TOKYO—Acclaimed Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa, the longest serving music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1973-2002), subsequently emeritus, died on February 6 at his home in Tokyo, according to the BSO. He was 88 and suffered … » Read

LONDON—Joyce DiDonato, shrewd diva that she is, has carved a useful niche in her résumé out of playing one character. That’s Dido, of course, the Carthaginian queen whose name is encoded within her own. As a sequel to … » Read

LONG BEACH, CA—The world premiere of Alyssa Weinberg’s opera Isola took place February 3 in a site called Compound, a small performance space (Laboratory) attached to a hip-looking art gallery/cafe/bar located on a tiny side street in … » Read

Anna Handler is to be an assistant conductor for the BSO as of September 2024, when she will join Samy Rachid, appointed in 2023; the two assistants serve two-year terms. Handler succeeds Earl Lee, whose tenure will conclude at the end of the … » Read

The Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras have announced that Peter Whelan [pictured] and Dinis Sousa will be conducting  upcoming programs, stepping in for Sir John Eliot Gardiner, who stepped aside from his podium duties last August after … » Read

On February 1 at Carnegie Hall, Lise Davidsen reaffirmed her status as a once-in-a-generation vocal phenomenon. Singing the Wesendonck Lieder , with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra led by its music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, … » Read

By today’s standards a 50-year relationship between an orchestra and a  conductor—25 of them as music director—is “an extraordinarily rare one.” One has to hark back to such podium legends as Serge Koussevitzky … » Read

Thomas Coesfeld took over as CEO of the Bertelsmann company last July and is already redefining the company’s strategic outlook. In short order he has: placed the exclusive distribution of BMG’s digital business in the hands of … » Read

Alondra de la Parra has been chosen as artistic director and head of the Orchestra and Choir of the Community of Madrid, beginning in the 2024-25 season and extending for a four-year term. The 43-year-old Mexican succeeds Marzena Diakun, in the … » Read

Simon Rattle is to be the new principal guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, taking the title of “Rafael Kubelik Chair” as of 2024-25 for a five-year term. He and his wife, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená, served as the … » Read