ROME -- Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, known for his politically charged contemporary works, will try his hand at opera by directing Turandot , which is set in his homeland. The Rome Opera said on Friday Ai will direct Giacomo Puccini’s work and … » Read

MILAN—In May of 2018, La Scala announced with great fanfare that it had teamed up with mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli to mount three Handel operas, starting next fall with a new, Robert Carsen production of Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto. … » Read

Michael Tilson Thomas’s representatives have delivered a happy missive to the media: "Michael Tilson Thomas had a successful heart operation at the Cleveland Clinic and is recovering well. The doctors have called the procedures a complete … » Read

Almost two years ago, the abrupt firing of Matthew Halls , a much-celebrated British musician who had succeeded Helmuth Rilling as artistic director of the Oregon Bach Festival, roiled this nearly 50-year-old celebration of the masterworks of … » Read

Garry Walker , chief conductor of the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie in Koblenz, is to be music director of Opera North (ON) as of 2020/21. He succeeds Aleksandar Markovic, who quit two years ago after less than a year in the job. … » Read

The Göteborg Opera has tapped Henning Ruhe [pictured], 41, as its new artistic director opera/drama. Currently head of artistic administration at the Bavarian State Opera, he will succeed Stephen Langridge, who recently moved to … » Read

Jack Renner, co-founder in 1977 with producer Bob Woods of Telarc International, died on June 19 after a long battle with cancer. He was 84. Renner’s training was in classical music and for a while he was a professional trumpet player. But … » Read

Opus 3 Artists has issued a statement that its client Bramwell Tovey, 66, has been diagnosed with cancer. “His doctors expect him to make a complete recovery. At the advice of his medical team, Maestro Tovey has withdrawn from select … » Read

Latvian conductor Andris Poga [pictured], 38, is to be the new chief conductor of the Norwegian Stavanger Symphony from the 2021/2022 season. He succeeds Christian Vasquez, in the post for six years. Poga is the current music director of the … » Read

Concert Artist Guild’s Senior VP and Director of Artist Management Steve Shaiman is to make his exit at the end of June. He has been with the venerable young artist agency for 16 years. He leaves precisely one year after  Tanya … » Read