Leonora Thomson, managing director of the Welsh National Opera, is to step down on July 1, as Aidan Lang takes over as general director . Lang arrives after four years in the top job at the Seattle Opera. “In February of last year, … » Read

The Library of Congress is the beneficiary of a recent donation of thousands of items that document the career of Jessye Norman, whom Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden characterized as “one of the most iconic opera singers of the 20th … » Read

American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the union that represents some 7,500 American professional opera singers, choristers, and dancers, has elected a new slate of officers. Each will serve a four-year term. The new president, elected by the … » Read

German conductor Kevin John Edusei [pictured] has moved from Denmark’s Crescendi Agency to England's Intermusica. He has been chief conductor of the Munich Symphony Orchestra since 2014 and this summer concludes his tenure in that same post … » Read

Jonathon Heyward, assistant conductor of the Hallé Orchestra , winner of the 2015  Besançon competition , has been named as the new chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie (NWD), effective in January 2021. Much is … » Read

When Gustavo Dudamel first burst on the scene with his Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, one of their signature pieces was “Mambo” from West Side Story . The players, often clad in their signature yellow-red-and-blue bomber … » Read

After a two-year search, the Phoenix Chorale, a professional chamber choir based in Phoenix, AZ, has named former Kings Singer Christopher Gabbitas [pictured] as artistic director starting next season. He succeeds Charles Bruffy who led the choir … » Read

Longtime Metropolitan Opera Orchestra trombonist Weston Sprott is the new dean of Juilliard’s preparatory division, overseeing the school’s pre-college division and Music Advancement Program (MAP). He will also remain with the MET … » Read

James Arkatov, who 51 years ago founded the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) and became its first principal cellist, died on Saturday, May 12. He was 98. Arkatov arrived from Russia in San Francisco at age five with his family. He began … » Read

A little over a year ago, the Hamburg State Opera, unbelievably,  fired soprano Julie Fuchs because she was four months pregnant. It did so without input from her or her physician. At the time, she wrote on Facebook, “The Staatsoper … » Read