CHICAGO—Klaus Mäkelä, it seems, really, really wants to spend time with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The acclaimed young Finnish conductor doesn’t officially become the CSO’s 11 th music director until fall 2027. … » Read

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) launched its 97 th season on Sept. 26 in unfamiliar environs, greeted with a standing ovation before playing a note at the Music Center at Strathmore, a suburban venue in Maryland just north of the Capital … » Read

LONDON—'‘Without passports or anything we took a boat.’’ That opening line from Julia Wolfe’s grandiose oratorio may seem carefree, but it marks a chilling prelude to the deadliest industrial disaster in New … » Read

CHICAGO—In its climb to the top of Chicago’s roster of chamber choirs, Bella Voce surely has one person to thank above all. Artistic Director Andrew Lewis notches 20 years with the ensemble this season—nearly half its history. … » Read

After several years of launching its season with contemporary operas, the Met turned to standard repertory for its 2026–2027 opening night, with Louisa Proske’s new production of Verdi’s Macbeth . Proske was making her Met debut … » Read

SAN FRANCISCO—Audience members expecting an academic approach to the eponymous composer in the clinically titled The Machaut Project at ODC Theater were quickly disabused. Processing from the back of the house through a descending center … » Read

Last week’s performances of John Adams’s On the Transmigration of Souls at David Geffen Hall marked the first time the New York Philharmonic had offered the piece since its 2002 world premiere. The reasons for its near quarter-century … » Read

LONDON—The world’s greatest classical music festival is no mean boast. Around 300,000 people have attended 86 BBC Proms this year, 72 of them at London’s Royal Albert Hall and 14 at venues across the U.K. All good things come to … » Read

LONDON—While the world holds its breath to see if AI really does wipe out the entire human race within the next decade, it’s worth spending a moment to marvel at what advanced technology can achieve in the realm of the performing … » Read

LONDON—Words like icon and legendary are apt to be overused, but in the case of Martha Argerich they feel entirely justified. This September 5 BBC Prom at London’s Royal Albert Hall saw the Argentinian greeted with the warmest of … » Read