First impressions can make or break a relationship. For the Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård, his first rehearsal with the Minnesota Orchestra in December 2021 “was one of the best first impressions I’ve ever had of an … » Read

Carol Becker will step down as dean of Columbia University’s School of the Arts at the end of this academic year. The announcement came today in a letter from President Lee C. Bollinger. In the top job since 2007, she’ll remain on the … » Read

Intermusica Artist Management, now in its 40 th year, with offices in London, Munich, Vienna, and Berlin, has added two staff members to work with its growing roster. Nathan Morrison is the new associate director of the Vocal and Opera … » Read

In a recent Zoom press conference with U.S. media, Berlin Philharmonic Music Director Kirill Petrenko thought back to the spring of 2020, when his first season as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic was abruptly stopped by the coronavirus … » Read

NEW YORK (AP) — Joanna Simon, an acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Emmy-winning TV correspondent, and one of the three singing Simon sisters who include pop star Carly, died October 19. Her sister Lucy, a composer whose credits included the score … » Read

Baptiste Charroing [pictured], current director of production at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, has been appointed director general designate of the theater, set to succeed Michel Franck in 2025, now in his third term in the … » Read

Opera Europa has selected Karen Stone to become the new director of the Brussels-based service organization as of Jan 1, 2023. She succeeds Nicholas Payne, in the position for 19 years. Stone, who recently retired after 13 years as Intendantin at … » Read

Stuart Murphy, the ofttimes controversial CEO of the English National Opera (ENO) since 2018 , has announced he plans to leave the company in September 2023. While a postmortem of his tenure awaits the judgment of others, Murphy pointed to the … » Read

As of September 2025, the 41-year-old Czech conductor Jakub Hruša will become the new music director of the Royal Opera House. He succeeds Antonio Pappano, who steps down at the end of the 2023-24 season after 22 years, the longest tenure … » Read

Geoff Nuttall, founding first-violinist of the St. Lawrence String Quartet and director of chamber music for the Spoleto Festival USA, died today at the age of 56. The cause was cancer, according to a statement from his colleagues in the … » Read