Left: Gaetano Donizetti, Right: Marshal Moncey

On May 5, [Gaetano] Donizetti was present at the ceremony memorializing Napoleon on the twentieth anniversary of his death. Writing to Antonio Vasselli on May 6, he said: “Yesterday (May 5) I went to the funeral service for the death of Napoleon. It was touching to see all those who served: some of them even had the uniforms of that period, moth-eaten, threadbare, frazzled; many had had them made new. They kissed the lid, the imperial crown; they wept, and Moncey, the oldest marshal, who is almost a hundred years old, was in dress uniform.”

Context: The year was 1841. Marshal Moncey passed away a year later in 1842.

Source: Herbert Weinstock, Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris and Vienna in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, pg. 167

Callas, retrato íntimo

[Una de las últimas fotos de Maria Callas junto a Onassis / FONDS DE DOTATION MARIA CALLAS]

Akal publica el más extenso epistolario de Maria Callas en castellano, acompañado de sus breves y fragmentarios intentos de redactar unas memorias

El 22 de abril de 1949 Maria Callas embarca en el Argentina para su primera gran experiencia sudamericana. La tarde antes se ha casado en Verona casi en secreto con Giovanni Battista Meneghini, un industrial 27 años mayor. Tanto durante la travesía como en la estancia en Buenos Aires, que se extiende hasta principios de julio, Callas escribe carta tras carta al esposo contándole detalles de sus actividades y mostrándose tan triste por la lejanía como hondamente enamorada ("Querido, ¿quién se quiere y comprende tanto como nosotros? Esta es mi razón de vivir. Así que cuídate por mí, si no es por ti, porque sin ti viviría sin alma", 7-05-1949; "¡Todo el mundo hablará de nuestro amor como un símbolo!", 14-05-1949). El encantamiento duró más o menos una década. El 31 de julio de 1960, ya separada y anhelando el divorcio que el marido le niega, escribe desde Milán a Matilde Stagnoli, una antigua doncella de su época de Verona: "Por supuesto que es un hombre pequeño, me da pena y lo desprecio por su constante chantaje". Ha pasado el tiempo, se ha cruzado Onassis y Callas ha descubierto que Meneghini ha ido poniendo a su propio nombre todas las pertenencias y ganancias de los años de esplendor de la soprano: "Mi marido se hace pasar por millonario y no tiene ni un centavo. Se ha llevado (por mi amor por la paz) todo lo que yo tenía" (a Herbert Weinstock, un crítico y editor estadounidense amigo, 12-03-1960).

Amor y desengaño. Nada que no enseñe la vida a cada paso. Pero en el caso de Callas ayuda a trazar de forma firme su retrato más íntimo, el de una mujer apasionada y ambiciosa en la vida y en el arte, que es el que dibuja su correspondencia, editada ahora por Tom Volf (el cineasta autor en 2017 de la exitosa Maria by Callas) y traducida y publicada en español por Akal. Desde 1946 hasta el mismo año de su muerte (1977), este epistolario (se publican también, como contexto, algunas de las cartas recibidas por la cantante) podría pasar casi como un catálogo de obsesiones, que yo agruparía en cuatro categorías: el amor, el estatus, el dinero y el canto. Sobre todo ello se proyecta una personalidad a ratos insegura, de unos valores sociales más bien chapados a la antigua y dominada por un rasgo de carácter sobresaliente: el orgullo. Un orgullo que para Callas parecía sinónimo de dignidad personal, lo que la llevaba a ser inflexible con lo que consideraba cualquier transgresión de sus sólidos principios morales (que la afectaran a ella, se entiende: así se apartó radicalmente de Onassis nada más conocer la amistad del multimillonario griego con Jackie Kennedy, pero no tuvo empacho en mantener una relación con Giuseppe Di Stefano a principios de los 70, a sabiendas de que su "pobre" mujer no sospechaba nada).

Las difíciles relaciones con su familia (especialmente, su madre y su hermana), los conflictos e intrigas con gestores, colegas y críticos, sus pleitos (antes del del divorcio, el que tuvo con Eddie Bagarozy, su primer mánager, quien quiso aprovecharse económicamente de su éxito, que ella negaba deberle), su devoción por dos artistas con los que sí se sentía en deuda (Elvira de Hidalgo, su profesora, que la orientó hacia el belcanto, y Tullio Serafin, el director que le enseñó todos los secretos de las escenas), sus dietas, enfermedades y accidentes, sus fobias y sus gustos (habitualmente, caros), su forma de entender la amistad y las relaciones sociales, sus preocupaciones domésticas pasan por estas cartas combinadas con la defensa a ultranza de su honor contra chismorreos de toda naturaleza y diversas consideraciones sobre su corta, pero espectacular carrera artística.

El epistolario muestra también cómo algunas amistades se rompieron (aparte Bagarozy, la de John Ardoin, uno de los críticos que más hizo por su nombre en Estados Unidos) o quedaron muy dañadas (la de Lawrence Kelly, director primero de la Ópera de Chicago y luego de la de Dallas, uno de los principales soportes de la cantante en su país natal) y la perseverancia sobre todo de dos nombres, que aparecen al principio y al final: uno es el de Elvira de Hidalgo, profesora, amiga y consejera; otro, el de su padrino, Leonidas Lantzounis, en el que se apoyó para lo pequeño y para lo grave.

Las cartas se acompañan de dos modestos intentos memorialísticos, el primero dictado entre finales de 1956 y principios del año siguiente con la intención de contrarrestar la fama de diva caprichosa y conflictiva que había empezado a ganarse; el segundo ya en 1977, algo más corto (23 páginas, por 35 del anterior), pero acaso de más interés, pues aparte de hablar de su familia, su relación con Onassis y los principios de su arte, comenta los principales roles de su carrera. Como epílogo, Tom Volf coloca el famoso diagnóstico que en 1958 el crítico Teodoro Celli hizo de la voz de Callas, un ensayo en el que la conecta con dos grandes divas del siglo XIX, María Malibran y Giuditta Pasta. 

Maria Callas. Cartas y memorias

Edición a cargo de Tom Volf. Traducción de Emiliano D'Inecco y Jordi Sánchez i Sanjuán. Madrid: Akal, 2022. 526 páginas. 25 € (ebook, 13,99 €)

La diva en el mercado

Entre las cartas de Callas, se cuentan algunos intercambios con Walter Legge y ejecutivos de la EMI, la compañía (hoy parte de Warner, que le ha dedicado una web específica a la Divina) para la que hizo casi todas sus grabaciones oficiales. EMI explotó el legado de Callas en todas las formas imaginables, reeditando una y otra vez el mismo material, que incluía también los vídeos: los conciertos de Hamburgo de 1959 y 1962, la gala parisina de 1958 (con el Acto II de Tosca íntegro), el documental Maria Callas. Life and Art o las entrevistas famosas con Lord Harewood y Bernard Gavoty. Pero pronto fueron también las grabaciones en vivo, mucho tiempo piratas, que acabó por absorber el mercado oficial, de modo que la Warner presenta hoy una caja de lujo de 69 CD con todas las grabaciones de estudio realizadas por Callas entre 1949 y 1969 (incluidas las del sello italiano Cetra) y otra de grabaciones en vivo (1949-1964) en 45 CD.

Tom Volf se declara un devoto, un obseso de Callas, a la que descubrió en 2013. En 2018 creó, con el apoyo de Georges Prêtre entre otros, el Fonds de Dotation Maria Callas, que pretende recoger toda la documentación relacionada con la artista, pero la máquina de facturación no se detiene. Volf rodó en 2017 Maria by Callas, seguramente la más exitosa producción cinematográfica con la soprano como protagonista (incluidas las ficciones), organizó una exposición itinerante con el mismo título, ha editado tres libros (el de la película de 2017, Callas Confidential y este de las cartas) y ha montado a partir del último de ellos una obra teatral, con Monica Bellucci de protagonista.

[Diario de Sevilla. 5-09-2022]

Fun fact about the Nutcracker ballet

In honor of its 130th anniversary.

Based on the original story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, "The Nutcracker And The Mouse King", and the adaptation of Alexandre Dumas "The Story Of A Nutcracker", Piotr Illitch Tchaikovsky composed a first musical adaptation choreographied by Marius Ivanovitch Petipa (brother of Mérante's teacher, Lucien Petipa) and Lev Ivanov by the request of the director of the Imperial Theatre, Ivan Vsevolozhsky. He was asked to make an opera as well, that ended up being "Iolanta", the story of a blind princess that lives without knowing it because her servants were commanded to never mention even a single notion of the sight sense.

The day of the premier, on December 18 of 1892, (spoilers: Mérante was already dead) the opera went first and had a great response from the audience and critics. However, the Nutcracker didn't have so much luck. The choreography was hardly criticized and people thought it was too childish. Tchaikovsky's music was better welcomed.

Later Tchaikovsky would say on a letter to the composer George Edwardovich Conus: "The opera was liked, evidently not the ballet."

Later Tchaikovsky made a suite apart that was better received, but the ballet gained more popularity and recognition after Walt Disney used some of the pieces for his movie "Fantasia."

It's ironic how The Nutcracker, it's now one of the most popular works of the Russian composer and a beloved classic of the holiday seasons, when even Tchaikovsky itself found it as one of his greatest failures...

Source:

Herbert Weinstock: "Tchaikovsky."

Wikipedia: The Nutcracker

Adapting Frankenstein: The monster's eternal lives in popular culture, edited by Dennis R. Cutchins and Dennis R. Perry, Manchester University Press, 2018. Info and preview: manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of the most popular novels in western literature. It has been adapted and re-assembled in countless forms, from Hammer Horror films to young-adult books and bandes dessinées. Beginning with the idea of the 'Frankenstein Complex', this edited collection provides a series of creative readings that explore the elaborate intertextual networks that make up the novel's remarkable afterlife. It broadens the scope of research on Frankenstein while deepening our understanding of a text that, 200 years after its original publication, continues to intrigue and terrify us in new and unexpected ways.

Contents:   Introduction The Frankenstein Complex: when the text is more than a text - Dennis R. Cutchins and Dennis R. Perry   Part I: Dramatic adaptations of Frankenstein on stage and radio 1 Frankenstein's spectacular nineteenth-century stage history and legacy - Lissette Lopez Szwydky 2 A Frankensteinian model for adaptation studies, or 'It lives!': adaptive symbiosis and Peake's Presumption, or the fate of Frankenstein - Glenn Jellenik 3 The gothic imagination in American sound recordings of Frankenstein - Laurence Raw   Part II: Cinematic and television adaptations of Frankenstein 4 A paranoid parable of adaptation: Forbidden Planet, Frankenstein, and the atomic age - Dennis R. Perry 5 The Curse of Frankenstein: Hammer film studios' reinvention of horror cinema - Morgan C. O'Brien 6 The Frankenstein Complex on the small screen: Mary Shelley's motivic novel as adjacent adaptation - Kyle Bishop 7 The new ethics of Frankenstein: responsibility and obedience in I, Robot and X-Men: First Class - Matt Lorenz 8 Hammer films and the perfection of the Frankenstein project - Maria K. Bachman and Paul C. Peterson   Part III: Literary adaptations of Frankenstein 9 'Plainly stitched together': Frankenstein, neo-Victorian fiction, and the palimpsestuous literary past - Jamie Horrocks 10 Frankensteinian re-articulations in Scotland: monstrous marriage, maternity, and the politics of embodiment - Carol Margaret Davison 11 Young Frankensteins: graphic children's texts and the twenty-first-century monster - Jessica Straley 12 In his image: the mad scientist remade in the young adult novel - Farran L. Norris Sands 13 The soul of the matter: Frankenstein meets H. P. Lovecraft's 'Herbert West-Reanimator' - Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock   Part IV: Frankenstein in art, illustrations, and comics 14 Illustration, adaptation, and the development of Frankenstein's visual lexicon - Kate Newell 15 'The X-Men meet Frankenstein! "Nuff Said"': adapting Mary Shelley's monster in superhero comic books - Joe Darowski 16 Expressionism, deformity, and abject texture in bande dessinée appropriations of Frankenstein - Véronique Bragard and Catherine Thewissen   Part V: New media adaptations of Frankenstein 17 Assembling the body/text: Frankenstein in new media - Tully Barnett and Ben Kooyman 18 Adaptations of 'liveness' in theatrical representations of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - Kelly Jones   Frankenstein's pulse: an afterword - Richard J. Hand   Index

Blog No.4

Opera Reform: Dissatisfaction arose in some quarters with the excesses of Italian opera seria—especially its predictable use of recitative and aria and its catering to solo coloratura (an elaborately embellished vocal melody) and other ornamental features that impeded the action. Consequently, some Italian composers began to move the genre in the direction of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s powerful and more integrated tragédies lyriques. Tommaso Traetta and Niccolò Jommelli, who worked at courts where French taste prevailed, often used orchestrally accompanied recitative (a technique known as recitativo accompagnato) to smooth the transitions between secco (“dry”) recitative and da capo aria. They also gave greater importance to ensembles and choruses, which had long been absent in opera seria.  

That dedication—a manifesto, really—is the central document of “operatic reform.” It stated that the “true office” of music is “serving poetry,” a goal hindered by the “useless and superfluous ornaments” with which the florid da capo arias were encumbered. Rather, a “beautiful simplicity” and naturalness of expression combined with emotional truth were to hold sway. In short, Gluck and his collaborators were responding to Enlightenment ideals and restoring opera, albeittemporarily, to its function as drama set to music. The most significant manifestations of these principles were the Calzabigi-Gluck Italian operas first staged in Vienna: Orfeo ed Euridice (1762), Alceste (1767), and Paride ed Elena (1770; “Paris and Helen”). The two earliest of these became even more stately and Rameau-like when Gluck reconstituted them to French librettos for Parisian audiences. 

Source:  Weinstock, Herbert, and Barbara Russano Hanning. “Opera.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 3 May 2018, www.britannica.com/art/opera-music/From-the-reform-to-grand-opera.

Glasswing Ventures announces Connect Council

When I first heard about the Connect Council, I was intrigued. I knew Rudina Seseri and Glasswing Ventures, and knew they didn’t have a reputation for doing things half way. When I heard about the mission of the Connect Council and the people involved, I was more than intrigued, I was impressed. What follows is a quick Q&A with Rudina about the council.

What is the Connect Council?

It is the first of three advisory councils to support and extend Glasswing Ventures’ investment strategy. Collectively, these councils bring together 40 renowned entrepreneurs and technologists, AI visionaries, and world-leading executives to exclusively advise and support the firm and its portfolio companies. The Connect Council is a critical part of the Glasswing Ventures’ DNA, extending our strength in providing AI expertise and advice exponentially amplifying the firm’s and our portfolio companies’ competitive edge. The Connect Council is comprised of two working groups: the AI & Academic Group, and the Business Leadership Group. Today, we are announcing the AI & Academic Group.

Who is on it? 

A group of extraordinary individuals who have been lending their support to us since the founding of Glasswing over 18 months ago – we are grateful to them and very happy to announce that the members of the Glasswing’s Connect Council – the AI & Academic Group include:

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, Professor at MIT and Oxford University and winner of the ACM A.M. Turing Prize

Dr. Brad Berens, Chief ‫Strategy Officer at the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg and Principal at Big Digital Idea Consulting

Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, Founder and Chief Scientist of Jibo, Inc.

Dr. Thomas R. Eisenmann, Howard H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, Faculty Co-Chair of the HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship

Dr. Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, MIT Professor and Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program Director

Dr. Manuela Veloso, Herbert A. Simon University Professor and Head of Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Peter Weinstock, Executive Director and Anesthesia Endowed Chair of the Boston Children’s Hospital Simulator Program and Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School

Why did you start it? 

We started the Councils as we know that they can bring tremendous scale to the firm as we help harness the positive potential of AI across industries and markets.  Because the Connect Council is a collaborative and vibrant body composed of the most influential thought leaders and innovators in academia and AI technology today — our team, our founders and portfolio companies, gain access to a brilliant collective of luminaries at the forefront of AI and innovation, who are committed to fueling its success and growth.  These visionaries have extensive experience across AI, academia, startups and Fortune 500 companies. They are the catalysts in extending our reach, supporting our portfolio companies and advising us, and helping Glasswing become a cornerstone of the AI ecosystem. They also play a pivotal role in helping bring AI to its full potential in the broader ecosystem and society at large.

What do you hope to accomplish with it? 

Our council members are a resource for candid views and discussions about new technology trends, opportunities and talent in AI – they aren’t just big names and faces on a website. We won’t agree all of the time — and that’s exactly what we hope for. In fact, it’s beautiful when we brainstorm together, as that is when the best outcomes emerge. Our portfolio startups, and many more in the ecosystem, will be able to benefit first-hand from these brainstorms and the brilliance and experience of our advisors.

We have a symbiotic relationship with our advisory council members. They enhance the value we add to founders and companies, well beyond smart capital. At the same time, through their affiliation with Glasswing, they are part of a platform that is developing and shaping the next generation of AI leaders and technology companies. It is because of this mutually beneficial dynamic that our advisors work with us on an exclusive basis.

How will you know if it is working? Any metrics you are tracking? 

Our Connect Council members are catalysts in extending our reach, supporting our portfolio companies and advising us, and helping Glasswing become a cornerstone of the AI ecosystem. They also play a pivotal role in helping bring AI to its full potential in the broader ecosystem and society at large. Being as exclusive and engaged as they are, their inbounds — whether it is bringing in a unique deal flow or helping with diligence or key talent are part of the tremendous value they bring to us.

Is AI really as big as the hype suggests? 

Artificial Intelligence has been at the forefront of tech innovation for some time, but 2017 has been the year in which it has truly taken center stage. In a world of pervasive connectivity, AI is essential to harnessing the power of data. Companies have to create an AI advantage to survive — Google, Facebook, Amazon and countless startups know this and are betting their businesses on it – in fact, startups are becoming major value creators.

AI is already changing many aspects of our daily lives both at home and at work. However, this is just the start. AI is steadily and pervasively redefining our relationship with technology, enhancing human capacity and, fundamentally, how we live. It is big – and it’s going to be bigger than we imagined it.

Rudina Seseri is founder and managing partner at Glasswing Ventures. With over 15 years of investing and transactional experience, Rudina has led technology investments and acquisitions in startup companies in the fields of robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), SaaS marketing technologies and digital media. Rudina’s portfolio investments include Talla, Celtra, CrowdTwist, Jibo and SocialFlow. Rudina has been appointed by the Dean of the Harvard Business School (HBS) for a fourth consecutive year to serve as Entrepreneur-In-Residence for the Business School and as Executive-In-Residence for Harvard University’s innovation-Lab. She is also a Member of the Business Leadership Council of Wellesley College. Rudina also serves as Advisor for L’Oreal USA Women in Digital, as Director on the Board of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange (MITX) and on the Board of Overseers for Boston Children’s Hospital. She has been named a 2017 Boston Business Journal Power 50: Newsmaker, a 2014 Women to Watch honoree by Mass High Tech and a 2011 Boston Business Journal 40-under-40 honoree for her professional accomplishments and community involvement. She graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Economics and International Relations and with an MBA from the Harvard Business School (HBS). She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Epsilon honor societies.

Glasswing Ventures announces Connect Council syndicated from http://ift.tt/2wBRU5Z

Glasswing Ventures announces Connect Council

When I first heard about the Connect Council, I was intrigued. I knew Rudina Seseri and Glasswing Ventures, and knew they didn’t have a reputation for doing things half way. When I heard about the mission of the Connect Council and the people involved, I was more than intrigued, I was impressed. What follows is a quick Q&A with Rudina about the council.

What is the Connect Council?

It is the first of three advisory councils to support and extend Glasswing Ventures’ investment strategy. Collectively, these councils bring together 40 renowned entrepreneurs and technologists, AI visionaries, and world-leading executives to exclusively advise and support the firm and its portfolio companies. The Connect Council is a critical part of the Glasswing Ventures’ DNA, extending our strength in providing AI expertise and advice exponentially amplifying the firm’s and our portfolio companies’ competitive edge. The Connect Council is comprised of two working groups: the AI & Academic Group, and the Business Leadership Group. Today, we are announcing the AI & Academic Group.

Who is on it? 

A group of extraordinary individuals who have been lending their support to us since the founding of Glasswing over 18 months ago – we are grateful to them and very happy to announce that the members of the Glasswing’s Connect Council – the AI & Academic Group include:

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, Professor at MIT and Oxford University and winner of the ACM A.M. Turing Prize

Dr. Brad Berens, Chief ‫Strategy Officer at the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg and Principal at Big Digital Idea Consulting

Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, Founder and Chief Scientist of Jibo, Inc.

Dr. Thomas R. Eisenmann, Howard H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, Faculty Co-Chair of the HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship

Dr. Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, MIT Professor and Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program Director

Dr. Manuela Veloso, Herbert A. Simon University Professor and Head of Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Peter Weinstock, Executive Director and Anesthesia Endowed Chair of the Boston Children’s Hospital Simulator Program and Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School

Why did you start it? 

We started the Councils as we know that they can bring tremendous scale to the firm as we help harness the positive potential of AI across industries and markets.  Because the Connect Council is a collaborative and vibrant body composed of the most influential thought leaders and innovators in academia and AI technology today — our team, our founders and portfolio companies, gain access to a brilliant collective of luminaries at the forefront of AI and innovation, who are committed to fueling its success and growth.  These visionaries have extensive experience across AI, academia, startups and Fortune 500 companies. They are the catalysts in extending our reach, supporting our portfolio companies and advising us, and helping Glasswing become a cornerstone of the AI ecosystem. They also play a pivotal role in helping bring AI to its full potential in the broader ecosystem and society at large.

What do you hope to accomplish with it? 

Our council members are a resource for candid views and discussions about new technology trends, opportunities and talent in AI – they aren’t just big names and faces on a website. We won’t agree all of the time — and that’s exactly what we hope for. In fact, it’s beautiful when we brainstorm together, as that is when the best outcomes emerge. Our portfolio startups, and many more in the ecosystem, will be able to benefit first-hand from these brainstorms and the brilliance and experience of our advisors.

We have a symbiotic relationship with our advisory council members. They enhance the value we add to founders and companies, well beyond smart capital. At the same time, through their affiliation with Glasswing, they are part of a platform that is developing and shaping the next generation of AI leaders and technology companies. It is because of this mutually beneficial dynamic that our advisors work with us on an exclusive basis.

How will you know if it is working? Any metrics you are tracking? 

Our Connect Council members are catalysts in extending our reach, supporting our portfolio companies and advising us, and helping Glasswing become a cornerstone of the AI ecosystem. They also play a pivotal role in helping bring AI to its full potential in the broader ecosystem and society at large. Being as exclusive and engaged as they are, their inbounds — whether it is bringing in a unique deal flow or helping with diligence or key talent are part of the tremendous value they bring to us.

Is AI really as big as the hype suggests? 

Artificial Intelligence has been at the forefront of tech innovation for some time, but 2017 has been the year in which it has truly taken center stage. In a world of pervasive connectivity, AI is essential to harnessing the power of data. Companies have to create an AI advantage to survive — Google, Facebook, Amazon and countless startups know this and are betting their businesses on it – in fact, startups are becoming major value creators.

AI is already changing many aspects of our daily lives both at home and at work. However, this is just the start. AI is steadily and pervasively redefining our relationship with technology, enhancing human capacity and, fundamentally, how we live. It is big – and it’s going to be bigger than we imagined it.

Rudina Seseri is founder and managing partner at Glasswing Ventures. With over 15 years of investing and transactional experience, Rudina has led technology investments and acquisitions in startup companies in the fields of robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), SaaS marketing technologies and digital media. Rudina’s portfolio investments include Talla, Celtra, CrowdTwist, Jibo and SocialFlow. Rudina has been appointed by the Dean of the Harvard Business School (HBS) for a fourth consecutive year to serve as Entrepreneur-In-Residence for the Business School and as Executive-In-Residence for Harvard University’s innovation-Lab. She is also a Member of the Business Leadership Council of Wellesley College. Rudina also serves as Advisor for L’Oreal USA Women in Digital, as Director on the Board of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange (MITX) and on the Board of Overseers for Boston Children’s Hospital. She has been named a 2017 Boston Business Journal Power 50: Newsmaker, a 2014 Women to Watch honoree by Mass High Tech and a 2011 Boston Business Journal 40-under-40 honoree for her professional accomplishments and community involvement. She graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Economics and International Relations and with an MBA from the Harvard Business School (HBS). She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Epsilon honor societies.

from Gigaom https://gigaom.com/2017/11/15/glasswing-ventures-announces-connect-council/

Glasswing Ventures announces Connect Council

When I first heard about the Connect Council, I was intrigued. I knew Rudina Seseri and Glasswing Ventures, and knew they didn’t have a reputation for doing things half way. When I heard about the mission of the Connect Council and the people involved, I was more than intrigued, I was impressed. What follows is a quick Q&A with Rudina about the council.

What is the Connect Council?

It is the first of three advisory councils to support and extend Glasswing Ventures’ investment strategy. Collectively, these councils bring together 40 renowned entrepreneurs and technologists, AI visionaries, and world-leading executives to exclusively advise and support the firm and its portfolio companies. The Connect Council is a critical part of the Glasswing Ventures’ DNA, extending our strength in providing AI expertise and advice exponentially amplifying the firm’s and our portfolio companies’ competitive edge. The Connect Council is comprised of two working groups: the AI & Academic Group, and the Business Leadership Group. Today, we are announcing the AI & Academic Group.

Who is on it? 

A group of extraordinary individuals who have been lending their support to us since the founding of Glasswing over 18 months ago – we are grateful to them and very happy to announce that the members of the Glasswing’s Connect Council – the AI & Academic Group include:

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, Professor at MIT and Oxford University and winner of the ACM A.M. Turing Prize

Dr. Brad Berens, Chief ‫Strategy Officer at the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg and Principal at Big Digital Idea Consulting

Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, Founder and Chief Scientist of Jibo, Inc.

Dr. Thomas R. Eisenmann, Howard H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, Faculty Co-Chair of the HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship

Dr. Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, MIT Professor and Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program Director

Dr. Manuela Veloso, Herbert A. Simon University Professor and Head of Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Peter Weinstock, Executive Director and Anesthesia Endowed Chair of the Boston Children’s Hospital Simulator Program and Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School

Why did you start it? 

We started the Councils as we know that they can bring tremendous scale to the firm as we help harness the positive potential of AI across industries and markets.  Because the Connect Council is a collaborative and vibrant body composed of the most influential thought leaders and innovators in academia and AI technology today — our team, our founders and portfolio companies, gain access to a brilliant collective of luminaries at the forefront of AI and innovation, who are committed to fueling its success and growth.  These visionaries have extensive experience across AI, academia, startups and Fortune 500 companies. They are the catalysts in extending our reach, supporting our portfolio companies and advising us, and helping Glasswing become a cornerstone of the AI ecosystem. They also play a pivotal role in helping bring AI to its full potential in the broader ecosystem and society at large.

What do you hope to accomplish with it? 

Our council members are a resource for candid views and discussions about new technology trends, opportunities and talent in AI – they aren’t just big names and faces on a website. We won’t agree all of the time — and that’s exactly what we hope for. In fact, it’s beautiful when we brainstorm together, as that is when the best outcomes emerge. Our portfolio startups, and many more in the ecosystem, will be able to benefit first-hand from these brainstorms and the brilliance and experience of our advisors.

We have a symbiotic relationship with our advisory council members. They enhance the value we add to founders and companies, well beyond smart capital. At the same time, through their affiliation with Glasswing, they are part of a platform that is developing and shaping the next generation of AI leaders and technology companies. It is because of this mutually beneficial dynamic that our advisors work with us on an exclusive basis.

How will you know if it is working? Any metrics you are tracking? 

Our Connect Council members are catalysts in extending our reach, supporting our portfolio companies and advising us, and helping Glasswing become a cornerstone of the AI ecosystem. They also play a pivotal role in helping bring AI to its full potential in the broader ecosystem and society at large. Being as exclusive and engaged as they are, their inbounds — whether it is bringing in a unique deal flow or helping with diligence or key talent are part of the tremendous value they bring to us.

Is AI really as big as the hype suggests? 

Artificial Intelligence has been at the forefront of tech innovation for some time, but 2017 has been the year in which it has truly taken center stage. In a world of pervasive connectivity, AI is essential to harnessing the power of data. Companies have to create an AI advantage to survive — Google, Facebook, Amazon and countless startups know this and are betting their businesses on it – in fact, startups are becoming major value creators.

AI is already changing many aspects of our daily lives both at home and at work. However, this is just the start. AI is steadily and pervasively redefining our relationship with technology, enhancing human capacity and, fundamentally, how we live. It is big – and it’s going to be bigger than we imagined it.

Rudina Seseri is founder and managing partner at Glasswing Ventures. With over 15 years of investing and transactional experience, Rudina has led technology investments and acquisitions in startup companies in the fields of robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), SaaS marketing technologies and digital media. Rudina’s portfolio investments include Talla, Celtra, CrowdTwist, Jibo and SocialFlow. Rudina has been appointed by the Dean of the Harvard Business School (HBS) for a fourth consecutive year to serve as Entrepreneur-In-Residence for the Business School and as Executive-In-Residence for Harvard University’s innovation-Lab. She is also a Member of the Business Leadership Council of Wellesley College. Rudina also serves as Advisor for L’Oreal USA Women in Digital, as Director on the Board of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange (MITX) and on the Board of Overseers for Boston Children’s Hospital. She has been named a 2017 Boston Business Journal Power 50: Newsmaker, a 2014 Women to Watch honoree by Mass High Tech and a 2011 Boston Business Journal 40-under-40 honoree for her professional accomplishments and community involvement. She graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Economics and International Relations and with an MBA from the Harvard Business School (HBS). She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Epsilon honor societies.

Glasswing Ventures announces Connect Council

When I first heard about the Connect Council, I was intrigued. I knew Rudina Seseri and Glasswing Ventures, and knew they didn’t have a reputation for doing things half way. When I heard about the mission of the Connect Council and the people involved, I was more than intrigued, I was impressed. What follows is a quick Q&A with Rudina about the council.

What is the Connect Council?

It is the first of three advisory councils to support and extend Glasswing Ventures’ investment strategy. Collectively, these councils bring together 40 renowned entrepreneurs and technologists, AI visionaries, and world-leading executives to exclusively advise and support the firm and its portfolio companies. The Connect Council is a critical part of the Glasswing Ventures’ DNA, extending our strength in providing AI expertise and advice exponentially amplifying the firm’s and our portfolio companies’ competitive edge. The Connect Council is comprised of two working groups: the AI & Academic Group, and the Business Leadership Group. Today, we are announcing the AI & Academic Group.

Who is on it? 

A group of extraordinary individuals who have been lending their support to us since the founding of Glasswing over 18 months ago – we are grateful to them and very happy to announce that the members of the Glasswing’s Connect Council – the AI & Academic Group include:

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, Professor at MIT and Oxford University and winner of the ACM A.M. Turing Prize

Dr. Brad Berens, Chief ‫Strategy Officer at the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg and Principal at Big Digital Idea Consulting

Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, Founder and Chief Scientist of Jibo, Inc.

Dr. Thomas R. Eisenmann, Howard H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, Faculty Co-Chair of the HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship

Dr. Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, MIT Professor and Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program Director

Dr. Manuela Veloso, Herbert A. Simon University Professor and Head of Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Peter Weinstock, Executive Director and Anesthesia Endowed Chair of the Boston Children’s Hospital Simulator Program and Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School

Why did you start it? 

We started the Councils as we know that they can bring tremendous scale to the firm as we help harness the positive potential of AI across industries and markets.  Because the Connect Council is a collaborative and vibrant body composed of the most influential thought leaders and innovators in academia and AI technology today — our team, our founders and portfolio companies, gain access to a brilliant collective of luminaries at the forefront of AI and innovation, who are committed to fueling its success and growth.  These visionaries have extensive experience across AI, academia, startups and Fortune 500 companies. They are the catalysts in extending our reach, supporting our portfolio companies and advising us, and helping Glasswing become a cornerstone of the AI ecosystem. They also play a pivotal role in helping bring AI to its full potential in the broader ecosystem and society at large.

What do you hope to accomplish with it? 

Our council members are a resource for candid views and discussions about new technology trends, opportunities and talent in AI – they aren’t just big names and faces on a website. We won’t agree all of the time — and that’s exactly what we hope for. In fact, it’s beautiful when we brainstorm together, as that is when the best outcomes emerge. Our portfolio startups, and many more in the ecosystem, will be able to benefit first-hand from these brainstorms and the brilliance and experience of our advisors.

We have a symbiotic relationship with our advisory council members. They enhance the value we add to founders and companies, well beyond smart capital. At the same time, through their affiliation with Glasswing, they are part of a platform that is developing and shaping the next generation of AI leaders and technology companies. It is because of this mutually beneficial dynamic that our advisors work with us on an exclusive basis.

How will you know if it is working? Any metrics you are tracking? 

Our Connect Council members are catalysts in extending our reach, supporting our portfolio companies and advising us, and helping Glasswing become a cornerstone of the AI ecosystem. They also play a pivotal role in helping bring AI to its full potential in the broader ecosystem and society at large. Being as exclusive and engaged as they are, their inbounds — whether it is bringing in a unique deal flow or helping with diligence or key talent are part of the tremendous value they bring to us.

Is AI really as big as the hype suggests? 

Artificial Intelligence has been at the forefront of tech innovation for some time, but 2017 has been the year in which it has truly taken center stage. In a world of pervasive connectivity, AI is essential to harnessing the power of data. Companies have to create an AI advantage to survive — Google, Facebook, Amazon and countless startups know this and are betting their businesses on it – in fact, startups are becoming major value creators.

AI is already changing many aspects of our daily lives both at home and at work. However, this is just the start. AI is steadily and pervasively redefining our relationship with technology, enhancing human capacity and, fundamentally, how we live. It is big – and it’s going to be bigger than we imagined it.

Rudina Seseri is founder and managing partner at Glasswing Ventures. With over 15 years of investing and transactional experience, Rudina has led technology investments and acquisitions in startup companies in the fields of robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), SaaS marketing technologies and digital media. Rudina’s portfolio investments include Talla, Celtra, CrowdTwist, Jibo and SocialFlow. Rudina has been appointed by the Dean of the Harvard Business School (HBS) for a fourth consecutive year to serve as Entrepreneur-In-Residence for the Business School and as Executive-In-Residence for Harvard University’s innovation-Lab. She is also a Member of the Business Leadership Council of Wellesley College. Rudina also serves as Advisor for L’Oreal USA Women in Digital, as Director on the Board of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange (MITX) and on the Board of Overseers for Boston Children’s Hospital. She has been named a 2017 Boston Business Journal Power 50: Newsmaker, a 2014 Women to Watch honoree by Mass High Tech and a 2011 Boston Business Journal 40-under-40 honoree for her professional accomplishments and community involvement. She graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Economics and International Relations and with an MBA from the Harvard Business School (HBS). She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Epsilon honor societies.

Glasswing Ventures announces Connect Council syndicated from http://ift.tt/2wBRU5Z