Russian theater and film director Kirill Serebrennikov, under house arrest largely for his outspoken views since August 2017, has been vindicated—for now. He had been accused of helping to embezzle 68 million rubles (more than $1 million) … » Read

A Japanese academic’s unexpected discovery of a cache of 350 letters in the Library of Congress has brought to light a decade-long affair between Leonard Bernstein and Kunihiko Hashimoto, a Japanese man 35 years his junior. Hashimoto first … » Read

The opera world remains divided on Placido Domingo’s indiscretions, with the likes of Sonya Yoncheva and Anna Netrebko defending him, along with the Salzburg Festival, where he is still scheduled to appear next Sunday. The Teatro Royal, … » Read

She has captivated audiences from the Metropolitan Opera to the Mariinsky Theater, where she began her career mopping the stage. Yet there is little of the distant, aloof diva in Anna Netrebko, who regularly shares pictures of herself and her … » Read

The protests in Hong Kong will be at the core of two new projects by the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. The first, a new production of Puccini’s Turandot , which he will design and direct for the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, is … » Read

In the wake of the  Associated Press’s report about Plácido Domingo’s past unwanted indiscretions, the reactions on either side of the pond are quite different. Stateside, the  Philadelphia Orchestra and the  San … » Read

David Polk is leaving his position as program director of Chicago’s classical music station WFMT after 13 years with the company. He started as an intern under the late Andrew Patner, when he was critic-at-large. Polk had worked his way up … » Read

The Cincinnati Pops has tapped American conductor/actor Damon Gupton as principal guest conductor beginning with the upcoming season. “Damon is a fantastic musician who has really connected with both our audiences and musicians,” said … » Read

An affair between Dmitri Shostakovich and Bolshoi ballerina Nina Ivanova is documented in a series of ten love letters, apparently recently surfaced, set to be auctioned on August 22 for up to 800,000 rubles (about $12,000). The news is reported … » Read

Dalya Alberge, a free-lance reporter writing in The Guardian , has managed to raise the hackles of Stuart Murphy, the CEO of the English National Opera (ENO). Her offense—describing the ENO as “beleaguered.” Alberge reported on … » Read