RIO DE JANEIRO--Brazilian Nelson Freire, one of the world’s prominent pianists, died Monday at 77 at his home in Rio de Janeiro. Widely considered Brazil’s best pianist, Freire was particularly noted for his renditions of Chopin and … » Read

When Rafael Payare was selected as music director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), the 41-year-old, who takes over in full next season, had some big shoes to fill. His immediate predecessor, Kent Nagano, held the position … » Read

LONDON--Never mind the why and wherefore, but HMS Pinafore is the Gilbert and Sullivan opera I find hardest to love. Perhaps it’s because in their next collaboration, the ever-seaworthy Pirates of Penzance , they trod similar ground with … » Read

Santtu-Matias Rouvali, the 35-year-old Finn who is the Philharmonia Orchestra’s new principal conductor, launched the season with a Straussian feast that included performances of Also Sprach Zarathustra and the Alpine Symphony that one … » Read

MILAN--By choosing to unveil a new era at the Bayerische Staatsoper with Shostakovich’s The Nose , Intendent Serge Dorny did not opt for the easy route. The rarely performed opera is far from a guaranteed crowd pleaser, its enormous score … » Read

At heart, Jesús Rodolfo is a storyteller who uses four strings and a bow to give voice to his restless imagination. The young Spanish violist constantly returns to the model of narrative—even when discussing music as formally … » Read

Norwegian conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen, among Jorma Panula's alumni, is the new artistic and general director of the Bergen National Opera. The 50-year-old conductor, who originally studied violin in his native country, has been highly active … » Read

On Oct. 28 the prize-winning Moldovan violinist Alexandra Conunova had her $2.3 million Giovanni Batistta Guadagnini violin seized by overzealous custom officials as she was to depart her country's Chirisinau Airport for a concert in Russia. … » Read

The pandemic piqued Lynn Rosen’s curiosity about what impact the shutdown was having on colleagues in orchestras around the U.S. In talking with several fellow players, the violinist with the Utah Symphony discovered plans to change careers … » Read

The San Francisco Opera has engaged Lisa Bury as its chief philanthropy officer, reporting to General Director Matthew Shilvock and overseeing the department responsible for the annual fund, institutional and major gifts, grants, corporate … » Read