Maybe it’s an after effect of the Trump era, but more orchestras and conductors than ever seem to be making programs that reflect on America and what it means to be American, as demonstrated by four new orchestral recordings. Perhaps the … » Read

On Nov. 16 two 13-year-old girls—Zohra and Farida, a trumpet player and a violinist—arrived in Qatar’s capital city of Doha, where they were met by Ahmad Naser Sarmast, the founder and head of the Afghanistan National Institute … » Read

The Spoleto Festival, never one to shy away from the new and unusual in its opera programming, has announced the three that will highlight its upcoming season, May 27-June, the first under new General Director Mena Mark Hanna . He succeeded Nigel … » Read

The city of San Francisco is providing an acid test for the willingness of audiences to return to post-pandemic live performances. Tech companies, which now account for 19 percent of the city’s private work force, led the way in instituting … » Read

Korean-Canadian conductor Earl Lee, a recently named assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has signed with Wittenberg Artists, his first management firm. Also an accomplished cellist, Lee has served as associate conductor of the … » Read

The many ramifications of the pandemic are still being felt throughout the classical music world. One of the less visible but no less important is the time it has provided for some high-profile leaders to recalibrate their priorities. In January, … » Read

Speranza Scappucci will not renew her  contract as music director of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, which runs until the end of the 2021-2022 season, although she will return as a guest conductor in the future. In a … » Read

Song recitals are traditionally rather staid affairs, with stiffly attired singers tucked into the curved embrace of a concert grand piano performing music that only connoisseurs can enjoy. But this need not be the case, suggests Thomas Guthrie, … » Read

SAN FRANCISCO --Harriet’s Spirit , a 50-minute opera rooted in the legacy of the Black abolitionist Harriet Tubman, received its first professional performances on November 13 and 14 at the Bayview Opera House, an Opera Parallèle … » Read

Mark Elder, music director of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, U.K., since 2000, is to be the principal guest conductor of the Bergen (NO) Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) as of August 2022. His three-year contract obligates him to three or … » Read