Twelve of the most challenging minutes in all of opera are the two coloratura arias sung by the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute . And these days no one seems to sing them better than Kathryn Lewek, as evident in her recent … » Read

CHICAGO—May there be more fairytale stories like Gabriela Lara’s in the brutal world of orchestra auditions. In 2022, the Venezuela-born violinist became the inaugural recipient of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Fellowship Program, … » Read

To demonstrate that opera is not “an antique genre preoccupied with musty subject matter,” The New Yorker critic Alex Ross looks back over a season that included a “striking array of contemporary works.” The Metropolitan … » Read

The Mellon Foundation has appointed a new program director for arts and culture to succeed Emil J. Kang, who steps down at the end of the year. The announcement of Kang's successor, Deana Haggag, a program officer, is the first public news of his … » Read

Christoph Meyer has announced that he will resign as general director of the Deutsche Oper am Rheim after more than 15 seasons on March 30, 2025. “Unfortunately… I had to accept that my state of health does not allow me to continue … » Read

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía has announced that James Gaffigan will end his four-year term as musical director upon the expiration of his contract on Aug. 31, 2025. The theater praised the American conductor’s expansion of the … » Read

Nicholas Hersh, onetime associate conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO), is to return as the first principal conductor of the BSO Academy, an annual week-long program for adults of rehearsals, performances, and workshops alongside … » Read

Amanda Robie has been promoted from managing director to executive director of the Saratoga Opera , a position that sees her working closely with Mary Birnbaum, general and artistic director.  A resident of Saratoga Springs, Robie has sung … » Read

Anyone seeking evidence of the affirming power of music need look no further than the number of musicians who continue to play for John Eliot Gardiner, despite past instances of his abusive behavior. In the words of Marten Root, a 68-year-old … » Read

Arlene Croce, who established a reputation as both the most revered and most feared dance critic at The New Yorker from 1973 to 1996, died on Dec. 16 in Johnston, R.I. “No one has ever described dance in the movies the way she does,” … » Read