On Aug. 12-13, the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) will perform for the first time in Hong Kong since the death in 2020 of its co-founder and longtime director Richard Pontzious. An American who was conductor-in-residence at the prestigious Shanghai … » Read

The musicians of the Boston Symphony Orchestra have ratified a three-year labor agreement that will take effect on Aug. 28. In a joint statement, all parties to the agreement praised “a deeply collaborative process that strengthened our … » Read

Last summer’s Cabrillo Music Festival proved chaotic when a Covid outbreak decimated the orchestra’s woodwind and brass sections midway through the season, forcing Music Director Cristian Macelaru to redo the program for the entire … » Read

An artist’s success in the world of classical music can often rely on a strong working partnership with a manager who books performances, handles all the attendant logistics, and does a lot of hand holding. The Curtis Institute of … » Read

Classical music aficionados have generally been ill-served by the music streaming industry, argues Alex Ross. The New Yorker critic is no fan of the industry, damning it for the pittances paid to artists as well as its destructive environmental … » Read

In a scene reminiscent of the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan during the 1990s, officials in the western province of Herat recently set fire to dozens of musical instruments, many of them collected from wedding halls. According to the area … » Read

Since 1833 C.F. Martin & Co has hand-built guitars and other stringed instruments in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, earning an international reputation for the quality of its instruments. A family-run, profit-sharing company, Martin … » Read

BAYREUTH, Germany (AP) — A giant swan sailed into the auditorium and crashed, felled by a huge arrow still protruding. Flowers burst into bloom, radiant in red and green, pink and blue. In the theater Richard Wagner conceived 150 years ago … » Read

On July 28, four months after its acquisition by Universal Music Group (UMG), Hyperion Records announced the first release to all streaming platforms of 200 selections from its catalogue of more than 2,000 recordings. “These first 200 … » Read

Many of the accusations of abusive behavior within the world of classical music have focused on the sexual predations of headline-making conductors , singers , and instrumentalists . Although conservatories have received their share of the blame … » Read