The Royal Academy of Music has appointed Barbara Hannigan to be the Reinbert de Leeuw Professor of Music. Named one of her most important mentors (he died in 2020), the position calls on her to direct ensembles, mentor singers, and help students … » Read

A dinner party in Berlin seven years ago led to the design and construction of an unusual piano currently housed at the Kimmel Center. Hosted by the conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim, his tablemates included a second keyboard artist, Martha … » Read

Already a frequent and popular guest of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), Marin Alsop is to become its artistic director and chief conductor as of next season, a position in which she will undoubtedly do far more than rehearse … » Read

Speranza Scappucci is to be principal guest conductor of the Royal Opera House as of September 2025, the first to assume the role in over 25 years. The Italian conductor arrives when Czech conductor Jakub Hruša takes over as music director … » Read

The arc of Paul Montalvo’s career, from San Antonio firefighter in the late 1990s to Classical Music Institute’s (CMI) president and CEO today, is hardly a usual one. But his unwavering commitment over the past 15 years to the … » Read

Richard Egarr will exit the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale (PBO) at the end of 2023-24, having served as music director for three seasons. The reasons, according to the PBO, are personal—his young family is based in Amsterdam. … » Read

Korean baritone Taehan Kim, a 22-year-old student currently enrolled in the College of Music at Seoul National University, has won the first, Queen Mathilde Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Voice Competition, which concluded over the weekend in … » Read

Kaija Saariaho, the Finnish composer who left an indelible mark on opera and electroacoustic music, died at her home in Paris on June 2. According to her publisher, the cause of death was glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer with … » Read

Giancarlo Guerrero has announced his departure as music director of the Nashville Symphony at the end of his current contract, through 2024-25. He will have been in the job 16 years. It has been, by all signs, a landmark tenure, marked by 11 … » Read

The talent migration from Los Angeles to the East Coast in the world of classical music continues, with Chad Smith as the latest emigrant. As soon as this fall, he is set to succeed Gail Samuel, in the position less than two years, as president … » Read