The Merola Opera Program has hired Sean Waugh, consultant and onetime artistic planning manager for the San Francisco Opera (SFO), as its new executive director. He succeeds Jean Kellogg, who stepped down last January after 12 years in the job. … » Read

In March the American Youth Symphony (AYS) abruptly closed its doors . The end of the six-decade-old orchestra, which drew its members from USC, UCLA, the Colburn School and, increasingly, public schools, prompted a search for the causes and … » Read

Residing at opposite ends of the state, both the Pittsburgh Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra have recently launched efforts to engage new audiences. And while the projects share many of the same features, their differing successes may reside … » Read

One of the biggest, coolest, most important new music events in New York, the three-day Long Play Festival is a 21st-century universe, the complicated elements of which perhaps can't be fully appreciated until something goes wrong. On the final … » Read

NEW YORK—Ever since Giacomo Puccini died without finishing his last opera, Turandot , audiences have thrilled to its soaring melodies like “Nessun Dorma,” but also perhaps lamented the lack of a proper ending. Now the Washington … » Read

Abravanel Hall, the home of the Utah Symphony, may be under threat of being swept aside by an ambitious downtown “entertainment district” promoted by the Smith Entertainment Group. Headed by billionaire Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah … » Read

On April 28, the Civic Orchestra of Los Angeles (CO-LA) debuted at First Congregational Church. The ensemble, barely a month old, had only four rehearsals before presenting a program that included Aleksandra Pakhmutova’s Concerto for … » Read

In a recent study , SMU Data Arts used financial information from 233 arts organizations to analyze trends in the bottom line and amount of working capital over the four years between FY 2019 and 2023. Working capital provides a good measure of … » Read

NEW YORK (AP) — Oksana Lyniv, Speranza Scappucci, Marin Alsop, and Xian Zhang filled their lockers in the guest conductors’ dressing room off the Metropolitan Opera’s orchestra pit. Just four women had led the orchestra from … » Read

The traditional stereotype of the conductor--an unapproachable, god-like genius unencumbered by everyday concerns--is undergoing a generational transformation. So argues Andrew Mellor when considering the recently concluded Malko Competition , … » Read