The timing was a bit unfortunate. Just days before the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Fedora , the company announced in The New York Times that it was planning to intensify its focus on contemporary works. … » Read

A number of recent new and renewed conducting appointments emerged in the final days of 2022. Among them, Greek conductor Vassilis Christopoulos was named chief conductor of Opera Graz, starting in 2023-24. He succeeds Roland Kluttig, who exits … » Read

When Julia Wolfe’s Her Story has its local premiere with the Chicago Symphony this weekend, listeners will recognize not only her distinctive compositional style—hypnotic repetition, propulsive rhythms, and spookily intoned vocal … » Read

David Johnson Dalton, a devoted teacher and violist of international stature, died at age 88 on Dec. 23. Born and raised on a farm in Utah, Dalton grew up balancing his work herding cattle with developing his skills as a violinist. His musical … » Read

Daniel F. Cameron, classical music publicist and co-founder of Hemsing Associates with his wife Josephine Hemsing, died on December 25. He was 91. The cause was complications from dementia, according to his wife. With an undergraduate degree in … » Read

The latest trifecta of recordings of new American orchestral and instrumental works includes a disc of strikingly immersive music by Steven Mackey played by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. These recordings hail from David Robertson’s … » Read

Writer/critic Richard Freed. January 1; age 93. Central City Opera Artistic Director John Moriarty. January 5; age 91.   Milwaukee Symphony President Susan Loris . January 7; age 52. Soprano/mezzo Maria Ewing. January 9; age 71. … » Read

With a new leadership team now in place and the pandemic in its rear-view mirror, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) is intent on establishing a more substantial national reputation. The driving force behind this ambition is 78-year-old … » Read

The New York Youth Symphony, composed of musicians between the ages of 12 and 22, has suddenly found itself in elite company, joining such world-renowned ensembles as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic as nominees for the … » Read

LONDON—The title role in Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia demands exceptional qualities. The heroine has a long scene in which she’s threatened and assaulted, followed almost immediately by one steeped in trauma and … » Read