Blavatnik Family Foundation – Page 5 – Blavatnik Family Foundation

New Musical Illinois by Jackie Sibblies Drury, Justin Peck, and Sufjan Stevens to Make World Premiere

Posted on March 9, 2023 (March 10, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

The new musical, Illinois by Jackie Sibblies Drury, Justin Peck, and Sufjan Stevens will make its world premiere at the Fisher Center at Bard. The music-theatre work, proudly supported by Emily Blavatnik and the Blavatnik Family Foundation, will be a part of the 20th anniversary season. Premiering June 23-July 2, the work is based on Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 concept album of the same name. Tony-winning choreographer, Justin Peck will direct and choreograph the work. The story by Peck and Pulitzer winner Jackie Sibblies Drury, explores the album’s portrayal of the American heartland. […]

The Baillie Gifford Prize Winner of Winners Shortlist

Posted on March 9, 2023 (March 9, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

The shortlist for the Baillie Gifford Prize’s 25th Anniversary Winner of Winners award, where four judges – Chair Jason Cowley, Shahidha Bari, Sarah Churchwell, and Frances Wilson – pick a triumphant novel from the prize’s history. The six shortlisted authors have all previously won the prize and are now in the running to win the ultimate accolade. Congratulations to all! The winner will be announced on Thursday 27 April at an event held at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Stay up to date by following via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Catch up on all episodes of the Read Smart podcast, generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Soundcloud. […]

Torn Muscle? Send In The Gut Microbes For Rapid Repair

Posted on March 7, 2023 (March 8, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

“Our observations indicate that gut microbes drive the production of a class of regulatory T cells that are constantly exiting the gut and act as sentries that sense damage at distant sites in the body and then act as emissaries to repair that damage,” said study senior author Diane Mathis, professor of immunology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. The team cautions that the findings are based on experiments in mice and remain to be replicated in larger animals and in humans. However, the results raise interesting possibilities about harnessing the power of gut microbes to enhance recovery from injury. […]

Read Smart: A Quarter Century of the Prize, a 25th Anniversary Discussion

Posted on March 3, 2023 (March 3, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

Listen to the latest episode of The Read Smart Podcast to learn more about the Prize’s history, and how the wider world of non-fiction has changed in the 25 years since it was first established. In this episode, former Baillie Gifford judge Razia Iqbal talks to Caroline Sanderson and Andrew Holgate, who have chaired judging panels in the past, about what the experience is like and how the Prize has evolved. Tune in next time when the Winner of Winners award judges talk about the shortlist. The Winner of Winners award, created to celebrate the Prize’s 25th anniversary, will pit the previous winners against each other to find the best of the best of non-fiction. The Blavatnik Family Foundation generously supports this podcast. […]

Catalysing Change: 9 Young Scientists Transforming Our World

Posted on February 28, 2023 (March 3, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

Can we detect dark energy? What new antibiotics and medicines can we make? How does the human immune system respond to HIV and SARS-CoV-2? What are the biggest consequences of the Arctic sea ice melting? If you are interested in the latest advances on these scientific topics and beyond, please join us for this series of short, interactive lectures from the Laureates and Finalists of the 2023 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom. The sessions are intended for science enthusiasts of all ages — from high schoolers to adults. Located at the historic RSA House in London. Not in London? Join the symposium virtually! Attendance is free and open to the public, but registration is required. […]

David Bowie, and His Personas, Will Live On at Victoria and Albert Museum

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Christine Ongsueng

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London will house more than 80,000 items from Bowie’s career at a new David Bowie Center for the Study of Performing Arts, the museum announced on Thursday. The center, which will be at a new outpost of the museum called the V&A East Storehouse at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford section of London, will open in 2025. In a statement, the museum said that the acquisition and the creation of the center had been made possible by a combined donation of 10 million pounds (about $12 million) from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group, adding that the donation would support “the ongoing conservation, research and study of the archive.” Warner Music bought Bowie’s entire songwriting catalog last year. […]

LONDON’S V&A MUSEUM ACQUIRES DAVID BOWIE ARCHIVE WITH £10M DONATION FROM BLAVATNIK FAMILY FOUNDATION, WARNER MUSIC

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Christine Ongsueng

The Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London has secured the archive of the late legendary English singer-songwriter David Bowie and plans to make it available to the public beginning in 2025. V&A secured the archive through the David Bowie Estate and a GBP £10 million donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group, the museum said in a press release on Thursday (February 23). “Our new collections centre, V&A East Storehouse, is the ideal place to put Bowie’s work in dialogue with the V&A’s collection spanning 5,000 years of art, design, and performance. My deepest thanks go to the David Bowie Estate, Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group for helping make this a reality and for providing a new sourcebook for the Bowies of tomorrow.” […]

V&A Secure David Bowie’s Archive for the Nation

Posted on February 23, 2023 (February 23, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

The archive of 80,000 items will be made available to the public from 2025. The V&A has announced it will secure the archive of David Bowie for the nation – revealing the creative processes of one of the most pioneering and influential figures in the history of live and recorded music, film, fashion and beyond. The acquisition and creation of The Centre has been made possible thanks to the David Bowie Estate and a generous donation of £10m from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group. Sir Leonard Blavatnik, Founder and Chairman of Access Industries, and the Blavatnik Family Foundation, said: “We are very proud to support the V&A and allow for the creation of this irreplaceable archive to preserve and showcase David Bowie’s iconic career. His influence on music and popular culture throughout the world cannot be overstated.” […]

Read Smart Podcast: A 25th Anniversary Discussion of Life Under Dictatorships

Posted on February 23, 2023 (February 28, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

Tune into the latest episode of The Read Smart Podcast, which explores what life is like in dictatorships worldwide and throughout history. Host, Razia Iqbal, will be joined by three former winners of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction: historian Michael Burley, journalist Barbara Demick, and historian Frank Dikötter. They delve into the fascinatingly complex definitions and qualities behind the term ‘dictator’ and the role that secrecy and terror play in countries living under authoritarian rule. To continue the 25th-anniversary celebration of the Baillie Gifford Prize, the Read Smart podcast will have unique episodes where special guests from the prize’s past will be returning to give their insight into a number of interesting topics. Special episodes will be dedicated to the authors shortlisted for the Winner of Winners competition, which is being judged by Chair Jason Cowley, Shahidha Bari, Sarah Churchwell, and Frances Wilson. The podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. […]