Since the middle of the 17 th -century, opera has relied on publicity and promotion to fill seats. At times composers such as Handel, Mozart, or Verdi enjoyed a status so elevated that the mere mention that a new work had arrived would fill the … » Read

In a move sharply at odds with claims that downtown Portland has become an “Urban Doom Loop,” All Classical Radio (KQAC 89.9 FM), the city’s international broadcaster of classical music, has invested $11.5 million in its move to … » Read

The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), whose musicians have been working without a contract since July 31, 2024, kicked the can a little further down the road on Dec. 9, extending all existing terms and conditions through Jan. 18. Talks will continue … » Read

American arts supporters have long gazed enviously at the German government’s generous subsidies for the country’s arts and cultural organizations. Sadly, the German Culture Council, the umbrella organization for arts associations, … » Read

Four of the top five recordings streamed on Apple Music Classical this past year feature the piano as the lead instrument. Top honors went to South Korean virtuoso pianist Yunchan Lim, winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in … » Read

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association has received a $50 million gift from Helen Zell, wife of the late billionaire Sam Zell, on behalf of the Zell Family Foundation, of which she is president and executive director. Mrs. Zell chaired the … » Read

NEW YORK (AP) — Eva Krestová remembered Semyon Bychkov’s first rehearsal as chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, leading Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony. “I was shaking,” the viola leader recalled of … » Read

On Dec. 7 and 8, Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral reopened over five and a half years after the great fire of April 2019. The world leaders and heads of state were among the first to enjoy the fruits of the labor of over 1,200 artisans who … » Read

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra said four of its musicians were injured Friday in an incident during a weekly 15-minute traffic blockade commemorating the 15 people who died when a concrete canopy collapsed at a … » Read

MILAN (AP) — Milan’s storied Teatro alla Scala presented Giuseppe Verdi’s La Forza del Destino for its gala season premiere Saturday for the first time in 59 years, determined to shake the opera’s reputation for bringing … » Read