SANTA CRUZ, California—Last weekend, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music opened its 63rd season. Reaching that number with such an uncompromising mission is an achievement in itself. So is the 50th anniversary of Santa Cruz being … » Read

CHICAGO—For one weekend every August, Lollapalooza, Chicago’s pop music mega-festival, moves into the south end of the city’s long stretch of downtown parkland. And every Lollapalooza weekend, the Grant Park Orchestra, based in … » Read

LONDON—Mahler’s Second Symphony is a massive draw these days, so it was no surprise to find this August 2 BBC Prom at full capacity (the Prommers standing in the Royal Albert Hall arena were packed in like sardines.) What was, … » Read

The annual season of Teatro Nuovo, always a high point of New York’s musical summer, consisted this year of two highly contrasting works even if they have sleepwalking scenes in common. With Verdi’s Macbeth , given in its original … » Read

The annual season of Teatro Nuovo, always a high point of New York’s musical summer, consisted this year of two highly contrasting works even if they have sleepwalking scenes in common. With Verdi’s Macbeth , given in its original … » Read

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, CA.—This seaside village on the southern edge of the Monterey Peninsula is known for its storybook cottages, white-sand beaches, mercurial coastal haze—and lack of street addresses. Originally established as an … » Read

LONDON—Pegasus Opera Company has championed artists of global majority heritage for over 30 years now, overcoming funding hurdles with a by-hook-or-by-crook determination. The death of tireless crusader and founder Lloyd Newton left them in … » Read

CHICAGO—Call it classical music’s Sleep No More , or early music’s answer to Los Angeles’ The Industry . Whatever it may be, comparisons inevitably fall short before the brilliance of Secret Byrd , an immersive performance … » Read

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.—On July 20, Ravinia Festival, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, gave listeners that all-too-rare opportunity: the chance to hear two brand-new works in one day. You would have had to nose around a bit to … » Read

LONDON—The venerable BBC Proms season launched last week promising plenty of new music to offset the familiar staples. This July 21 concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall was a typical example, with a first half given over to Tom … » Read