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Charles T. Downey

@ionarts.bsky.social

860 followers 1.1K following 590 posts

Associate Editor and Lead Critic, Washington Classical Review; Founder of Ionarts; Ph.D. in Historical Musicology; Classical Music Fiend; Opera Addict; Baroqueux agréable and Public Musicologist (all views expressed are my own, not those of my employers)

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Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · Feb 8

As a follow-up to the latest bad news, a reminder from Oreo to nap for 16 hours of every day

Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 10h

Belated thoughts on Stuttgart Ballet's "Onegin" at the Kennedy Center last week - very glad to see the company and this ballet, in spite of everything ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/10/stut...

Stuttgart Ballet's "Onegin" comes to the Kennedy Center

Friedemann Vogel (Onegin) and Elisa Badenes (Tatiana) in John Cranko's Onegin , Stuttgart Ballet Photo: Studio LLC The Stuttgart Ballet retu...

ionarts.blogspot.com

Reposted by Charles T. Downey

Mia Farrow @miafarrow.bsky.social · 14h

In 1962, author Roald Dahl’s beloved 7-yr-old daughter, Olivia, tragically died from measles, This devastating loss left an indelible mark on Dahl, propelling him into a lifelong crusade to raise awareness about the importance of childhood vaccinations.
ifeg.info/2025/10/12/r...

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Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 14h

This is dark

Mike Luckovich @mluckovich.bsky.social · 15h

Reposted by Charles T. Downey

Rebecca J. Ritzel @rjritzel.bsky.social · 14h

Un-effing-believable. The rogue nonprofit Cultural DC sold The Source, pretty much the only shared arts venue in the downtown core, and gave $500,000 to Howard University for visiting artists residencies, instead of providing space for DC artists. dctheaterarts.org/2025/10/14/a...

After 27 years, CulturalDC announces sunset and legacy gifts

Legacy gifts include a half-million-dollar endowment to Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts and a $250,000 gift to Theatre Alliance.

dctheaterarts.org

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Reposted by Charles T. Downey

Paul Cohen @paulecohen.bsky.social · 15h

thank heavens the party whose cadres joke in private about "loving Hitler," "hating the Jews," and sending their political opponents "to the gas chambers" has taken charge of the effort to purge our college campuses of antisemitism

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Reposted by Charles T. Downey

James Hell Brooks @kleinman.bsky.social · 23h

If you're going to a No Kings march instead of a witty sign that might elicit a chuckle maybe you could just carry an American flag

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Reposted by Charles T. Downey

ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 19h

good LORD

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 19h

my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements

we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)

www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...

Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports

CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.

www.consumerreports.org

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Reposted by Charles T. Downey

Tauroctonist @tauroctonist.bsky.social · 22h

Never forget. 10/14/1066.

A doge meme image in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry with the words "such battle", "wow", "much Bayeux", "so Hastings", and "very tapestry" scattered around the image.

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Reposted by Charles T. Downey

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 22h

Subscribe to The Onion and help us become a bigger newspaper than The Washington Post by next year. It can happen!

membership.theonion.com

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Reposted by Charles T. Downey

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 22h

wow. bezos has destroyed this paper.

karl rove knausgård @uhactually.bsky.social · 1d

Lmao WaPo has fewer than 100K circulation now. It turns out “alienate your liberal subscriber base” is not a good strategy when the Republicans also hate you. www.forbes.com/sites/andyme...

The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay

Once a titan of American journalism, The Washington Post now struggles to reach even 100,000 print subscribers most days.

www.forbes.com

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Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 1d

Lovely poem by Arthur Sze www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

“Library of Congress”

“Here’s a book / on neutrinos captured in Antarctica, / here’s another on solar flares.”

www.newyorker.com

Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 1d

I had a nightmare where the only version of Dante's Inferno known to historians of the future was from the video game

anna 🫧🍧💿 @bastilas.bsky.social · 2d

sometimes I think about this

Reposted by Charles T. Downey

Kristin Kuster @kristinkuster.bsky.social · 1d

Wait. Didn’t Dude Duffy say recently that we are planning to set up a base in the moon. 🤷‍♀️

Reuters @reuters.com · 1d

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to lay off about 550 workers reut.rs/4302N2L

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to lay off about 550 workers

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on Monday it will cut nearly 550 jobs as part of a restructuring, not related to the current U.S. government shutdown.

reut.rs

Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 1d

WCR Critic's Choice for the week: Opera Lafayette's fresh looks at Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas," 7:30 p.m. October 16 and 18 at Sixth & I - please read my interview with the company's new artistic director, Patrick Quigley, and his plans for the future washingtonclassicalreview.com/2025/10/13/p...

Reposted by Charles T. Downey

Jeff Moore @jbm0.bsky.social · 2d

"The Danes used empathy politically—an action abhorred by right-wing leaders, who have gone so far as to brand it as an enemy and a weakness. But what they are leaving unsaid is that fascism cannot prosper where empathy exists."

www.thenation.com/article/acti...

The Danes Resisted Fascism, and So Can We

Danish resistance didn’t arrive all at once during World War II. But taken as a whole, the Danes’ actions are a testament to what’s possible when we work together to fight fascism.

www.thenation.com

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Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 1d

Once again - don't buy tickets to Shen Yun

Charlie Hebdo @charliehebdo.fr · 2d

Le matraquage publicitaire pour la spectacle de Shen Yun bat son plein en France tandis que les procédures juridiques s'accumulent outre-Atlantique contre la compagnie pour exploitation d'enfants dans « un système d’emprise qui commence dès l’arrivée des enfants ».

Violences, isolement et exploitation : Shen Yun, le spectacle de danse qui vous en mettra plein les yeux

Des drapés multicolores, des éventails incandescents, un orchestre symphonique qui joue au rythme des portés célestes, des contorsions magiques et des sauts plus que périlleux… Ça fait rêver, n’est-ce pas ? Shen Yun, « il faut le voir au moins une fois dans sa vie », nous dit la voix générique du teaser 2026 de […]

charliehebdo.fr

Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 1d

This is how a democracy should spend its money

CNRS @cnrs.fr · 1d

Le CNRS est partenaire des 6 projets dédiés aux sciences humaines et sociales retenus par #France2030 en 2024, pour enrichir les connaissances et créer un levier d’expertise au service de la décision publique.

France 2030 : les sciences humaines et sociales en action

D’abord centré sur les technologies de demain, le programme France 2030 s’est enrichi en 2024 d’un appel dédié aux sciences humaine

www.cnrs.fr

Reposted by Charles T. Downey

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 2d

“Israel released 250+ Palestinian prisoners + 1,700 Gazans… Hamas released 20 remaining living hostages – and was to hand over the bodies of 28 deceased hostages… there are 11,000+ Palestinians in 🇮🇱 detention, 87% never charged or convicted…” www.irishtimes.com/world/middle...

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Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 1d

Hold on, checking into cost of flights to Chicago, to see SoRad in "Medea" (Photo: Cory Weaver) - see review of Lyric Opera production by my colleague, Lawrence Johnson chicagoclassicalreview.com/2025/10/reve...

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Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 2d

First encore at the Ronn McFarlane-Paul O'Dette lute duo recital today: John Dowland's "My Lord Chamberlain, His Galliard" - for two people to play on a single lute. And I thought playing piano, four hands, was tricky to coordinate!

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Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 2d

FYI the willows were still there on the north side Thursday, but the east side columns have been painted white

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Vaughan Williams Foundation @vwfndn.bsky.social · 2d

Today marks the birthday of a true giant of British music - Ralph Vaughan Williams.

The Vaughan Williams Foundation is a grant-giving charity which upholds the values and vision of the celebrated composer and his wife, Ursula.

💻 Find out more via our website 👇

Vaughan Williams Foundation

Welcome to the Vaughan Williams Foundation – one of the foremost sources of funding for recent and contemporary music in the UK.

vaughanwilliamsfoundation.org

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Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 2d

Moar Vaughan Williams - MOAR! Thank you, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and conductor Christopher Zimmerman; also to violinist William Hagen, who played "The Lark Ascending" and Max Richter's "Four Seasons" redux washingtonclassicalreview.com/2025/10/12/f...

Reposted by Charles T. Downey

Home of the Brave @ofthebraveusa.bsky.social · 3d

Marjorie Taylor Greene : "Prices have not come down at all. The job market is extremely difficult. Wages have not gone up. Health insurance premiums are going to go up. Homeowner's insurance goes up every year. Rent is going up. Young people have no hope of buying a home."

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Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 3d

Endorsed

Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 3d

There are so many Diane Keaton performances to remember, but a lot of people haven't seen Reds, and A) my God, see it, it is a masterpiece and B) her performance as Louise Bryant is one of the bravest, toughest, least sympathy-courting pieces of work by an American actress in the last 50 years.