Congratulations to Teresa Rafidi, the winner of our Flickr Photo of the Week contest! Teresa earned a BFA from Southern Methodist University and is a professional photographer and photography teacher. If you like her photo, she’s got a pair of nifty Web sites (rafidiphotography.com and teresarafidi.com) that feature more of her work. She follows last week’s winner, Ric Martin.

If you would like to participate, all you need to do is upload your photo to to our Flickr group page. It’s fine to submit a photo you took previous to the current week, but we are hoping that the contest will inspire you to go out and shoot something fantastic this week to share with Art&Seek users. If the picture you take involves another facet of the arts, even better. The contest week will run from Monday to Sunday, and the Art&Seek staff will pick a winner on Monday afternoon. We’ll notify the winner through FlickrMail (so be sure to check those inboxes) and ask you to fill out a short survey to tell us a little more about yourself and the photo you took. We’ll post the winners’ photo on Wednesday.

Now, more from Teresa

Teresa Rafidi
Title: Looking up in Fog
Equipment:NIkon D700 24-70mm F2.8
Tell us more about your photo: It was really foggy in downtown Dallas as I was driving through, and the fog was obscuring the tops of the buildings. So I took a shot through the sunroof of my car while stopped at a light.

T-minus 14 hours or so til Christmas. Done with all the shopping yet? If you’re out and about today finishing up (or even if you’re staying in) check out the holiday fare Art&Seek is providing on KERA (90.1 FM) today and tomorrow.

Today at noon: Tinsel Tales: NPR Christmas Favorites — Christmas is a time of traditions, and over the years, NPR has created a few traditions of its own. In this hour-long special: Wistfulness, joy, doubt, hope, all the emotions we feel at this time of year, all summoned up in memorable stories from the NPR broadcast archives. If you haven’t heard David Sedaris’ “Santaland Diaries,” do yourself a favor and tune in.

And at 1 p.m.: Songs of Joy and Peace: The Yo-Yo Ma Holiday Party — Hosted by John Schaefer, this one-hour holiday special combines the joy of music with the gift of discovery as shared and performed by friends old and new. James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Diana Krall, Dave Brubeck, Renee Fleming, The Silk Road Ensemble, Jake Shimabukuro and others discuss the collaborations they recorded with Ma.

Staying up late putting together a few things from You Know Who? At midnight, tune in to Conspirare: Christmas at the Carillon. Craig Hella Johnson, the founder and director of Conspirare, has put together a group of performers who unapologetically explore the entire range of choral music. From traditional works, which they perform with enlightened reverence, to arrangements of sacred contemporary and pop, which they sing with respect and a deep understanding of style, this is a choral group for the 21st century. This program repeats Dec. 25 at 2 p.m.

Then Christmas day, we’ve got you covered at noon with Gini Mascorro’s “Christmas Anthem”. Gini’s going to send us over some liner notes on the show later today, which we’ll post on the home page. But knowing Gini. I can promise you this won’t be your father’s Christmas music. Instead, expect an eclectic mix of of-the-moment artists putting their spin on a few chestnuts.

The Art&Seek programming rolls on through Friday and Saturday, too. To see what’s playing then, see our full roundup.

To help you make it through Christmas without such arts-world news items as these:

• Just like the Texas Ballet Theater, the Atlanta Ballet had to cut costs two years ago by nixing its live orchestra and going with taped recordings. Public scorn and a decline in ticket sales followed. Then two patrons donated $250,000 in September to bring back the orchestra. The results may just reflect the recession, but ticket sales have seen no welcome-back bump up. In fact, they were down 30 percent for “Swan Lake.”
• The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth’s Star-Telegram, unfortunately, have been trendsetters. They started sharing arts critics and freelancers last month, and then — the real shock for Dallas and Fort Worth fans — they started divvying up the sports beats between them. Now it’s those other longtime rivals, The Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun. They’ll soon be sharing news and sports stories and even photos.
• Twenty years ago, I helped start the Dallas Theater Critics Forum Awards. The idea was not to hand out sparkly trophies while wearing tuxedoes, sequins and forced smiles. It was to give a little more media ink to the often-fleeting work of local stage artists.  As shabby and suspect as the whole prize-giving business has gotten (“I wish to thank my producer and the People’s Choice Awards”), Tom Chatfield argues that at least literary awards do perform a worthwhile function:

“Prizes are an attempt to mould, and to pre-empt, posterity. Their answers rarely satisfy; they seem, sometimes, to possess an astonishing capacity for ignoring talent. Yet they occupy an increasingly crucial, and volatile, position amid those imperfect processes by which writing is turned into literature.”

The Dallas Theater Center’s A Christmas Carol from 2007 – with Chamblee Ferguson as Bob Cratchit (center)

• The KERA radio story:

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• The expanded online story:

For musicians, actors and dancers, the holidays are filled with work, with extra shows. That’s true for many people. But for performing artists, the real work comes in making their holidays  not seem like work at all — and in making the very familiar seem new all over again.

CHAMBLEE FERGUSON: “The first time I did it, I was in 8^th grade, and I played Ghost of Christmas Future. Then at the Theater Center, I played Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, for two years, and then I’ve played Mr. Fezziwig …  [fade out]”

Actor Chamblee Ferguson has appeared in 13 different stage productions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. He most often has portrayed Bob Cratchit, as he’s doing now at the Dallas Theater Center. But over the years, the popular area actor has played just about every role in the holiday standard — including Mrs. Fezziwig. Ferguson has even portrayed Bob Cratchit with his own two children appearing as Tiny Tim and Belinda Cratchit.

FERGUSON: [fade back in] “The only things I haven’t played I guess are Ghost of Christmas Present – and the turkey, and maybe Belle. I don’t think I’ve played Belle yet.”

There’s another holiday perennial at the Music Hall at Fair Park this week. The Texas Ballet Theater is presenting The Nutcracker.

In it, Peter Zweifel dances the role of the Rat King. He plays one of the fathers, a flower, an Arabian dancer and he plays the heroic Prince. Zweifel is only 24 years old, but he’s already danced in seven Nutcrackers.

A typical day for him starts at 6:30 in the morning and can end well after 10 p.m. He takes classes with the ballet academy, dances in two shows for visiting schools and then there’s the evening show for the public. That’s five different roles, three shows a day — plus classes.

ZWEIFEL: “It’s very exhausting …. Your body starts to tighten up and break down because you’re constantly trying to keep it active and try to re-warm it up. Just the strain of performing all the time, it definitely wears down on you.”

Performing 10 Christmas Carols a week can wear on Ferguson, too.

FERGUSON: “It seems tougher to me this year, one, because my Tiny Tim is a bigger boy this year – I’ll put it politely. But I’ve got a bad knee. Had an accident, I smashed into a cart. Got a bad knee and then the back problems and the neck and shoulder problems from carrying the boy on top of my shoulders. And I’ve lost an eye and I’ve got no teeth [laughs].”

These are the holidays for many performing artists. It’s like running a marathon. And Zweifel says that presents more than a physical challenge. It’s a mental and emotional one as well.

The challenge is not to show the strain. The challenge is to make this old chestnut bloom with life once more. The challenge is to be fresh on stage for each performance – so theatergoers can enjoy their holidays.

Yes, they’re artists, they’re paid to do this. But as Ferguson says, onstage, he’s buried more than 250 Tiny Tims. A paycheck may not provide the kind of inspiration an actor needs to go back, bury another – and make people feel his loss.

He has to think the effort is worth it – for others. Zweifel says he draws the necessary energy from a shared sense of commitment with his fellow dancers.

ZWEIFEL: You see other people going onstage and doing their best even though you know how tired they are. And so you yourself don’t want to give less than somebody else would.”

And as clichéd as it sounds, there’s always the thought that for some audience members at this performance, this old show is a revelation.

FERGUSON: “One of my favorite times to perform the show is for the school audiences. A lot of those kids have never seen a play before. A lot of them don’t know the story. And they really listen and are totally focused — because it is brand-new to them.”

Images of Chamblee Ferguson by Linda Blase. Image of Peter Zweifel by Ellen Appel.

AISLE ECONOMICS: When going to a concert or play, most of us would just assume have an aisle seat, right? Sure, you have to constantly stand up to let those in the center of your row in (how many times can one person hit the concession stand during a performance?). But the ease of getting to your seat, plus the ability to hang that leg out into the aisle if needed, are worth it.

And some arts organizations are catching on. The latest trend in ticketing, “demand pricing” seems to be taking hold across the country. Sure, every venue charges more for, say, the lower bowl as opposed to the upper deck. But demand pricing seeks to micro analyze ticket-buying trends for the venue to see which seats tend to go first. And those are the ones you can expect to pay a premium for.

As one arts group after another files for bankruptcy, it’s hard to argue with the practice. Higher demand equals higher prices – it’s Economics 101. And these organizations are smart to take advantage of that principle.

Or at least try to. If, in the course of their research, they find that those premium aisle seats start going last after a surcharge is tacked on to them, then maybe people aren’t as willing to shell out a few more bucks for almost the same seat as the one next to them.

At that point though, you could argue that “demand pricing” really kicks in. If all you have left to a hot show are the 40 aisle seats in your 200-seat house, aren’t you economically sound in raising the price on those final tickets? The demand remains high, but the supply has gone way down. Maybe they’ll call it “last-minute” pricing?

RED AND GREEN WITH THE BLUE: With this being Christmas Eve and all, how about a feel-good story to get us through the day? The Dallas Police Choir recently made its annual rounds to area hospitals, bringing the holidays to those who can’t be home with family. It’s a tradition that the officers have carried on for 25 years. And the good news for those taking in the performances: the choir doesn’t just rely on the same tired versions of those classics.

“Right now, we have a very cool version of ‘Jingle Bells’ that we started this year,” Lt. Sally Lannom told The Dallas Morning News. “A nice, jazzy little version that we just learned.”

Note: The Morning Roundup will be taking Christmas Day and Friday off. But Monday morning we’ll be back at it again, having come down from the sugar rush of eating all those candy canes.

George Steel, the new general director of the Dallas Opera, has been the buzz of opera circles the past several days because of heated rumors that he would abandon the DO — after only four months here — and return to New York to take over the highly troubled New York City Opera.

These rumors were given more validity with a Bloomberg News online report Monday. But Steel’s friend-turned-temporary-spokeswoman Aleba Gartner denied that any such negotiations had happened, were happening or would happen: Steel was happy in Dallas.

In a phone call to Art&Seek Tuesday, Steel himself confirmed his commitment to the Dallas Opera. “What do they mean, I’m in talks with them [NYCO officials]? I expressly said I am not in talks with them. … I said, yes, I do know some of the board members. I’m in New York now conducting a concert on a series produced by one of them.  ‘Have you talked about the opera [with them]‘? Of course, I’ve talked about the opera. Have I talked about my taking a job at the opera? No. Am I in talks with them? No. Have I had official meetings with them? No. Is there an offer on the table? No. If offered, would I take it? No.”

That would seem to be categorical. I think he’s serious. But then, boom, comes this New York magazine Vulture report in which NYCO’s former executive director practically announces Steel’s appointment.

Steel did say that the questions and phone calls were flying so furiously that a New York Times reporter “hunted me down” at his Works & Press concert at the Guggenheim Tuesday evening.

“He literally cornered me. So he may or may not run something in the Times tomorrow,’ Steel said. “And New York magazine is running a piece, the same story, ‘No, this is not true.’”

Photo: Allison V. Smith. Allison is a Dallas photographer whose work can be seen both on her Flickr page and her Web site, allisonvsmith.com.

When I interviewed Kelly Brown for last week’s Artist Q&A, I had never seen her perform. We’d taken a class together in grad school a few years ago, and she was quiet and studious. Our professor, Dean Terry, told us to read The Long Tail by Chris Anderson (also a great blog), editor of Wired. Dean has a way of assigning books then never mentioning them again, so even though his students know they don’t have to read the book for class, a handful of truly geeky ones do it anyway. I had that in common with Kelly Brown – an academic hunger for new media theory, a geekdom beyond gaming, if you will.

Therefore, I was not prepared for what I saw and heard Friday night at the Lakewood Theater. During our interview, Kelly expressed a frustration with corporate types trying to pigeonhole her as a blend of other people (“You’re Sheryl Crow meets Doris Day!”). Watching her onstage during Local Honey‘s 3rd Annual Holiday Mix, I wanted to scream “Quincy Jones as played by Ann-Margret!” or something equally inane, because 1) I can’t believe someone this charismatic went to my school; and 2) I can’t believe someone this talented still seems like a secret in this town.

I feel so lucky to have been in that audience. Paul Slavens read the mean, hostile, delicious beginning of How the Grinch Stole Christmas to introduce the mean, hostile, delicious theme song sung by Kelly and her sister Kim with high theatricality and mean, delicious vocals.

Freddie Jones played “What Child Is This?” as a trumpet solo, and I think I found religion in that moment. My friend Wendi screamed wildly, “I love you Freddie!” and I momentarily thought she might throw clothing at him (which would have been an interesting contrast to my own religious epiphany, but her outburst was restricted to words).

The true Christmas miracle happened when I stopped holiday-hating for the five minutes it took the band to play Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.” That stupid song has been shoved down my throat for nearly four decades, yet my heart grew two sizes too big when Slavens’ keyboard, Ricki Derek’s horn section and Bryan Wakeland’s drums transformed into an anthem, late-eighties Deep Ellum style.

I have discovered the spirit of Christmastide, my friends; it is the sound of Bryan Wakeland’s drums. I can’t find that one on YouTube, so we’ll have to wait until next year.

Art&Seek presents a stellar lineup of holiday programming on KERA (90.1 FM) beginning tonight. Leading off the festivities is Hanukkah Lights 2008 at 8 p.m.

An NPR holiday tradition for nearly two decades, Hanukkah Lights presents new fiction to celebrate and illuminate the holiday season — moving tales of discovery and reconciliation, the persistence of hope and the promise of undimmed light — read by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz. The program repeats Dec. 28 at 1 p.m.

If you’d like to read a full rundown of everything we have planned, we’ve got it right here.

PROFILES IN COURAGE: Cancer has an interesting effect on people’s outlooks. On the one hand, they feel worse than they’ve ever felt following surgeries and rounds of chemo. But they also can sometimes be filled with more life than ever as they dig down deep to discover strength and purpose.

That definitely seems to be the case with Dallas Symphony Chorus director David Davidson. CBS 11 profiled Davidson as he fought stomach cancer while preparing the chorus for its annual Christmas shows.

“I have noticed the people who stayed courageous and upbeat and positive have done the best with it,” Davidson says in the piece. “And I choose to do that.”

In case you missed it, Davidson discussed the concerts with Think’s Krys Boyd during a recent Scene segment.

THE KING OF POP: Andy Warhol is back in town as The Art Galleries at TCU stages Warhol and the Shared Subject, an exhibit of the artist’s photos and paintings alongside the work of some artists he influenced. The Art Galleries are the recent recipient of the photographs from the Warhol Foundation’s Legacy Program, hence the exhibit.

Mike Gerra of art251 says he was struck most by seeing Warhol’s Polaroids in relation to the finished products and the work of his successors. As the owner of the art251 gallery in Keller, Mike knows his visual art. If you aren’t following his blog, you should.

Bloomberg News has released a story online that says George Steel, the newly hired general director of the Dallas Opera, is in talks with New York City Opera for a possible position there as general manager. It would be something of a “Hail Mary” pass for the NYCO because the seriously troubled company currently has no home — its venue at Lincoln Center is undergoing $100 million in renovations — and last month, it lost Gerard Mortier, the Paris Opera impresario who was hired only last year to save it.

According to the Bloomberg report, Steel confirmed the negotations with NYCO through his spokeswoman, Aleba Gartner. But Gartner added that “nothing’s changed and no offer has been made.”

In a phone call with Art&Seek, Gartner repeatedly emphasized that no “formal talks” between Steel and NYCO representatives have ever been held.

“He’s very happy with Dallas,” Gartner said. “He’s not interested in New York City Opera, you can say that.”

Gartner insisted that even saying Steel has been “having talks with NYCO officials” would be a distortion of what has happened.

“I don’t think you should even say he’s been talking to them. He knows a few board members. You know, he’s been in New York all these years at Miller Theater.  And he’s in town right now because he’s conducting at the Guggenheim. So he’s having conversations with people. But there’s nothing formal at all going on between George Steel and the New York City Opera.”

In Dallas, Jennifer Schuder, marketing director for the Dallas Opera, said that she has “no knowledge” of  such talks. In an e-mail message, Suzanne Calvin, assistant director of marketing with the Dallas Opera, said that she had received “a call from George this morning who sounded quite certain he was returning to Dallas — and not to pack.”

In its current straits, NYCO could use someone like Steel, whom the Dallas Opera hired away from Columbia University’s Miller Theater in a surprise move only four months ago. Rumors have been circulating in the opera world the past week that the New Yorkers were trying to poach Steel and bring him back there.

NYCO has a considerably larger budget than the Dallas Opera (around four times the size of the DO’s $11.5 milllon) and it has a notably higher profile in opera circles. But it is also has a skeleton staff, has cut back its season offerings, is operating with a deficit, is facing intractable union negotiations and even possible bankruptcy.

The appeal for Steel, presumably, would be getting to be a last-minute savior. Seeing how desperate the New York City Opera is, he could also get terms that would suit his own more adventuresome tastes.

If he were to go, it would be the second time Steel has stunned the opera world since August. When the Dallas Opera hired him away from New York, Steel had never run an opera company, but he’d sparked tremendous interest with his inventive programming at Miller Theater as well as his success as a fundraiser.  And while the Dallas Opera is a lesser-known, more conventional, regional company, it is about to step into the new Winspear Opera House in October. And Steel was ostensibly hired because of his fresh approaches to programming.

“George has only ever expressed happiness with Dallas,” Gartner said. “I was out there recently and saw how happy he was. It’s a great team, it’s an incredibly solid organization … Dallas is a totally together organization. New York City Opera is the one with challenges.”

[Update 12/23: Bloomberg News nas released an online story reiterating Steel's rejection of any NYCO offer.]