BAYREUTH—The annual Wagner festival could have used a hit this summer. In its first two post-lockdown seasons, in 2022, the festival struck out with a Ring cycle that reduced Wagner’s epic to a Netflix-style dysfunctional family drama … » Read

CHICAGO—Maybe it was the aftereffect of spending Friday afternoon in front of TV watching the Olympic Games opening ceremonies with all those spectacular overhead shots of Paris. Maybe it was seeing those boatloads of athletes representing … » Read

William Gibbons will become the new dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) as of August 1. He succeeds Mary Simoni, professor of performing arts technology, dean since 2011 and … » Read

Not since Joseph Stalin’s reign has the Russian government instituted such draconian controls on the nation’s artists and cultural establishment. For many the only answer has been to leave; those who stay must strike a nationalist … » Read

CHICAGO—Ah, the Grant Park Music Festival. These days, its name is something of a misnomer: Its orchestra and chorus have performed at Millennium Park, north of Grant Park, since that downtown attraction opened to the public 20 years ago … » Read

Erin Freeman is to succeed Amy Kaiser as director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, a largely volunteer, auditioned ensemble. Kaiser, a native New Yorker, retired in 2021-22 after nearly 30 years in the job and remains active in the musical life … » Read

The San Antonio Philharmonic (SAP), set to launch its third season this fall with new music director Jeffrey Kahane , is facing a nasty public fight over board leadership. Precisely who constitutes the board appears to be at the center of the … » Read

“Ask about bus transfers,” says Sarah Johnson, Carnegie Hall’s chief education officer and Weill Institute director. It’s just one of her concerns about the daunting logistics of the coming week, as seven international … » Read

The Colburn School’s Music Academy has named Margaret Batjer as its new director. The American violinist has been a member of the Academy’s faculty since 2015, and will now join the Conservatory faculty, meanwhile resigning in 2026 … » Read

By 2050 experts suggest that as many as 153 million people worldwide will be living with the neurological condition known as dementia. In the absence of any cure or definitive medical treatment, researchers and practitioners rely on psychosocial … » Read