Patrick Castillo, who describes himself as “a composer, performer, writer, and educator,” has been hired by the New York Philharmonic as VP of artistic planning. He has been consulting for the orchestra under his predecessor, Isaac … » Read

Springtime brings renewal and rejuvenation, even to a hard-hit recording industry. Below is a selection of recent releases, from British orchestral rarities to a diva recital to a solo-piano tribute to frontline workers in the pandemic. March 5 … » Read

The death of Lois Kirschenbaum on March 27 deprived the Metropolitan Opera of one of its most devoted fans. Beginning in the late 1950s, she became a regular fixture, usually watching the onstage drama from the upper balcony through oversized … » Read

At times the death of local newspapers can seem inexorable, as buyers with no interest in the companies purchase them, layoff most of the reporters, and sell the real estate. Such appeared to be the fate of the Baltimore Sun when Alden Global … » Read

The LA Opera Orchestra has just received an extraordinary compliment, in the form of an immediate $5 million gift that will also function as a challenge grant from local philanthropists and longtime patrons Terri and Jerry Kohl. It is their … » Read

In classical music’s latest answer to the experimental March 27 rock concert in Barcelona , which sold (out) all 5,000 seats, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouworkest will perform in its storied hall on April 16 under the baton of Paavo … » Read

Pandemic programming has encouraged opera companies to reinvent themselves as TV or movie producers, but few have been as ingenious or as apposite as Seattle Opera with its new film of Jonathan Dove’s Flight . Written in 1998 by British … » Read

The Kennedy Center has announced plans for its 50 th anniversary season, scheduled to kick off in September 2021. The menu of events includes programs and performances by all the organizations that operate under the Center’s umbrella, with … » Read

The San Diego Symphony’s (SDS) ambitious, $85mn year-round bayside concert venue—The Shell—is primed to open “as soon as it’s clear the time is right. It’s just a question of when, not if,” says the … » Read

Among recent signs of musical life in-the-flesh is the Montreal Symphony’s return to the concert hall for the first time in six months, tonight and tomorrow night. The program, which will be streamed April 20-May 4, is 70 minutes long and … » Read