Riccardo Muti will remain music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, extending a contract that was to end this season one year, to the end of 2022-23. Beyond that, the 80-year-old maestro’s relationship with the CSO is … » Read

Paul Crewes will step down as artistic director of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, in Beverly Hills, CA, as of the end of this year. He will stay on in an advisory capacity through the 2021-22 season. “It’s … » Read

In his review of the Ojai Music Festival, Los Angeles Times critic Mark Swed sees very little lost in its move this year from June to September, necessitated by the pandemic and, as he puts it, “The damn Delta variant.” Otherwise, the … » Read

In announcing its 50 th -anniversary season, which opens in March 2022 with a number of new productions, the Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) also launched the public phase of its $15mn fundraising campaign. To date it has raised $12.7mn in cash and … » Read

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A month after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the music is starting to go quiet. The last time that the militant group ruled the country, in the late 1990s, it outright banned music. So far this time, the … » Read

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the League of American Orchestras’ Catalyst Fund $2.1mn to advance efforts to develop and strengthen equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) practices in American orchestras. The grant comes on the … » Read

Jaap van Zweden isn’t the only music director for whom the pandemic has caused a change in priorities and lifestyle preferences. As Van Zweden exits the New York Philharmonic at the close of 2023 and the Hong Kong Phil one year later, … » Read

The University of Southern Maine has received a $10 million donation—its largest ever—to build a home for its school of music on its Portland campus. The gift, from local philanthropist D. Suzi Osher, combined with an earlier one of … » Read

Nigel Kennedy has walked away from a concert at Royal Albert Hall, citing Classical FM’s decision to prevent him from performing a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. “This is musical segregation,” the 64-year-old violinist told The … » Read

The Grand Canal in Venice has been the waterway for myriad vessels for well over a millennium. But Sept. 17 was the first time that a gigantic violin carrying a string quartet playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons made the journey. Noah’s … » Read