On Stage with Artsworld

The definition of art can be as broad or narrow as one cares to make it. For Richard Melman, channel director for U.K. digital channel Artsworld, the broader the definition, the better. 'I don't think it's my job to decide what is art. It's merely for me to reflect what's out there,' he says. 'The most important thing to me is to be able to put together interesting, original, exciting programs that cover the whole repertoire of the arts. One of the great pleasures for me as a commissioner is that in the same week, I was able to commission Elvis Costello and Deborah Harry doing a jazz concert [Fire at Keaton's Bar & Grill] and I became a coproducer on Dame Felicity Lott singing La Belle Hélène in Paris.'