Carmen is not the first opera that comes to mind when mezzo-sopranos Jamie Barton and Stephanie Blythe square off opposite one another singing lead roles. But in the Chicago Opera Theater’s (COT) gender-bending new semi-staged production of … » Read

As it launches its 75 th edition this weekend under Music Director John Adams, the Ojai Music Festival and Artistic/Executive Director Ara Guzelimian have laid out plans for 2022, to be under the musical direction of the American Modern Opera … » Read

CHICAGO—Artistically, Haymarket Opera Company is firmly planted in the Baroque era. For the past decade, the company has been charming Chicago opera lovers with zesty, elegant performances of works by the likes of Handel, Telemann, … » Read

New statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reveal that the U.S. recorded music industry generated $7.1bn in retail value during the first two quarters of 2021, a 27 percent increase when compared to $5.6bn for the … » Read

The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) has added three men and a woman to its conducting staff in advance of the 2021–22 season. Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser joins as the resident conductor of engagement and education, while Kyle Dickson, Molly … » Read

Sean Michael Gross is to be the new director of Warner Classics U.K., reporting to Alain Landeron, president of Warner Classics and Erato, based in Paris. Gross succeeds Patrick Lemanski, who left last year and is now consulting for Naïve … » Read

Jaap van Zweden will leave the music directorship of the New York Philharmonic as of the end of 2023-24. “It is not out of frustration, it’s not out of anger, it’s not out of a difficult situation,” he tells The New York … » Read

The occasion of opening night 2021 at the Metropolitan Opera grows more momentous as the date of September 27 approaches. The latest news about the first opera on this stage in 18 months— apart from Fire Shut Up in My Bones being the … » Read

Japanese conductor Kazuki Yamada is to succeed Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla as chief conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) as of April 2023; he moves up from the post of principal guest conductor of the orchestra, which he has … » Read

MILAN--Italy has organized an array of initiatives to mark the ongoing 700th anniversary year of Dante Alighieri’s death, but one stands out for its originality. In Padua’s lavishly frescoed Salone del Palazzo della Ragione, Il … » Read