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

Korean-Canadian conductor Earl Lee, a recently named assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has signed with Wittenberg Artists, his first management firm. Also an accomplished cellist, Lee has served as associate conductor of the … » Read

Speranza Scappucci will not renew her  contract as music director of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, which runs until the end of the 2021-2022 season, although she will return as a guest conductor in the future. In a … » Read

Violinist and pedagogue Daniel Kurganov is an outlier in a world in which professional musicians master their craft well before they are ten years old. The 35-year-old Russian-born violinist, who grew up in Chicago, did not take up his chosen … » Read

Anthony ("Tony") Tommasini will step down at year’s end after 22 years as the chief classical music critic of The New York Times , one of the most powerful positions in the international classical music realm. The announcement was made … » Read

Mark Elder, music director of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, U.K., since 2000, is to be the principal guest conductor of the Bergen (NO) Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) as of August 2022. His three-year contract obligates him to three or … » Read