Louise Herron, CEO of the Sydney Opera House for the past 14 years, will step down on August 6.  She is credited with overseeing the largest program of capital works since the building opened in 1973. . In January 2020, the iconic concert … » Read

Christopher Thompson has won The San Francisco Symphony's sixth annual Emerging Black Composers Project (EBCP) award. Renamed the Michael Morgan Prize in 2023 in honor of the longtime Oakland Symphony music director, the award carries a $15,000 … » Read

LONDON—Michael Grandage’s 2010 staging of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd made a welcome return to Glyndebourne June 28 with a consistently fine cast and Allan Clayton making an anticipated role debut as the conflicted Captain … » Read

Sir Stephen Hough, the acclaimed British concert pianist, composer, and writer, has been appointed artistic director and jury chair for the 2027 Leeds International Piano Competition. Calling the 2027 competition a “defining moment,” … » Read

The triennial Mahler Conducting Competition concluded on July 3 with no first-prize winner, one second-prize, and two third prizes. Those went to Sieva Borzak (29, Italy) and Simon Clausse (25, France), while Jakub Przybycien (31, Poland) took … » Read

The Palais Garnier, home to the Paris Opera, has been forced to extend its shutdown for renovations, initially planned from 2027 to 2029, by three years to 2032. The cause—the longer time necessary to eliminate lead contamination in the … » Read

As discussed in Part I , the newly christened Highmark Mann Center boasts of renewal, but also displays its lineage with pride. Staff is young, enthusiastic, and clearly committed; there’s a palpable sense of belonging, everywhere: A chance … » Read

CHICAGO—The Grant Park Music Festival is used to rolling with the punches. On June 24, a severe downpour and flood warning forced the free outdoor series to cut a concert short just before its marquee offering: Peter Boyer’s Ellis … » Read

Sara Aldana has been selected as the new assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra for a one-year term that begins on Sept. 1, 2026. She succeeds Naomi Woo, who has served in the position since 2024 and will appear as a guest conductor … » Read

The LA Phil has named Ben Ullery as its new Principal Viola; he succeeds Teng Li, who held the position for six years before she joined the Chicago Symphony in June 2024 . Ullery has enjoyed a steady progression through the orchestra’s … » Read