In a statement following his donation of ten fragments from Beethoven’s skull to the Medical University of Vienna, American businessman Paul Kaufmann said he felt "very privileged to be able to return the … [items], which I … » Read

COOPERSTOWN, NY—For its first ever production of Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet (seen July 15 th ) the Glimmerglass Festival turned to Simon Godwin, artistic director of Washington’s Shakespeare Theatre Company. The Washington … » Read

The Russian invasion poses both a dire physical threat to life and limb and an existential effort to destroy the Ukrainian culture. Since the war’s beginning in early 2022, the country’s musicians have been in the forefront of … » Read

The Philadelphia Orchestra has expanded its conducting staff. Two conducting fellows, Austin Chanu and Tristan Rais-Sherman (both recent recipients of Solti Career Assistant Awards), have been promoted to assistant conductors for the 2023-24 … » Read

When Parsifal opens the Bayreuth Festival this evening, over 80 percent of the audience will be unable to take advantage of the new production’s most compelling feature—the augmented reality used to introduce, in the words of its … » Read

While classical music and prisons might seem an unlikely amalgam, for violinist Holly Mulcahy, music provides a means “to cope with challenges and develop the capability to experience change for good.” The goal of Arts Capacity, a … » Read

Bel canto opera has fallen well out of the mainstream of New York’s operatic life. In times gone by, the Met and New York City Opera would regularly mount works by Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini for stars like Beverly Sills and Joan … » Read

American conductor Sameer Patel is to be the new music director and orchestra conductor of the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus in San Diego, effective next season. He succeeds Steven Schick, who exited last year, and works “alongside” … » Read

The Philadelphia Orchestra appears to be having trouble getting out of town. On July 20 the orchestra announced the cancellation of a four-concert tour in California scheduled for next March. In October 2022 a three-week tour of China scheduled … » Read

Swiss newspaper Le Temps reports orchestra musicians at the Verbier Festival expressing their dissatisfaction with Plácido Domingo’s conducting prowess. Comments from the rehearsal of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, programmed … » Read