For many decades public service orchestras in the U.K. and western Europe have been both reliable purveyors of high-quality music free from commercial demands and sources of regional and national pride. The BBC Philharmonic, which celebrates its … » Read

The music industry and the tech companies are engaged in what one music executive calls a “deeply dysfunctional symbiotic relationship.” Billions of dollars—$28.8 billion in 2021—are at stake in the battle over the … » Read

Music critic Andrew Mellor has had a recurring dream in which he walks into the 2,350-seat London Coliseum for Jonathan Miller’s production of The Mikado and finds fewer than 100 people in attendance. The theater itself is dirty and … » Read

A paper published in the journal Cureus— " The Effect of Classical Music on Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and Mood’’ —bolsters long-held beliefs regarding the connections between listening to classical music and blood … » Read

The Royal College of Music has suspended Alexander Romanovsky, a professor of piano, for appearing in a video filmed by Russian state-controlled media in front of a bombed-out theater in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. The theater had been … » Read

Plans to shutter the State Theater at Melbourne’s Arts Center have forced Opera Australia (OA) and the Australian Ballet to scramble to find alternative venues for nearly three years. The State Theater is scheduled to close around Easter in … » Read

The actual concert hall of David Geffen Hall, named in 2015 for a $100m gift from the LA billionaire, will be the Wu Tsai Theater, named for the $50m gift from Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsa that enabled the renovation to be completed two years ahead … » Read

The introduction of a new production of the Ring cycle at Bayreuth is always an occasion for comment and criticism. The premiere of Das Rheingold on July 31 led Martin Kettle of The Guardian to wonder, “Who knew?” Who knew, he asks, … » Read

Lauren Pearl is giving new meaning to the term high-flying soprano. Sure, her latest venture calls for her to sing up to a high C, but plenty of operatic heroines have to do that. What’s different in Pearl’s case is that she will be … » Read

The very best of intentions can sometimes lead both individuals and organizations astray. Such would appear to be the case at the Long Beach Opera (LBO), which saw three Black employees resign last March on the eve of the 2022 season’s … » Read