Ralph Remington, former actor and regional chief of Actors Equity Los Angeles, has been appointed as the director of cultural affairs for the San Francisco Arts Commission. Currently deputy director for arts and culture in Tempe, AZ, Remington … » Read

The world of classical music and opera appears to be tackling issues of equity and diversity in earnest. Programming initiatives focused on Black and female composers and performers are proliferating, and many organizations are beginning a … » Read

Capping a two-year search, German conductor Jun Märkl [pictured] is to succeed Shao-chia Lü as artistic advisor of the Taiwan Philharmonic as of August 2021. Lü will have been with the orchestra, also known as the National Symphony … » Read

Joe Goetz is to succeed Ryan Lohr as music director of Classical MPR. He arrives November 16 after serving for six years as music director of WFIU, the public radio station associated with Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Lohr, meanwhile, … » Read

London’s Southbank Center, Europe’s largest arts complex, has said it is struggling to survive. It has laid off hundreds of employees, many of whom have, in the recent past, accused it of institutional racism. This week, the Center … » Read

Composer Jake Heggie, of Dead Man Walking, Moby-Dick fame, has a new podcast that takes a deep dive into the world of opera singing. Although he conceived Sing LOUDER in the summer of 2019, well before the coronavirus was on anyone’s radar, … » Read

On Oct. 29, Russian conductor Alexander Vedernikov fell victim to Covid-19; he was 56. Born on Jan. 11, 1964, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory before taking his first job at Moscow’s Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theater. … » Read

When your father and sister are both accomplished lawyers, and your mother is only the second woman ever appointed to the U. S. Supreme Court, you are almost fated to follow in their footsteps. Jim Ginsberg certainly thought so when he enrolled … » Read

Donald Runnicles, having recently added “Sir” to his name courtesy of last month’s Queen’s Birthday Honors, has renewed his contract as general music director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin through 2027. Runnicles is … » Read

To the list of key music business executives announcing their retirements in the Covid-19 year of 2020, add the name Margaret M. Lioi, Chamber Music America’s CEO. CMA announced on Friday afternoon that she would be stepping down after 20 … » Read