Germany’s thriving cultural community is one of the richest and most diverse in Europe. But rumblings from the far-right political party Alternative for Germany [AfD] pose a growing threat to its health. Anti-immigration has been the … » Read

On Aug. 1, the Merola Opera Program will present it’s first-ever commission—the world premiere of If I Were You by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer. Nicole Paiement will conduct and Keturah Stickann direct a production … » Read

For the new production of the Ring in 2020, Bayreuth Festival Director Katharina Wagner is turning to the younger generation, choosing Austrian director Valentin Schwarz [pictured], 32, to stage it and Finnish maestro Pietari Inkinen, 40, to … » Read

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will open its 2019-20 season on September 14 not with a gala starring Renée Fleming, as originally announced, but with a free concert programmed to preview the coming season. The gala, the BSO’s … » Read

The Midsummer Ball, the largest arts fundraiser in Western Canada, has netted more than $1.27m to support the Banff Center’s arts programs, which offer education, mentorship, and inspiration to both emerging and established artists. … » Read

The death of an unarmed black man at the hands of police is an all-too-common occurrence in today’s America. Blue , a new opera by Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tazewell Thompson, examines such a tragedy, with a … » Read

AIX-EN-PROVENCE (FR)--It features an Israeli prime minister, Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, a hit squad, and a Shin Beth spy chief. But this is not another story on the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict but an opera with, … » Read

Choral singing enhances the quality of individual lives, especially of those 65 and over, and strengthens community ties. These are the key takeaways from The Chorus Impact Study: Singing for a Lifetime , a research project completed by Grunwald … » Read

Music critic Anne Midgette is weary of the hand wringing over the latest demise of a classical music ensemble. What would happen, she asks, “If one-tenth of the energy people expend on reacting to news such as this was expended on actually … » Read

As the Baltimore Symphony struggles to balance its books and locks out its musicians for the summer, another Washington, D.C., orchestra, albeit smaller, has announced its intention to shut down after 36 years, for lack of funds. The National … » Read