Music in the Key of Twombly

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Crossposted from Haaretz
Several years ago, on one of his trips to Europe, saxophonist Ariel Shibolet went to a museum and discovered the American artist Cy Twombly.
“Abstract art often feels heavy,” says Shibolet, who creates abstract music, “but his drawings have a totally different feeling. They have something crispy, alive and close. I have trouble using the word ‘inspiration,’ but it does happen that before a concert I gaze at a book of Twombly’s paintings.”
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
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