Names and faces
Joshua Weilerstein will conduct a series of New York Philharmonic concerts this month, after Charles Dutoit stepped down from the podium in response to sexual assault allegations. The Associated Press reported Dec. 21 that four women had claimed Dutoit sexually assaulted them in incidents between 1985 and 2010. He denied the accusations but nevertheless severed ties with many orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, where he was artistic director and principal conductor. Dutoit, 81, had also been tapped to conduct the New York Philharmonic’s Maurice Ravel-centered program Jan.
17-20, which will include performances of “Le tombeau de Couperin,” “Valses nobles et sentimentales,” and the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, with Jean-Yves Thibaudet as soloist. Now Weilerstein, who is Dutoit’s junior by about half a century, will take over, with the program unchanged. Weilerstein was appointed assistant conductor at the New York Philharmonic in 2011. He is the artistic director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne in Switzerland.
When the duo Chloe x Halle accepted an award on behalf of Beyonce, who had just given birth, at the 2017 BET Awards, they not only honored their mentor, but they also landed a gig on the upcoming TV show grown-ish. The sisters said Kenya Barris, the executive producer of the hit ABC series black-ish and its spinoff, grown-ish, saw the singers at the awards show with actress Yara Shahidi — who stars in both of his shows — and he knew there was something special about the trio. “He just said he knew in that moment he wanted us to be a part of the show because we all looked so great together,” Halle Bailey, 17, said in an interview last week. “We just feel so blessed that we get to be a part of this.” Grown-ish will have a two-episode premiere Wednesday. It follows Shahidi’s black-ish character Zoey, the popular and socially active 17-year-old, as she heads to college, where she meets her classmates played by the Baileys. “Working with Yara is just a dream,” said Halle. “We would always hang out, go get our nails done, go to lunch. We just really connected to her. She feels like another sister to us.” Chloe x Halle signed to Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment after the singer caught wind of their cover of “Pretty Hurts,” the pop star’s emotional song about insecurities. The sisters had become popular on YouTube for their re-workings of songs, and they also write and produce their own original music.