Every few months someone in the classical music firmament is moved to express, often apologetically, their love for Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 2 nd Piano Concerto. The latest entrant, Ben Lawrence writing in The Telegraph , reports that for the … » Read

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music has appointed Michael Tilson Thomas as its first and only distinguished professor of music, effective next fall. His term begins concurrent with the release of a boxed set devoted to new and previously … » Read

In what may be the worst-kept secret about the world’s youngest, most oversubscribed music director, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has named 28-year-old Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä to succeed the legendary Riccardo Muti as its … » Read

The St. Thomas Choir School, the 105-year-old residential school for boys between the ages of 8 and 14 drawn from across the nation, is in danger of closing within the next 15 months unless its financial underpinnings can be strengthened. Based … » Read

Choral Arts Society of Washington, D.C., its 60 th anniversary coming in 2025, has announced Marie Bucoy-Calavan as its next artistic director as of next season. She succeeds Jace Kaholokula Saplan who left after 18 months in the job. Saplan is … » Read

A second opera company in the U.K. is facing the prospect of seeing its orchestra members going part-time due to budget cuts. Like the orchestra musicians of English National Opera, who were recently forced to swallow a contract providing only … » Read

One of today’s most performed young composers, is an unapologetic advocate for the power of melody. “I find emotional connection through melody…. I think it’s a way to connect human beings,” Anna Clyne tells … » Read

“We’d all better buckle up,” warns Joshua Kosman as he contemplates the future for the San Francisco Symphony. The “conscious uncoupling” of the SFS and Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen portends nothing positive, … » Read

La rondine remains the least-performed of Puccini’s mature operas; the March 26 first night of the Met’s current revival had the unfortunate effect of suggesting just why that is the case. The 1917 c ommedia lirica is full of … » Read

Chicago was once a new music town that didn’t take itself too seriously. The birthplace of improv comedy fostered a highly collegial, casual scene where laughter and onstage quips flowed as easily as the drinks. That approachable ease … » Read