The death of Lois Kirschenbaum on March 27 deprived the Metropolitan Opera of one of its most devoted fans. Beginning in the late 1950s, she became a regular fixture, usually watching the onstage drama from the upper balcony through oversized … » Read

Italian conductor Daniele Gatti, despite confirmation of inappropriate sexual advances in the past  both in the U.S. and abroad, is having no trouble getting work in his native country. His newest post, according to the Corriere della Sera , … » Read

Lady Valerie Solti, wife of the renowned Sir Georg, died on March 31 at her London home. She was 83. During her late husband’s 22-year tenure as music director of the Chicago Symphony, from 1969 to 1991, Mrs. Solti was effectively the first … » Read

Two more retirements to add to the ever-growing list of arts executives leaving storied careers behind. The latest is JoAnn Kulesza, music director of the Peabody Opera Theater for 30 years and a key member of the music faculty. Stepping in to … » Read

Stéphane Denève will stay on as music director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra through the end of the 2025-26 season, having just signed a four-year extension to his current contract. He’s been artistic chief of the … » Read

Dr. Ben Levy, head of the gastroenterology department at Chicago’s Mount Sinai Hospital, once considered a career as a cellist before opting instead for medicine. But he remains a musician at heart, fully aware that music is often as … » Read

Antonio Pappano, the longest serving music director of the Royal Opera House, since 2002, will step down to become chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra as of September 2024. He takes the position of designate in September 2023, when … » Read

The appointment of James Darrah as the third artistic director in the history of the Long Beach Opera (LBO)in late February promises to burnish the company’s  reputation for innovative, high-risk programming. He first became acquainted … » Read

Another daily newspaper has been able to continue its classical music coverage thanks to funds from the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The Chicago Tribune will fill the staff job that  John … » Read

NEW YORK (AP) — The new PBS documentary on dancer-choreographer Twyla Tharp is called Twyla Moves . In retrospect, that sounds a bit weak. It really should be called Twyla Moves and Won’t Stop As Long As She Has a Detectable Pulse , a … » Read