The April 9 performance by Jakub Józef Orlinski at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall was a reminder that the Polish countertenor, in the words of the Chronicle’s Joshua Kosman, “really does seem to reach beyond what most artists … » Read

On April 10 conductor Edo de Waart announced his retirement from the stage of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Although he is 82 and has been conducting for 60 years, the maestro’s retirement came as a surprise. In an … » Read

In keeping with its trend-setting model of appointing a new music director every season, the Ojai Music Festival will follow Mitsuko Uchida’s upcoming June 6-9 2024 tenure with one of a completely different—one could even say … » Read

There’s something enigmatic about the music Sarah Hennies composes: Even when she describes exactly what she’s done and why, a listener still might wonder how she achieved this or that detail. Hennies doesn’t cut corners when it … » Read

Sir Antonio Pappano’s inaugural season as chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra launches on Sept. 11 with the world premiere of Sir James Macmillan’s Concerto for Orchestra, an LSO commission. The orchestra will offer 51 … » Read

Alison Balsom recognizes that her status as a much-in-demand trumpet soloist is a bit of an anomaly. “Historically,” she writes in The Guardian , “it has been more unusual for women to play brass instruments, due to … » Read

Next season marks Thomas Søndergård’s second as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, and he’ll be on the podium for 12 programs that collectively introduce 13 works new to the ensemble’s repertoire. Many of … » Read

Every spring, the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival in southern France invites a different phalanx to perform one or other of Bach’s completed Passions. This Good Friday it was the turn of the Swiss baroque orchestra La Cetra to perform the … » Read

The doom and gloom surrounding the San Francisco Symphony since Esa-Pekka Salonen announced he would not renew his contract, due in large measure to the ensemble’s dire financial situation, has left some devotees searching for what Joshua … » Read

When climate protesters interrupted a performance by the Bavarian State Orchestra at the Lucerne Festival last September, conductor Vladimir Jurowski did something that, while unexpected, was fully in keeping with his belief that music ought not … » Read