La Scala's new season, announced Monday, signals a continuation of Alexander Pereira's strategy of offering a large number of titles, focusing on the Italian repertoire, and bringing back artists historically associated with the theater. The … » Read

When Disney Hall, the Frank Gehry-designed home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, opened 16 years ago, it signaled a new level of ambition for the orchestra and held out the potential for transforming the surrounding Grand Avenue neighborhood. As … » Read

When a conference panel is stacked with likeminded people who largely agree on everything, things can quickly turn dull or self-promotional. At the May 15-19 Classical:NEXT conference in Rotterdam, the best of the discussions avoided this trap. … » Read

The shrinking audience for opera has become a familiar trope that often occasions a combination of hand wringing and ill-conceived efforts to lure younger attendees. “The traditional subscription audience is declining as people age out of … » Read

The estate of Harold Arlen is taking Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and other of the  largest tech retailers to court, alleging copyright infringement of some of the songwriter’s most iconic creations, either through streaming or … » Read

If you’re someone who just can’t turn off your smart phone wherever you may be, you’ll love the BBC Philharmonic’s new web app called Notes. Beginning next September, audience members seated in a special section of the … » Read

The growth of music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and others has done little to advance the availability of classical music. While this genre comprises only 5 percent of the recorded music market, its core audience … » Read

ROTTERDAM— For three days ending May 18, some 1,300 people from 45 countries gathered in this city of striking postwar architecture to talk about the future of classical music. It wasn’t a doom-and-gloom affair. The gathering, … » Read

A sour note accompanies the Royal Opera’s 2019-20 season announcement: Only one of the 19 conductors scheduled for the opera’s main stage is a woman--French conductor Ariane Matiakh [pictured], on tap to lead some performances of a … » Read

No art form exacts a greater physical toll than ballet. The average ballerina has about ten years at the top of her game before the wear and tear on her body overwhelm whatever passion remains for her art. There are, of course, exceptions. One … » Read