New York Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani has appointed Diya Vij, 40, as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA). In announcing her selection, Mayor Mamdani said, “This administration believes art is a public good, not a luxury … » Read

Dalia Stasevska is one of the busiest guest conductors in the world, moving with ease between opera houses and orchestra halls. The daughter of a Ukrainian father and a Finnish mother, she was born in Kyiv but grew up from age five in Finland and … » Read

Paavo Järvi, 62, is to succeed Edward Gardner as chief conductor & artistic advisor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra as of 2028-29. This puts him in place for orchestra’s centennial in 2032. Järvi, son of Neeme, brother of … » Read

As of Sept. 1, 2026, Danish opera creator Louise Beck will begin a four-year term as the new artistic director of the Copenhagen Opera Festival. Beck, who has been scenographer, director, and artistic director of OPE-N (formerly OperaNord) since … » Read

Howard Herring will close his quarter-of-a-century as president and CEO of the New World Symphony in June. His accomplishments at the helm of “America’s Orchestral Academy (NWS)” have been remarkable, not least for securing the … » Read

Lyric soprano Hannah De Priest has found her comfort zone. A rising star on the early music scene and a regular guest of the Cleveland-based baroque ensemble Les Délices, she impresses with sheer beauty of sound, plus a host of more subtle … » Read

The Cleveland Orchestra (TCO) has named five new players to its violin and viola sections. With these additions, Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, now in his 24 th year, will have appointed more than half of the orchestra. In May Elizabeth … » Read

Yuja Wang, superwoman of the keyboard, has accused Norman Lebrecht, classical music commentator known for breaking news, much of it editorialized, of “derogatory misogynistic bullying.” Lebrecht had been trying for over a year to … » Read

Joshua Robison, longtime partner, manager, adviser and facilitator for Michael Tilson Thomas, died on February 22. He passed away in his sleep at his apartment in San Francisco. He had sustained a fall last August and was in the process of … » Read

Beginning in the fall of 2027, Stephen Wyrczynski and Ori Kam will join Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music as professors of viola following an international search. They will succeed James Dunham and Ivo-Jan van der Werff, who are … » Read