Joseph Kalichstein, an Israeli-American pianist described by one contemporary as “a musician’s musician, always thoughtful and imaginative,” died at age 76 on March 31.The cause was pancreatic cancer.  Adept as a … » Read

Within the space of a week in late February, Peter Gelb went from a visit to Moscow to see the dress rehearsal of his company’s co-production of Wagner’s Lohengrin with the Bolshoi to watching a young Ukrainian bass-baritone sing his … » Read

So much for Riccardo Muti’s two-week residency with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, of which he is music director. Today, he tested positive for Covid-19, ruling out his scheduled performance with the CSO on Tuesday, April 5, now cancelled, … » Read

Anna Netrebko’s career in her homeland is not dead—at least not with the all-powerful Mariinsky Theater. The theater has officially confirmed that Netrebko is participating in its annual Stars of the White Nights festival , which … » Read

The League of American Orchestras has appointed Caen Thomason-Redus as its VP of inclusion and learning, one of several leadership shifts at the organization. Thomason-Redus is the senior director of community & learning at the Detroit … » Read

The  Moscow Times reports that Russia’s Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater has announced the cancellation of Anna Netrebko’s concert scheduled for June 2. The company cited her back-pedaling statement on March … » Read

Anna Netrebko’s statement yesterday, distancing herself from Vladimir Putin and “expressly condemn[ing] the war on Ukraine,” seems not to have instantaneously changed her status at the Metropolitan Opera, nor at the Paris Opera, … » Read

Avant-garde Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov, long outspoken critic of the Kremlin and artistic thorn in its side, has left the country after countless arrests and confinements on false charges in the last few years. He is now safely in … » Read

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Celebrated U.S. cellist Yo-Yo Ma joined refugees from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in the Portuguese capital Lisbon on Tuesday for a performance of Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Ma joined … » Read

Longtime New York City Center Encores! Artistic Music Director Jack Viertel stepped down from his post at the end of 2020. Lear deBessonet succeeded him.   Now Encores! Music Director Rob Berman, Viertel’s collaborator on more than 30 … » Read