The Calgary (CA) Philharmonic has named Karen Kamensek to the newly created role of principal guest conductor; she’s also to act as an artistic advisor and open the season Sept. 12 and 13 with Gil Shaham in the Beethoven Violin Concerto. … » Read

Rodion Shchedrin, a prolific Russian composer of the post-Stalinist era, died in Munich on Aug. 29. He was 92. For the last half of the 20 th century, Shchedrin and his wife, ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, were leading cultural figures in Russia. … » Read

The City of London Corporation has named Abigail Pogson as the new chief executive of the Barbican Centre. Pogson, currently chief executive of the Glasshouse International Centre for Music, assumes her new post on Jan. 5, 2026. She succeeds … » Read

Finnish conductor John Storgårds, chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic and the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and artistic director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, will move from principal guest conductor to music director of the … » Read

Reports last week that five-time Oscar winner John Williams did not like film music had tongues wagging throughout the classical world. “Au contraire,” says Tim Greiving, whose new biography of the iconic composer was the source, … » Read

This fall Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music welcomes four new performance faculty members, thus equipping every instrumental department with a minimum of two faculty to offer students multiple perspectives. Julia   Harguindey , … » Read

Esa-Pekka Salonen has three new jobs. The primary one is principal conductor of the Orchestre de Paris, seconded by that orchestra’s “Creativity and Innovation Chair at the Philharmonie.” The latter position is echoed in Los … » Read

Jessica Mallow Gulley, president and CEO of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO) since 2019, is to succeed Jon Limbacher as president and managing director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO). Limbacher announced his intention to retire … » Read

It’s the oldest story in show business. A star drops out; a star is born. Counting down to the Bard SummerScape’s American stage premiere of Bedrich Smetana’s Dalibor , the contracted Polish prima donna (Izabela Matula ) was … » Read

Christina Scheppelmann, newly named general and artistic director of Belgium’s La Monnaie, has announced that longtime Music Director Alain Altinoglu has agreed to stay on through 2031. He will have been in the job 15 years. … » Read