The inclusion of Stephen Hough CBE on the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honor's List made the pianist, composer, and author the first British-born classical pianist to be knighted since Sir Clifford Curzon in 1977. When acknowledging the award, Hough … » Read

Conductor Charles Hazlewood believes that nothing better epitomizes the most evolved form of democracy in human experience than an orchestra in play. And, he argues in The Guardian , “no other orchestra better epitomizes the value of … » Read

Intent on continuing what appears to be a remarkably successful partnership—certainly the best this orchestra has seen in years—the National Symphony Orchestra has extended its contract with Music Director Gianandrea Noseda through … » Read

LONDON--The Royal Opera’s artistic leaders, Oliver Mears and Antonio Pappano, have trumpeted the most celebrated opera of Saint-Saëns as “an unabashed spectacle that luxuriates in melodic invention and lush orchestration.” … » Read

Tonight, the Minnesota Orchestra launches three weeks of concerts centered on its Music Director Osmo Vänskä, who steps down on June 17 after 19 years. His final concerts in Orchestra Hall are of Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand. … » Read

When determining the level of public funding for the arts in the U.K., policymakers often couple reductions in support with calls for greater reliance on professionals trained not as artists but as mangers. One result, Robert McDowell, founder … » Read

On May 30 in Helsinki, Finland, the jury at the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition awarded first prize to Inmo Yang, the first Korean violinist to win the prize. Currently pursuing a master’s degree at Hochschule für Musik … » Read

The Rake’s Progress provides an unsettling experience. With music by Stravinsky and words by W. H. Auden (working with Chester Kallman), it is the product of perhaps the most illustrious partnership ever to create an opera after World War … » Read

After a canceled 2020 season and a substantially reduced program in 2021, the Spoleto Festival has returned this year with a full performance schedule and a new general director. Mena Mark Hanna, the 37-year-old son of Egyptian immigrants, has … » Read

LOS ANGELES – For all of the progressive ideas coming out of Los Angeles that grab national attention, there is still a lot to be said for what’s happening here in the mainstream. For example, the new production of Aïda that … » Read