“The New York Philharmonic’s Cuba strategy worked,” writes Daniel J. Wakin Friday on the New York Times blog ArtsBeat. “The United States Treasury Department has issued a license for the orchestra to visit Havana sometime next year, a Philharmonic spokesman said in an e-mail late on Thursday. (The orchestra was in Luxembourg, wrapping up a European tour.) The Philharmonic last year canceled the trip because the Treasury Department had denied permission for its patrons—who were paying for the visit—to go along, viewing them as tourists and thus not allowed under United States sanctions. The orchestra tried to get around the problem by adding an educational concert and listing the patrons as docents. The spokesman, Eric Latzky, said approval came late Wednesday. The dates still have to be worked out.”
Posted November 8, 2010
