The operatic canon abounds with villains, many of whom suffer few consequences flowing from their malevolence. Baron Scarpia in Tosca , the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlos , Iago in Otello , Sparafucile in Rigoletto , and Alberich in the Ring … » Read

The music industry has been struggling to determine exactly what steps are necessary to ensure that a return to live performance can be safe for musicians and audiences. While several scientific studies have identified aerosols—tiny … » Read

The Canadian Opera Company, now sharing its general director with the Paris Opera , has cancelled its plans for the 2020-21 season. “Given the ongoing uncertainties around large-scale gatherings,” writes General Director Alexander … » Read

On Oct. 6, 400 musicians came together in London’s Parliament Square to protest the Johnson government’s thus far feeble response to calls for financial relief for British free-lancers. “We’ve all spent years and years … » Read

The Paris Opera is looking at banning "blackface" in its ballets and operas after nearly a quarter of its staff called for a major shake-up of how it deals with race. The issue of racism and diversity has been seen simmering since the … » Read

The Philadelphia Orchestra opened its 121 st season with an entirely virtual program that included guest performances by Steve Martin on banjo, soprano Angel Blue, and pianist Lang Lang, with Billy Jean King acting as host. The concert proceeded … » Read

British rock band Led Zeppelin on Monday effectively won a long-running legal battle over claims it stole the opening guitar riff from its signature 1971 song "Stairway to Heaven." The band, one of the best-selling rock acts of all time, was … » Read

We will be updating this list weekly. Please note that all times are given in U.S. Eastern Time (ET). To calculate in other time zones or counties, British Summer Time (BST) is currently five hours ahead of ET and Central European Time (CET) is … » Read

Desperate times often call for desperate measures, as the Roya Opera House’s (ROH) decision to auction a David Hockney portrait demonstrates. “This was a really tough call,” Alex Beard, the ROH’s chief executive, told The … » Read

The five name Texas opera companies--Houston Grand Opera (HGO), Austin Opera (AO), The Dallas Opera (TDO), Fort Worth Opera (FWO), and OPERA San Antonio (OSA)—have joined forces to create the Texas Opera Alliance (TOA). Pooling promotional … » Read