Practice Dept.

So, on a totally different note (pun very intended) ... Seiji Ozawa will be leading a Japanese cultural festival later this year at Carnegie Hall.

The Japan festival is set for December, with a second round to follow in March and April. It will feature dance, Noh theater, taiko drumming, art exhibitions, manga and jazz, as well as performances by orchestras partly founded by Mr. Ozawa: the Saito Kinen Orchestra and the Seiji Ozawa Ongaku-juku, part of an academy established by the conductor.

There's more in the article about Carnegie Hall's financial situation, and about Ozawa's health: he has cancer of the esophagus, but his doctors are confident he'll make a full recovery. Here's hoping.

I'll have to see how much tickets are going to run for. I've never seen Ozawa conduct live, and I haven't been to Carnegie Hall itself in several dog's ages.