Performance anxiety afflicts many performers, and in some cases has ended promising careers. One of the hoary expectations of classical music is that the concert soloist performs without sheet music. Despite hours of preparation, this tradition … » Read

Arizona Opera has named Brian DeMaris as its new president and general director, with immediate effect. He succeeds Joseph Specter , in the position from 2016 to 2025. The new man is no stranger to the Arizona arts community, having served as … » Read

Susann H. McDonald, professor emeritus of harp at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, founding artistic director of the World Harp Congress, performer and independent pedagogue, died on May 29 at the age of 90. She first gained … » Read

Noted composer Jörg Widmann is to be the next artistic director of the Lucerne Festival Academy, effective January of 2026. He succeeds Wolfgang Rihm, who died in July of 2024 . The news was announced today by Sebastian Nordmann, who is … » Read

Soprano Julia Bullock has been selected to direct the 2026 Cincinnati May Festival. Recognized for both her artistic achievements and her commitment to the power of community engagement in the arts, she will collaborate with the Festival’s … » Read

Donald Palumbo, who stepped down last year  after 17 years as director of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, is to be the next director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Chorus as of July 1. Palumbo has signed a three-year contract and … » Read

The LA Opera as appointed Domingo Hindoyan as music director—the third in the company’s history. His five-year contract is effective as of July 1, 2026. Hindoyan succeeds James Conlon , who becomes conductor laureate at the end of the … » Read

At the end of May, a court in Florence, Italy, found Alexander Pereira guilty of embezzlement. The former artistic director of the Salzburg Festival, the Zurich Opera House, La Scala in Milan, and Maggio Musicale in Florence was convicted on two … » Read

Floyd Brown’s tenure as a vice president of development at the Kennedy Center lasted little more than a month before his past history of anti-gay rhetoric, subject of a CNN report, led to his dismissal. His appointment, never formally … » Read

“I grew up in a household that was very noisy—we had a lot of tiny violins; I guess you could say they were our toys.” Conductor Katharina Wincor (pronounced Winsor) is the youngest of four sisters, now all professional … » Read