What Alec Baldwin STILL Brings to the New York Philharmonic

Alec Baldwin may attract bad press the way an industrial-strength magnet attracts anything with iron in it; but I continue to believe that his support for the New York Philharmonic is more than a public relations countermeasure. As I observed in December of 2009 about his new job of announcing Philharmonic broadcasts, he brings understanding and appreciation to his work in equal measure, which is more than can be said of many announcers of classical music. My only regret is that Sirius dropped the Philharmonic broadcasts from the Symphony Hall channel. Now, according to Dave Itzkoff’s latest post to the ArtsBeat blog of The New York Times, he has taken his enthusiasm for the Philharmonic to the next level with a donation of $1 million. With so many arts organizations in difficult (if not dire) straits with their finances, Baldwin is stepping up for the performing arts in a way that matters.