Over the past four months, the coronavirus pandemic has transformed choral singing from a life-affirming to a potentially deadly activity. Outbreaks of the virus in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and South Korea all … » Read

At the moment there is little cause for optimism about the state of classical music in the U.K. The pandemic has uncloaked a financial model that relies on robust ticket revenue to break even, due in large part to a public subsidy that provides … » Read

Artist managers want Congressional help to get through the Coronavirus-induced closures and have started an online petition to drum up public awareness and support. The Change.org petition was started by Charlotte Lee, president of Primo Artists … » Read

First the Met Opera , now the New York Philharmonic. “While [we] deeply regret having to cancel our fall concerts, we had no choice,” said President and CEO Deborah Borda in a statement. “It has become very clear that large … » Read

From July 2 thru August 13 the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will present its summer series of concerts, featuring a free Fourth of July performance at Sigmund Stern Grove. Beginning on July 10, the SFS will perform five Saturday night concerts at … » Read

Meredith Snow, chairperson of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM), warns members to be wary of letting employers free stream their performances. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, most U.S. orchestras and opera … » Read

The new, 30-day Salzburg Festival 2020, which opens August 1, remains programmatically impressive, despite the restrictions of the pandemic. As previously reported , it has been pared down to meet health and safety requirements, from 200 events … » Read

Denmark was one of the first European nations to shut down in response to the coronavirus pandemic, so it comes as no surprise that it was at the front of the line when it came time to reopen on Sunday, June 7, with a concert by the Royal Danish … » Read

The Minnesota Orchestra has announced it will “no longer engage MPD [Minneapolis Police Department] officers to provide security at Orchestra concerts . . . [until it] implements fundamental changes” in the wake of George … » Read

The Nashville Symphony Association has informed the Tennessee Dept. of Labor that it intends to furlough 131 members of its workforce, involving both staff and musician, by June 30. It laid off some 200 part-timers in April. Having had to cancel … » Read