PARIS (AP) — France is inducting Josephine Baker — Missouri-born cabaret dancer, French World War II spy and civil rights activist — into its Pantheon, the first Black woman honored in the final resting place of France’s … » Read

The Supervisory Board of the Salzburg Festival has appointed Kristina Hammer as the new president of the Salzburg Festival. She succeeds Helga Rabl-Stadler, who held the position for 27 years. Hammer’s selection from among six finalists, … » Read

Chester Lane, longtime senior editor of Symphony magazine, died suddenly on November 24 while visiting friends in West Virginia. He was 74. The cause was heart failure, according to his wife of 13 years, Marianne Sciolino. Lane worked at the … » Read

NEW YORK (AP) — He opened the season as kindly Uncle Paul in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones . Next night he was the vagabond monk Varlaam, stopping the show in Mussorgsky’s … » Read

NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Sondheim, the songwriter who reshaped the American musical theater in the second half of the 20th century with his intelligent, intricately rhymed lyrics, his use of evocative melodies and his willingness to tackle … » Read

A conductor who numbers Frank Zappa, Pierre Boulez, Leonard Bernstein, and Björk among his mentors is clearly one of eclectic tastes. As Kent Nagano turns 70, he tells Deutsche Welle , "If you think about it, my life is just a constant … » Read

The general manager of Beyonce´’s media company has just been named CEO and executive director of the American Ballet Theater. Janet Rolle´ succeeds Kara Medoff Barnett, who resigned in July . Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie … » Read

David Rudge, the first conductor and music director in the history of the four-year-old Rock Hill (S.C.) Symphony Orchestra, has resigned, expressing concerns that the organization’s safety precautions for the pandemic were inadequate. … » Read

Edmonton Opera is said to be struggling financially, but that doesn’t seem to have deterred its trustees from jumping into the fire feet-first and hiring an artistic director known for his bold programming ideas. That would be Joel Ivany, … » Read

The many ramifications of the pandemic are still being felt throughout the classical music world. One of the less visible but no less important is the time it has provided for some high-profile leaders to recalibrate their priorities. In January, … » Read