Black symphony and opera conductors were not always as rare a commodity as they are today. During the middle decades of the previous century, a generation of African American maestros regularly manned the podiums of major orchestras such as … » Read

Ann Hobson Pilot became the first black female principal player in a major orchestra back in 1969 when the Boston Symphony hired her as its principal harp. Retired since 2009, she is now 76 and living in Florida, having survived all manner of … » Read

The Ohio-based Carpe Diem String Quartet has a new cellist in Ariana Nelson, a member of the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra and on the faculty of Texas Southern University. Nelson, who studied at Juilliard with Darrett Adkins, joins the … » Read

In June of 2019, Jesse Rosen  announced that he would be moving on from his post as president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras in September 2020. He has been with the League for 22 years, the last 12 of them in the top position. … » Read

It appears that the Paris Opera has gotten its way. Canadian Opera Company General Director Alexander Neef [pictured] will take the French company’s helm as early as next month, succeeding Stéphane Lissner. Originally, Neef was to … » Read

The Philadelphia Orchestra, which, like all of its North American colleagues hasn’t fully assembled on stage since March, is seeing seven of its members retire prior to the start of the new (and still mostly virtual) season. Its first Black … » Read

Since the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s earliest years, women have played significant roles in the company’s growth and artistic excellence. Six of these women stand out in particular.   Carol Fox was only 28 years old in 1954, when … » Read

The first thing a listener is apt to notice about the music of composer Katherine Balch is its combination of familiarity and other-worldliness. The harmonies and rhythms that underlie much of her work are fundamentally akin to those of Schubert, … » Read

Nathan Lee Hull, baritone and founding artistic director of Amore Opera, died at his home in New York City on August 9, 2020. The cause was cardiac arrest. He was 69. Amore Opera was an outgrowth of Amato Opera, which ceased operations in 2009 … » Read

Megan Van Voorhis, CEO of Arts Cleveland for 17 years, will exit her post to become cultural and creative manager for the city of Sacramento, CA, as of September 1. In her new post, she’ll oversee grants to local artists and organizations … » Read