[ See also Part I .] When the shutdown first began in March of 2020, Rafael Payare, in his first season as music director of the San Diego Symphony (SDS), was in Berlin. It was orchestra CEO Martha Gilmer who urged him to bring his daughter and … » Read

Musical theater—theater with music—is an expensive proposition, so presenters are always seeking ways to reduce costs while maintaining the integrity of their product. For the past six decades or so, one of the primary cost-saving … » Read

“Classical music in Britain is in trouble.” So posits Ivan Hewett, chief classical music critic for The Telegraph . In apportioning blame for this sorry state of affairs, Hewitt lists several causes, which he maintains are subsidiary … » Read

The invasion of Ukraine has led the International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz, usually held in Kyiv, to accept the invitation of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) to convene this … » Read

Just over a year ago, the San Diego Symphony opened its $85 million Rady Shell at Jacobs Park with much fanfare, a kind of post-pandemic coming out party for the city, the orchestra, and its 42-year-old Music Director Rafael Payare, who makes his … » Read

LONDON--Ralph Vaughan Williams and Michael Tippett might seem odd bedfellows, yet both men were committed socialists who devoted much time to community music-making. Not only that, despite Vaughan Williams’s committed service during World … » Read

Art Council England’s (ACE) decision to cut English National Opera’s (ENO) annual funding by 50 percent earlier this month, coupled with a new £17m grant contingent on the company leaving London, has become a major cause celebre … » Read

Within days of Arts Council England’s announced funding cuts , Bryn Terfel launched a petition to reinstate the funding to the English National Opera. To date,  Terfel’s Change.org petition has nearly 64,000 signatures. On … » Read

When Renée Fleming bid a fond farewell to the Met Opera in 2017, singing her final Marschallin in Rosenkavalier , she did say that she might return one day should the right project come along. That it has, in the form of The Hours , Kevin … » Read

Spanish conductor Gustavo Gimeno [pictured] has renewed his music directorship with the Toronto Symphony through the 2029-30 season. The 46-year-old maestro first signed on 2020-21, succeeding Andrew Davis who was serving as interim following … » Read