Robert Trevino, music director of the Basque National Orchestra (BNO), had been mulling over a radical idea for years. What would happen, he wondered, if he were to present a concert at which none of the music played was announced beforehand? … » Read

Mirella Freni, an Italian soprano whose uncommon elegance and intensity combined with a sumptuous voice and intelligence to enthrall audiences for a half-century, has died at age 84. Freni died Sunday at her home in Modena, Italy, from a … » Read

Italian conductor Nello Santi, acknowledged master of the Italian opera tradition, died on February 6 at his home in Zurich. He was 88 and had been treated for a blood infection. His death was confirmed by his manager, Robert Lombardo. Born in … » Read

After 36 years in the artist management business, Marc Baylin has decided that the time has come; he plans to close the doors of Baylin Artists Management in June of 2021. It’s been a whirlwind, he says. “I was in college on Tuesday … » Read

Citing anticipated budget cuts, Opera Carolina has laid off its executive director. Beth Hansen, hired 18 months ago , was responsible for the company’s administrative activities, which had previously been managed by James Meena, the … » Read

Eugene Rogers, director of choirs and associate professor of conducting at the University of Michigan, is to be the next artistic director of The Washington Chorus (TWC). He starts in July, succeeding Christopher Bell , in the job two years. … » Read

Marin Alsop has a new line on her CV. Today, the Ravinia Festival announces her as its chief conductor and curator, a new, two-year position that augments her current post as curator of programs. The festival has had no music director since James … » Read

The conductors of many of America’s leading orchestras are today expected to possess “broad horizons” that focus as much on contemporary music as on traditional repertory. But, as critic Alex Ross argues in The New Yorker , … » Read

Raff Wilson is to succeed Elena Dubinets as VP for artistic planning at the Seattle Symphony in April. Wilson served for seven years in a similar capacity for the Hong Kong Philharmonic, from 2010-17, and is credited with bringing Jaap van Zweden … » Read

Admirers of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony often marvel that the composer was deaf when he composed it between 1822 and 1824—or so history would have us believe. But as celebrations of the 250 th anniversary of the icon’s birth are … » Read