the dialogue. i.e. one character says 'I see you crawling towards …' and the phrase uttered says to the other actor what he should be acting. As if the stage is set by the dialogue.
Posted by Anastasia | December 1, 2013, 2:04 pm
Very interesting !!! Try this with Siri: What is Memento about ?
Posted by Pedro | August 29, 2017, 1:37 pm


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Kimpton Cottonwood Set to Open in Omaha
Leo A Daly and DLR Group lead architecture and interiors
Nov 3, 2020 | Branded, Design, Hotel, Hotels, Industry News, Interiors, News, Openings, Renovations
Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel, opening this month, is a $75-million reinvention of the iconic 1916 Blackstone Hotel located within Omaha, Nebraska's historic Blackstone District.
Developed by principals of Clarity Development and GreenSlate Development, the eight-story building is a prime example of Second Renaissance Revival architecture. It was declared an Omaha Landmark in 1983 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Significant historical and design elements of the original hotel will be restored. Leo A Daly and DLR Group lead the architecture and interior design process in partnership with Kimpton's design team, global senior vice president of design Ave Bradley and design director Jennifer Porterfield.
The hotel will be comprised of 205 guestrooms including 31 suites, a resort-style swimming pool and expansive pool club, a classic steakhouse and cocktail lounge, a café serving French-inspired fare, high tea served daily, a spacious solarium, and a rooftop terrace ideal for both social events and leisurely taking in the view.
The property's 50-plus piece art collection, entirely produced by Nebraskan artists, will be the first-ever hotel curation by community activist and artist Watie White. Watie describes the collection as "a certain autobiography of Omaha" and deeply connected to the city. One of the hotel's five commissioned pieces by Omaha-born BIPOC fiber and textile artist Celeste Butler is a dynamic quilt display incorporating materials from the original Blackstone Hotel, such as a rusted shower drain and Cottonwood leaves from property grounds.
Photo: Courtesy of Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel


For over 7 years, led integrated design teams building a dozen digital consumer products.
Recently, delivered breakthrough strategic thinking to a media company, transitioning them from a blog to a leading technology innovator valued at $80+ million.
Over the past 3 years, partnered with 3 CEOs to launch digital businesses shaping both the business and product from inception to delivery.
I am currently Strategy Director at innovation consultancy Redscout. Prior to that, I was a founding partner at experience design firm Siberia (June 2013 - May 2014). I also worked at Code and Theory (2011 - 2013) and WPP Public Relations firm Hill & Knowlton (2006 - 2011).
I had the opportunity to participate TechStars' Connected Devices Accelerator as a mentor, advising portfolio companies focusing on helping them develop strategic fundamentals to direct their product development.


So you know that "slightly more ambitious" crochet project I spoke of? This is it!!
Meet Euan. He will be one of my companions on my upcoming trip to Japan. I plan to take plenty of photographs of him in many of the places that I visit.
Very nice! I just made another teddy bear from this book (the one with a shirt). Amigurumi is not very difficult and so much fun to make. Have fun in Japan!


We provided architectural services for this 2,343 square foot design-build project. The interior remodeling involved reconfiguring the teller line, lobby, viewing rooms, teller office, among other interior upgrades. The project was designed to allow the bank to remain in operation throughout construction.


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Hong Kong hotels are extremes in price. There are the famous luxury hotels at one end and the other end are the types of hotels that look good once you become rich and famous, and want people to know how hard you had it when you were starting out in life!
Since this is a budget site, I give the low-end hotels, which are low-end in price indeed, amazingly so.
Remember you are paying to be in a central location in one of world's great cities, so if it is clean, and the rats stay out of the actual sleeping area.....Just joking!
1. The youth hosels, for which you may need a card, acquired before you leave your native land.
2. The Chungking Mansions on Nathan Road in Lower Kowloon.
3. The Mirador Mansions on Nathan Road in Lower Kowloon.
All low-budget is potentially risky and therefore i do not stand behind my recommendations in any legal sense, so do not sue me if you are robbed, raped, or misled! All you are doing is saving money.
The Chungking Mansions has had a cult film made about it. It is a huge complex of hotels, stores, and restaurants, dark and forboding, full of exotically dressed travellers from India and Africa.
The police periodically tear about these hotels checking visas and passports, and wake people at the crack of dawn to catch any deadbeats slumbering.
You can get money changed, wire money home, buy souvenirs, enjoy ethnic snacks and meals, and even visit Michael Lam, a film casting agent, on Floor Sixteen of Block A who can get you a night of work on a real movie set. This work usually involves all-night shooting so is recommended for the strong, though it pays fast cash for needy travellers.
The Travellers Lodge where Michael has his office has low-priced rooms, dorms, and a women's section as well. It ic clean though the elevators put me off on the Chungking Mansions.
You have to wait a long time for them, and if a fire ever broke out here it would be pandemonium.
As Lizzy Nolan, my Irish friend, and I were tearing down the stairwells one night, I told her a Canadian teacher had just written me that she was wary of the hotel since a mouse ran one night from under her restaurant table.
Lizzy said with Irish wit, She should be happy it wasn't a rat!
That is the true attitude all world travellers should cultivate! Be happy it was not a rat, and it was a rat, be happy it was a small rat!