LONDON—The reign of Elizabeth I was as fertile a time for composers as it was for other artists in England. After all, as Mahan Esfahani points out, it was the same age and creative milieu—political, philosophical, and … » Read

Victor DeRenzi, artistic director and principal conductor of the Sarasota Opera, has announced that he will retire  after 44 years in May 2026, also the company's 100th anniversary year.  General Director Richard Russell, a more … » Read

The San Diego Symphony has named an inaugural group of seven conducting fellows for the 2025–26 season. They will receive mentorship from Music and Artistic Director Rafael Payare and work closely with guest conductors and the … » Read

The Lucerne Festival has extended the contract of Music Director Riccardo Chailly through the end of 2028, bringing him to 12 years at the helm. (He succeeded Claudio Abbado in 2016.) While his current contract, through summer 2026, obliged him … » Read

Just on the heels of winning Chamber Music America’s highest honor , the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award, the Takács Quartet, in its 50 th -anniversary year, will lose its sole remaining original member, cellist … » Read

German conductor Christian Blex ,  winner of the 2025 Karajan Young Conductors Award at the Salzburg Festival, is to be principal guest conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra (MSO) for three seasons, starting next September. Blex, … » Read

There’s a particular magic to Santa Fe Opera’s open-air setting in summer. It was under that spell of sound and space that I first heard Iván López Reynoso last August. He led a Bohème that had an emotional pull … » Read

Élider DiPaula began his tenure as the executive director of Project STEP this past Nov. 6, succeeding Josué González, the new VP of education and external engagement for the Boston Symphony Orchestra as of last May. The … » Read

German-Colombian conductor Anna Handler is having a banner year. Having recently made her subscription debut with the Boston Symphony, of which she is assistant conductor, she started a new job this fall as Kappelmeister of the Deutsche Oper … » Read

American heldentenor Gary Lakes died on November 11 in Pittsburgh, PA. He was 75. He sang over 100 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, from 1986-1997, and was particularly known for his portray of Siegmund in Die Walküre . Born in … » Read