Late last summer the time seemed right for saxophonist/composer Hafez Modirzadeh to call for systemic change at the School of Music at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Inspired by the university president’s speech embracing a … » Read

The state of the classical music world in Western Europe—from shutdowns to reopenings—has been intensively documented since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The actions of nations in other regions of the world have come in for … » Read

The Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is cancelling the remainder of its mainstage productions for the 2020–21 season. Live in-person performances will (hopefully) return in the fall of 2021. “We of course want to return to live opera on the … » Read

ROME—The Dec. 7 season premiere at Milan’s La Scala opera house, a gala event that is one of Italy’s cultural highlights, is being cancelled after a rash of coronavirus infections among musicians and chorus members. The … » Read

On November 4, the musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic, along with Valery Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev, arrived in Fukuoka, Japan, greeted at the airport with general good cheer and water-cannon salutes. Though Japan’s concert halls … » Read

Lincoln Center’s indoor stages have been mostly dark since the start of the pandemic but there are signs of life stirring on the tenth floor of the Rose Building above the Juilliard School. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center next … » Read

Even for musicians under contract, the pandemic has caused major income adjustments, reflective of the amount of performances their employer has been allowed to present under law. At the San Francisco Symphony, where that number is zero, apart … » Read

The British government’s new lockdown has darkened theaters and opera houses, once again, although orchestras and recital halls—including Wigmore Hall—appear to be allowed to perform behind closed doors for streaming/recording … » Read

In August, German researchers invited several thousand people to attend a series of simulated concerts in Leipzig to test the efficacy of social distancing, mask wearing, and other techniques aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. … » Read

Tense in the best of times, relationships between arts-organization managers and the unions representing their employees are being severely tested by the coronavirus pandemic. While the Kennedy Center and the Metropolitan Opera as well as … » Read