The hierarchy of symphony orchestra chairs—principal, associate principal, assistant principal, section player—is more about salary level and degree of responsibility than it is about talent, according to members of the Pittsburgh … » Read

Handel’s Messiah has become a holiday classic, much beloved both by professional ensembles and amateur church and community choirs. The December premiere of Handel’s Messiah: The Live Experience , a lavish multimedia show developed by … » Read

Upcoming season highlights in San Francisco, as per the Chronicle ’s prolific music critic, include Joyce DiDonato’s music/theatrical recital Eden , an assemblage of music addressing the climate crisis by Ives, Mahler, Handel, … » Read

SHANGHAI--In China, October 1 and the week following is a time of celebration, honoring the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. This year, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center had scheduled the world premiere of a new … » Read

Colorado’s Central City Opera is at odds with AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) about what is and is not covered in their contract. Local media reports charges of “withheld artist payments, refusals to bargain in good faith, … » Read

Despite its owner’s decision to cease operations at the end of the current season, the Philly Pops may not be lost altogether. There is promising news on two fronts: One, musicians and management have come to a tentative agreement on … » Read

The passing of the pandemic has done little to relieve financial pressure on the Metropolitan Opera, which has announced measures designed to counter declining ticket sales and a cash shortfall. Chief among them is the immediate withdrawal of up … » Read

A holiday-musings article in The New York Times suggests that America needs its own comic opera company, something along the lines of Berlin’s famed Komische Oper or the Opéra Comique in Paris. Suggested repertoire includes Kurt … » Read

Plans for a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center have run afoul of the grandchildren of Lewis Van Wezel, the primary funder of the 54-year-old Van Wezel Hall. Ironically, their opposition to the plan has put them at odds with the members of the … » Read

“I staged the opera in a slaughterhouse, where animals are locked-up and whose destiny is nothing else but death. The slaughterhouse thus becomes a metaphor for all the prisons and places where humanity has been brutalized and tortured … » Read