Built in 1857, the Academy of Music was for many years home to the Philadelphia Orchestra and still hosts an array of events from Broadway shows and holiday standards like The Nutcracker to college graduations. But the years have not been kind to … » Read

The path to becoming a conductor can be long and arduous. In the U.S., undergraduate conducting programs don’t exist, so those interested in a podium career must pursue it after graduation and reckon with the fact that there is no set … » Read

The Pittsburgh Symphony musicians have extended their current contract--$100,000 base pay (most earn more)—by one year, bringing them into the 2023-24 season. The extension calls for a two percent increase in salary and $1,000 in media … » Read

It took only three days for 30 aspiring musicians, all inmates at San Quentin prison, to compose an hour of original music and present a concert for 100 of their colleagues. On Monday, Aug. 8, the group began working with three professional … » Read

The Lucerne Festival, hardly a radical hotbed, is going against tradition this year and emphasizing diversity with a series of concerts featuring Black, Latino, and female artists. “We don’t have to be radical,” Michael … » Read

The growing evidence of climate change—intense heat, extreme flooding, wildfires and their accompanying smoke—pose an increasing threat to the outdoor performances that are a part of summertime life in many parts of the U.S. Venues as … » Read

For many opera cognoscenti, summer in Bayreuth means Wagner. But the Festspielhaus is not the only show in town. Each summer for two weeks, the Margravial Opera House, built in the middle of the 18 th century by Wilhelmina, daughter of the King … » Read

Surviving as a fulltime musician in Seattle and environs is so difficult that as many as four in 10 respondents to a recent survey suggested they might change their job or relocate within the next year. “It’s becoming increasingly a … » Read

The musicians of the Florida Orchestra have ratified a three-year contract that will increase base pay by 12 percent and extend the ensemble’s season. “This was one of the most positive negotiations in all my years in … » Read

When the pandemic derailed the western Massachusetts-based Berkshire Opera Festival’s plans to present Mozart’s Don Giovanni in 2020, cofounder and director of production Jonathon Loy rescheduled it to 2022. While the discovery that … » Read