The musical instrument sellers’ trade organization, National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), has selected Julia Rubio as the new executive director of the NAMM Foundation. She succeeds Mary Luehrsen, who is retiring after 22 years, … » Read

The international trombone community is sharing the news of an opening at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the principal chair, currently occupied by the last surviving Fritz Reiner brass appointment, Jay Friedman, hired in 1962 and named … » Read

The Philadelphia Orchestra has added four new musicians to its ranks. Among them is assistant double bassist Tobias Vigneau, arriving just months after completing his Bachelor of Music degree at the Curtis Institute of Music. He succeeds Joseph … » Read

HONG KONG—To correct any misnomers, when the  Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra hired 24-year-old conductor Tarmo Peltokoski in July to succeed Music Director Jaap van Zweden, it did not anoint the youngest-ever music director in the … » Read

The San Francisco Symphony, facing financial and artistic leadership hurdles, also seems to be undergoing a fair amount churn within its ranks. At the end of the season the orchestra saw five players representing 180 years of experience retire; … » Read

William Gibbons will become the new dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) as of August 1. He succeeds Mary Simoni, professor of performing arts technology, dean since 2011 and … » Read

John Mangum, executive director and CEO of the Houston Symphony since 2018, is to be the new general director, president & CEO of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, effective in the fall. He succeeds Anthony Freud, who announced last September that … » Read

Erin Freeman is to succeed Amy Kaiser as director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, a largely volunteer, auditioned ensemble. Kaiser, a native New Yorker, retired in 2021-22 after nearly 30 years in the job and remains active in the musical life … » Read

The Colburn School’s Music Academy has named Margaret Batjer as its new director. The American violinist has been a member of the Academy’s faculty since 2015, and will now join the Conservatory faculty, meanwhile resigning in 2026 … » Read

Wolfgang Rihm, one of the most influential German composers of the post-World War II generation, died on July 26. He was 72. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports the cause as cancer. “We lost a true institution in the world of music. … » Read