San Francisco Opera and its orchestra have signed a contract retroactive to August 1, 2024 and valid through July 31, 2026. This essentially one-year agreement contains the provision that the two parties will negotiate a new multi-year deal … » Read

David Finckel and Wu Han will hand their joint artistic directorship of Music@Menlo to another husband-and-wife, cellist-pianist duo: Dmitri Atapine and pianist Hyeyeon Park, frequent M@M guests, will take over with the 2027 season , the … » Read

CHICAGO—In a charmed scheduling alignment, the Ravinia Festival recently hosted two strongly linked string quartets within a few days of each another: The Isidore String Quartet, on June 22, and the Juilliard String Quartet, on June 25. The … » Read

The Juilliard String Quartet (JSQ) has appointed Chinese-German artist Leonard Fu, 27, as its new second violin. He succeeds Ronald Copes, who steps down after 28 years and will remain a member of the Juilliard violin faculty. Copes played his … » Read

LONDON— Le nozze di Figaro was the beginning of it all for Glyndebourne, opening the very first season on May 28, 1934, in a theater holding 300. On the same date 60 years later, the work was chosen to launch the new opera house. There have … » Read

Beginning in September of 2028, Jakub Hruša will become the Czech Philharmonic’s chief conductor and music director. Although the Czech conductor’s initial contract is for five years, both parties assume the appointment heralds … » Read

Lalo Schifrin, the composer who wrote the endlessly catchy theme for Mission: Impossible and more than 100 other arrangements for film and television, died Thursday. He was 93. Schifrin’s son Ryan confirmed that Schifrin died due to … » Read

CHICAGO—The annual Grant Park Music Festival, 10 weeks of free symphony concerts outdoors in downtown Chicago, has been one of the city’s most popular music offerings since the mid-1930s. There’s no counting how many adult music … » Read

Dame Kathryn McDowell has announced that after two decades in the post, she will step aside as managing director of the London Symphony Orchestra in July 2026. In a letter to her colleagues, she wrote, “I feel the time is right to hand over … » Read

In today’s classical world, it’s not unusual for a high-profile conductor to have significant responsibilities for more than one major musical organization. Yannick Nézet-Séguin [pictured] is simultaneously music … » Read