Video games at Ravinia? Say it ain't so!

It's so, alright. Eliot Van Buskirk from the Listening Post at Wired.com recently reported that a new classical music based video game is touring the classical music event circuit. Virtual Maestro allows the player to conduct a virtual orchestra, performing pieces like the William Tell Overture and Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. The game is similar to the popular Play Station game, Guitar Hero, in that the participant engages in a simulated music experience: "The game is simpler than Guitar Hero; faster gestures increases the tempo, while slower ones have the opposite effect."

The best news of all is that Virtual Maestro will be making its way to FP100 festival, Ravinia, from June 23-August 18. Find out more about Virtual Maestro's stops by visiting Van Buskirk's article here. If you end up trying it out, let us know how it goes!

Spoleto's $246k budget cut

In an article from the Charleston SC's Post and Courier, Spoleto Festival USA has had a $246,000 cut from its budget by the state as part of a new spending plan created by the Senate Finance Committee. Spoleto Director Nigel Redden said the cut could be devastating as the state funding means the difference between having a successful festival season and going out of business.

According to the article, the blow from the cuts affecting South Carolina organizations might have been lessened with better financial management:

Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau and a member of the Finance Committee, said the budget is pretty bare bones. The cuts, though, would not have had to be so drastic if the Legislature had managed its funds better last year when revenue flowed into state coffers, he said.

To read more about this report, visit the Charleston Post and Courier.