Kaija Saariaho, the Finnish composer who left an indelible mark on opera and electroacoustic music, died at her home in Paris on June 2. According to her publisher, the cause of death was glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer with … » Read

Speranza Scappucci is to be principal guest conductor of the Royal Opera House as of September 2025, the first to assume the role in over 25 years. The Italian conductor arrives when Czech conductor Jakub Hruša takes over as music director … » Read

Richard Egarr will exit the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale (PBO) at the end of 2023-24, having served as music director for three seasons. The reasons, according to the PBO, are personal—his young family is based in Amsterdam. … » Read

The talent migration from Los Angeles to the East Coast in the world of classical music continues, with Chad Smith as the latest emigrant. As soon as this fall, he is set to succeed Gail Samuel, in the position less than two years, as president … » Read

Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, whose music is as rigorous as it is imaginative, died at her home in Paris this morning at the age of 70. She had been diagnosed with brain cancer in 2021.  Among her milestone works, L’Amour de Loin, … » Read

Giancarlo Guerrero has announced his departure as music director of the Nashville Symphony at the end of his current contract, through 2024-25. He will have been in the job 16 years. It has been, by all signs, a landmark tenure, marked by 11 … » Read

Riley Nicholson will attempt to fill the huge shoes left by Executive Director Ellen Primack when she steps down at the end of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music this summer. Primack, in the job 33 years, announced her intent to exit in … » Read

SHANGHAI--In a sudden but not unexpected move, Long Yu [pictured] has stepped down as music director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra after being at the helm for two decades. He is retitled Lifetime Music Director Emeritus and remains chair of … » Read

When German conductor Thomas Guggeis made his North American debut last night at the Met leading Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer , he was scarcely five years removed from his role as repetiteur of the Berlin State Opera. It was there … » Read

Jonathan Heyward, who made a smashing debut with the New York Philharmonic just one month ago, is to be the music director of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) “summer orchestra,” a moniker not to be confused with the … » Read