The Merola Opera Program has hired Sean Waugh, consultant and onetime artistic planning manager for the San Francisco Opera (SFO), as its new executive director. He succeeds Jean Kellogg, who stepped down last January after 12 years in the job. … » Read

The Palm Beach Opera did not have to look very far to find its new general director, James Barbato, who has been its director of artistic administration for the past five years. Barbato has served in an acting capacity since his predecessor, … » Read

By any measure, Marin Alsop has had an extraordinary career. The first woman to lead a major American orchestra--she spent 14 somewhat fractious years at the helm of the Baltimore Symphony --she has also held prestigious appointments in Europe … » Read

The sudden announcement by Gustavo Dudamel in late May of 2023 that he was stepping down as music director of the Paris Opera shocked the classical music world. He was leaving only two years into a contract extending to 2027. The press release … » Read

James Blachly [pictured] will remain as music director of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra through 2026. He arrived in 2016 and is credited with expanding the JSO’s artistic horizons and its audience reach. “James is a very exciting … » Read

Violinist Kyu-Young Kim will step aside as artistic director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) at the end of June, after eight years in a role usually filled by a conductor, which the SPCO famously eschews. He will remain with the group as … » Read

Chad Smith’s  departure last spring from the Los Angeles Philharmonic to become president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) took many by surprise. Considered by some to be the most important orchestra in America, the LA … » Read

After 11 years as music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), Louis Langrée will conduct his last concerts in that capacity on May 10 and 11. The program will feature the world premiere of Anthony Davis’s Broken in … » Read

The Boston Symphony Orchestra , sporting a long overdue logo update, will have three new players in 2024-25: Principal flute Lorna McGhee, associate principal bassoon Josh Baker, and percussionist Toby Grace. McGhee, principal of the Pittsburgh … » Read

Kim Noltemy, whose five-year tenure at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra has been transformative, for the city as well as the orchestra, is to be the new president and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as of July. It is now clear why she was … » Read