Two end-of-year concerts will mark the debut of Taiwanese-American conductor Mei-Ann Chen with the Minnesota Orchestra. She is stepping in at the last moment for Marin Alsop, who is under doctor’s orders not to travel due to illness. The … » Read

The hierarchy of symphony orchestra chairs—principal, associate principal, assistant principal, section player—is more about salary level and degree of responsibility than it is about talent, according to members of the Pittsburgh … » Read

The National Symphony Orchestra ’s CEO Gary Ginstling [pictured] was announced to step into Deborah Borda’s shoes as president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic . Borda will be one difficult act to follow. Mark C. Hanson, who … » Read

Handel’s Messiah has become a holiday classic, much beloved both by professional ensembles and amateur church and community choirs. The December premiere of Handel’s Messiah: The Live Experience , a lavish multimedia show developed by … » Read

Upcoming season highlights in San Francisco, as per the Chronicle ’s prolific music critic, include Joyce DiDonato’s music/theatrical recital Eden , an assemblage of music addressing the climate crisis by Ives, Mahler, Handel, … » Read

SHANGHAI--In China, October 1 and the week following is a time of celebration, honoring the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. This year, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center had scheduled the world premiere of a new … » Read

How old do you have to be to conduct a professional symphony orchestra? This is the trick question. Unlike such more mundane activities like driving (16), voting (18), or drinking (21), writes Joshua Kosman, there is no minimum age requirement … » Read

Arts Access, an editorial partnership between KERA and The Dallas Morning News , has hired multimedia journalist Samantha Guzman as its editor.. Launched in October, the new community journalism effort has embraced the mission of providing … » Read

A year-end fund-raising appeal from the Chicago Opera Theater led to the discovery that industry veteran Henry Fogel is serving as the company’s interim general director while Ashley Magnus is on maternity leave. Fogel, on … » Read

The passing of the pandemic has done little to relieve financial pressure on the Metropolitan Opera, which has announced measures designed to counter declining ticket sales and a cash shortfall. Chief among them is the immediate withdrawal of up … » Read