In past seasons, Spoleto Festival USA has mounted a mix of new and old operas, many of them critically praised and several new ones performed around the country. The 2024 edition of the festival offered only one premiere— Ruinous Gods by … » Read

On June 1 Ukrainian violinist Dmytro Udovychenko celebrated his 25th birthday with a performance of Shostakovich’s First Concerto that won him first place at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition in Brussels. The first … » Read

In what has become an all-too-familiar scenario, Rhode Island’s arts organizations are fighting for their lives. The failure of audiences to return in pre-pandemic numbers has produced revenue losses across the state equivalent to 20 … » Read

With a program on Thursday evening (May 30) consisting of three concertos from three different centuries, the New York Philharmonic reached the midpoint of its final concerts under Music Director Jaap van Zweden, who steps down at the end of the … » Read

Chicago-based conductor Matthew Sheppard is to be the new music director of the Danville (IL) Symphony Orchestra (DSO), one of 60 candidates the orchestra has assessed in the last year. He succeeds Jeremy Swerling, in the job for 27 years. DSO … » Read

Music biopics have become all the rage in the film industry. Pop legends Elvis, Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Bob Marley, and Amy Winehouse have all received the Hollywood treatment. Last year classical music aficionados were treated to Bradley … » Read

On May 31, the students and faculty of the University of the Arts read in The Philadelphia Inquirer that the school would close in a week, on June 7. In a stunning understatement, the school’s website explained, “The situation came to … » Read

Each summer the Kennedy Center, in collaboration with the Washington National Opera (WNO) and the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), offers summer training programs for young people interested in careers in classical music. The WNO’s Opera … » Read

Growing up in coastal Georgetown, SC (population: 8,500), Kedrick Armstrong became his church’s keyboardist at age 12 and picked up the clarinet in his school’s band program. But Armstrong couldn’t shake the feeling that there … » Read

A new music director is to arrive at the Rhode Island Philharmonic, taking the position of designate with immediate effect and moving into the job full-time as of 2025-26. She is German-born Ruth Reinhardt, currently based in Switzerland, who … » Read