A $4.6 million gift to the Cleveland Orchestra from Myrna and Jim Spira will help underwrite artistic programming, the pension and annual funds, and endow the Myrna and Jim Spira Bass Clarinet Chair. This marks the orchestra's third major gift … » Read

Central City Opera (CCO), apparently fully  recovered from its AGMA battles that nearly scuttled the 2023 season, has named stage director Alison Moritz as its new artistic director. The last person to hold that title was Pelham … » Read

At the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Neville Creed [pictured], for 30 years the artistic director of the London Philharmonic Choir, will retire. He will remain connected with choir as Chorus Director Emeritus. During his tenure, Creed has … » Read

Beginning in early 2020, the pandemic shut down almost everything but online activities by symphony orchestras for nearly two years. During that time, there were several heartfelt musings by industry leaders suggesting that international touring … » Read

CHICAGO—Scott Johnson left us a year ago, and the musicians he touched are still saying goodbye. The composer and guitarist died in New York City on March 24, 2023 at the age of 70. Starting with John Somebody (1982), Johnson was best known … » Read

In Search of the Magic Bullet , a report released by the Wallace Foundation, summarizes insights gained from a four-year initiative that saw the funder invest nearly $41 million in grants supporting audience-building projects by 25 performing … » Read

The City of Birmingham (U.K.), which declared bankruptcy last September, has announced some drastic cuts over the next two years  to tackle a £300m budget shortfall. Arts groups are particularly impacted. In addition to increasing … » Read

Taking a symphony orchestra on the road has many of the challenges of a small military campaign, fortunately without any of the attendant bloodshed. When the National Symphony Orchestra recently departed Washington for its first European tour … » Read

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024-25 season, which opens September 23 with Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded , continues emphasizing contemporary operas, this time all tried and tweaked elsewhere before coming to the Met stage. That includes the … » Read

Here I Stand , the centerpiece of the Oakland Symphony’s February 16 concert at the Paramount Theater, was a communal event in the widest sense of the term. In commissioning and performing a new oratorio about the singer, actor, and … » Read