Harold "Hal" Prince, a towering Broadway director and producer who pushed the boundaries of musical theater with such groundbreaking shows as The Phantom of the Opera, Cabaret, Company, and Sweeney Todd and won a staggering 21 Tony Awards, has … » Read

The Nashville Symphony has appointed Australia-born Nathan Aspinall [pictured] to be its assistant conductor as of next season; he succeeds Enrico Lopez-Yañez, who was recently named principal pops conductor. Aspinall arrives from the … » Read

The Vienna Philharmonic has tapped conductor Herbert Blomstedt as its newest Honorary Member in a short ceremony July 26 in Salzburg, where the maestro will lead the Phil in Mahler's Ninth on August 30 and 31.  When bestowing the honor, the … » Read

Walter Homburger, longtime managing director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, died on July 25 at the age of 95.  One of his country’s most highly regarded music administrators, Homburger first came to the TSO in 1962 and is … » Read

In his blog, former Baltimore Sun music (and, eventually, theater and food) critic Tim Smith is fighting the good fight for the survival of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In his latest argument, he suggests, strongly, that Music Director Marin … » Read

With the exception of Wolfgang Rihm's Jakob Lenz , no operas performed at this summer's Aix Festival were as musically complex as Israeli composer Adam Maor's The Sleeping Thousand . This beguiling, multifaceted chamber opera—a … » Read

Replacing Cecilia Bartoli in Robert Carsen’s new production of Giulio Cesare at La Scala will be Danielle De Niese. The Australian-born mezzo-soprano was active in the baroque repertoire earlier in her career, having sung Cleopatra in … » Read

Lara St. John was a violin prodigy, winning Canada’s national music competition at age nine and beginning a European tour a year later. Admission to the Curtis Institute of Music as a 14-year-old, where she was to study with the renowned … » Read

Fabio Luisi’s recent departure from Maggio Musicale should give him plenty of time to devote to his new job at the artistic helm of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The DSO has announced the appointment of ten new musicians under his regime, … » Read

Robert Orth, celebrated baritone and champion of new American opera, died on July 12 in Libertyville, IL. The cause was liver failure due to complications from colon cancer, according to his wife, Jane. He was 72 years old. A versatile … » Read