Elayne Jones, a timpanist reputed to be the first Black principal player in a major American orchestra, died on Dec. 17 at her home in California. She was 94. Born on Jan. 30, 1928, in Harlem, Jones was the only child of immigrants from Barbados … » Read

Plans for a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center have run afoul of the grandchildren of Lewis Van Wezel, the primary funder of the 54-year-old Van Wezel Hall. Ironically, their opposition to the plan has put them at odds with the members of the … » Read

In what on first glance feels like a major loss to the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), Alexei Ratmansky will not be renewing his contract as ABT’s artist in residence when it expires next June. His departure coincides with the transition of … » Read

On March 8, 2023, International Women Right’s Day, La Maestra Competition will open applications for its third annual iteration. Unlike most competitions, this one has no age limit. And, since the gender balance among conductors remains … » Read

Brooklyn’s much-heralded new music venue National Sawdust (pictured) has announced the departure of its managing director, Brian Berkopec, best known as a financial and business consultant. He is to be succeeded by Ana De Archuleta, who has … » Read

Blake-Anthony Johnson, one of Musical America’s Top Professional s of 2022, joined the Chicago Sinfonietta as president and CEO in 2020 when he was only 29. The Chicago Tribune now has named him Chicagoan of the Year for Classical Music. … » Read

The way back from the pandemic has been slow for performing arts venues everywhere, with patrons reluctant to resume attending and ticket sales continuing to evolve from subscriptions to individual ticket sales. After a summer in which ticket … » Read

Stanley Drucker, the legendary clarinetist who joined the New York Philharmonic at age 19 in 1948 and didn’t retire until 60 years later, died on December 20 in Vista, CA, outside of San Diego. He was 93. Named principal by Music Director … » Read

Anastasia Tsioulcas , a staff cultural correspondent for NPR, joined The New York Times’s free-lance classical music reviewing staff last month. She remains full-time at NPR as well. Previously, Tsioulcas, originally from Boston, was editor … » Read

No question that, among young conductors today, Klaus Mäkelä is the hottest. He leads the Oslo Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Paris, and in 2027 will become chief conductor of the Concertgebouw. And Decca has released an entire cycle … » Read