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

Beginning in September 2024, Anja Bihlmaier,  chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest, The Hague, is to be principal guest conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. She joins Finnish conductor John Storgårds , who has served as the … » Read

In what Terence Blanchard rightly describes as a “coup,” the Seattle Opera has lured director James Robinson away from Opera Theater of St. Louis to be its next general and artistic director. His 15-year tenure with OTSL has been … » Read

Conductor Dalia Stasevska’s debut program with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood on Aug. 10—two pieces by Sibelius and Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto with Leila Josefowicz—represents a departure from her usual … » Read

The Notos Quartett [pictured] has selected cellist Benjamin Lai to replace the departing Philip Graham, beginning in September 2024. He will join pianist Antonia Köster, violist Andrea Burger, and violinist Sindri Lederer in the Berlin-based … » Read

Mariko Silver, President and CEO of the Henry Luce Foundation, is to be the 12th president and CEO of Lincoln Center, effective September 23. The 46-year-old daughter of a Jewish father and Japanese-American mother is the first woman of color to … » Read

SANTA FE, NM—The riskiest of the five productions Santa Fe Opera is presenting this season is The Righteous by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K. Smith. Risky not just in the usual sense that might apply to the unveiling of a … » Read

Brazilian cellist Antonio Meneses died in Basel, Switzerland on August. 3. He was 66. He had announced his retirement in early July , and was receiving palliative care for an aggressive form of brain cancer. One of the most acclaimed soloists and … » Read

The performance of Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión según San Marcos ( St Mark’s Passion ) at the Edinburgh International Festival on Aug. 3 was a reminder that the work’s premiere in 2000 drew rapturous praise. Critics … » Read