Reducing their salaries to match their current workload is not sitting well with the San Francisco Opera orchestra musicians. After calling a strike 30 minutes before the opening-night curtain on Sept.12, their work stoppage continues, with … » Read

The "financial woes, aging audiences and perceived irrelevance” that challenge opera today prompt “constant hand-wringing” among those who love the art form, writes Harvey Sachs in the New York Times . When a friend recently … » Read

The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) has received $3.5 million from Carl Kanter, retired senior VP and co-general counsel of Merck-Medco Managed Care. The school, which sees the gift as a “major milestone” toward its goal of $30M in … » Read

Pending ratification, scheduled for Wednesday, the Philadelphia Orchestra musicians have signed a new three-year contract, which moves base salary from the current $176,280 to $200,008 by its end. While the agreement was not a cliff hanger, the … » Read

The Mothers of Kherson , a new opera by Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets and American librettist George Brant, will have its premiere on Oct. 16 at the Teatr Wielki–Polish National Opera in Warsaw. Based on the true story of Ukrainian … » Read

The Trump-aligned Kennedy Center board voted on Tuesday to close most of the iconic performing arts venue just hours after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning President Donald Trump’s name to the building. In a social … » Read

With the appearance of yesterday’s NY Times Magazine article, the secret of the heaven-on-earth paradise of Tippet Rise is out. But if a first-time visitor’s account was self-revelatory, for those of us lucky enough to go for a second … » Read

Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena has retired at age 61 due to the rapid progression of Alzheimer’s disease, first diagnosed in March of 2025. He last conducted on August 12, when he led the Basque National Orchestra at the San Sebastián … » Read

Having successfully bankrupted Kennedy Center, Donald Trump now says he'll be the one to save it, IF his name goes on the building. Monies allotted by Congress in 2025 for repairs to the Center have gone who knows where since Trump took it over … » Read

As it turns out, opening-night patrons at the War Memorial Opera House had dressed in their finest for no reason. Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, set to launch the 104 th San Francisco Opera season on September 12, was cancelled, just as the … » Read