Stephen Sondheim is to receive New York City's highest honour for achievement in the arts. The award is given by the City of New York for contribution to the city's intellectual and cultural life. Previous recipients include Leonard Bernstein, John Lennon and choreographer Merce Cunningham.
The Handel Medallion will be presented by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and actor Alec Baldwin at the Mayor's Awards for Arts and Culture ceremony at Alice Tully Hall.
The ceremony will also honour five other figures in the art world for their contributions, including Baryshnikov Arts Center director Mikhail Baryshnikov and artist Maya Lin.
via BBC News

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.