Composer and guitarist Scott Johnson , who crossed and fused genres with electronic media, using traditional and innovative sources and techniques, died on March 24 at the age of 70. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021. He played in … » Read

In the week before the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Vasyl Kryachok and his Mariupol Chamber Orchestra "Renaissance" performed what would prove to be their last concert in the city hall. "Mariupol had been hit now and again during eight … » Read

LONDON—Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13, Babi Yar, make odd bedfellows. One is all positivity and light, the other abounds in irony and gloom. But if the two works sat a little awkwardly on this … » Read

Brad Cohen , a native of Sydney, is to be the next general director of the New Zealand Opera (NZO). The former artistic director of the West Australian Opera, he is an active guest conductor of opera and symphonic repertoire, as well as a music … » Read

The Wise Music Group has acquired a controlling interest in the Edition Peters Group from the Hinrichsen Foundation and will own Peters in partnership with Christian Hinrichsen, whose family has been associated with the company since 1863. … » Read

In an effort to reduce crime and drive away the unhoused at the Westlake/MacArthur Park station near downtown, the Los Angeles Metro has turned to classical music. Since January, royalty-free works by Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Mozart have been … » Read

The Mariinsky Orchestra performed in Beijing at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) on March 27, becoming the first foreign orchestra to visit China since it closed its borders to visitors in early 2020 due to stringent Covid … » Read

After 55 years of conducting, Riccardo Muti tells Van Magazine that he has nothing to prove anymore. “As Otello says in the opera, ’Ecco la fine del mio cammin’—it’s the end of my voyage. I’ve done all I want, … » Read

LOS ANGELES--Now 86-years-young, Steve Reich has spent his ninth decade breaking out of some long-established comfort zones, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as a crucial partner. He wrote his first orchestral work in 30 years, Music for … » Read

Latvian violinist Marta Sparnina has resigned as concertmaster of the Sinfonietta Riga after 14 years, explaining that she no longer wants to play music by Russian composers while the war in Ukraine continues. At the very moment that Russian has … » Read