On Aug. 11, nearly two years after he withdrew from conducting, Daniel Barenboim made a return to the podium at the Proms. “It was the concert many suspected we would never hear,” writes Martin Kettle in The Guardian . He was … » Read

Elizabeth S. Condic, chief financial officer of the Houston Symphony, will move into the post of interim executive director and CEO of the orchestra as of October, as John Mangum makes his exit to become general director, president, and CEO of … » Read

The Russian invasion of Ukraine left Russian artists like Netrebko and Gergiev shunned in many of the world’s concert halls for their refusal to condemn Putin’s aggression; many more either left Russia or were intimidated by threats … » Read

With immediate effect, Ilya Ram is music director designate of the 91-year-old Chattanooga Symphony & Opera; he takes over in earnest in 2025 for a tenure lasting through the 2027-28 season. Ram succeeds Kayoko Dan, who announced her decision … » Read

The LOUD Weekend has been the culminating event of the Bang on a Can (BOAC) Summer Music Festival for the past 22 years. Based at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA., the three-week professional development program gathers 40 young musicians and five … » Read

Lorenzo Viotti is to be music director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, with a three-year contract commencing with the 2026-27 season. He succeeds Jonathan Nott, who departs after 12 years at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. A native of … » Read

SUFFOLK, UK—It’s a John Wilson summer in England. The inspirational conductor has been bewilderingly busy since The Merry Widow opened at Glyndebourne in June , and before that run was done he was back in business with his supergroup, … » Read

LONDON—When it comes to composer anniversaries, the BBC Proms likes to bring out the big guns. In this case it was Ferruccio Busoni, the centenary of whose death is being celebrated this year. This August 5 performance at London’s … » Read

Before the end of apartheid in 1994, opera in South African was largely a niche performing art for white audiences, with white singers brought in from abroad. Now black casts perform European classics in a distinctive manner that resonates with … » Read

Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen comprises more than 15 hours of music. It is little wonder, then, that there have been several efforts to condense the tetralogy into a manageable evening at the opera house. One of the more successful, … » Read