NEW YORK — Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Metropolitan Opera, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Orchestre Métropolitain of Montreal, is taking a four-week sabbatical from all conducting starting Dec. 19 … » Read

PARIS (AP) — France is inducting Josephine Baker — Missouri-born cabaret dancer, French World War II spy and civil rights activist — into its Pantheon, the first Black woman honored in the final resting place of France’s … » Read

The Handel and Haydn Society (H&H) has received an anonymous gift of $10mn, by far the largest in the Boston-based ensemble’s 206-year history. The gift honors Harry Christophers [pictured], who will retire as artistic director of the … » Read

LONDON--Since winning the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award in 2016, Karina Canellakis has become one of the most in-demand conductors of her generation. Already appointed Chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and principal guest … » Read

Reggie Van Lee, chairman of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, attributes his (and presumably others’) success to the four Cs: courage, confidence, competence, and community. All four have been on display since his appointment … » Read

LONDON--Only two hours by train from London, Manchester boasts grand Victorian architecture, hipster hangouts, and an iconic Gay Village. Its thriving arts scene includes the Hallé, one of regional England’s finest and most … » Read

Chester Lane, longtime senior editor of Symphony magazine, died suddenly on November 24 while visiting friends in West Virginia. He was 74. The cause was heart failure, according to his wife of 13 years, Marianne Sciolino. Lane worked at the … » Read

The Supervisory Board of the Salzburg Festival has appointed Kristina Hammer as the new president of the Salzburg Festival. She succeeds Helga Rabl-Stadler, who held the position for 27 years. Hammer’s selection from among six finalists, … » Read

With three new works in its repertory, the Metropolitan Opera pays more attention to contemporary opera this season than during any other in living memory. None is actually a world premiere—Terence Blanchard’s  Fire Shut Up in My … » Read

NEW YORK (AP) — He opened the season as kindly Uncle Paul in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones . Next night he was the vagabond monk Varlaam, stopping the show in Mussorgsky’s … » Read