To boo or not to boo? That is the question vexing Joshua Kosman, music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle . Writing in a confessional mode, he recalls “the first and last time that I ever did such a thing [booing].” His … » Read

From July 15 through August 17, the Glimmerglass Festival will present a program of opera and music theater at a newly created outdoor stage on the vast Glimmerglass grounds in upstate New York. “While this move outdoors is primarily for … » Read

David Pratt, executive director of the Savannah Music Festival (SMF) for slightly more the two years, is to be the new CEO and executive director of the Austin (TX) Symphony Orchestra (ASO), which, at 110 years and counting, calls itself the … » Read

Skillfully positioned in the middle of one of its membership drives, WQXR has announced the particulars of Aria Code , launching its third season March 10 with the focus on “Nessun dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot . Rhiannon … » Read

Kent Nagano, whose acclaimed 16-year tenure as music director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) ended at the end of last season, is back in town to conduct several programs this month and, at the same time, receive the … » Read

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly marries a transcendent musical score with an incredulous story that can raise the hackles of all but the most “unwoke” of contemporary listeners. Cio-Cio San’s death by her own hand upon learning … » Read

Traditional opera, with its larger-than-life multiple accoutrements, has been out of the question since last March. Chamber opera, with its relatively short running time and pared-down cast and orchestra, is the perfect alternative for the … » Read

The Michigan Opera Theater (MOT), still riding high from Yuval Sharon’s  successful Ring adaptation last October, Twilight: Gods , staged in the Detroit Opera House parking garage, has plans for more outdoor stagings in the near future … » Read

Its “curtains up, light the lights” in Australia, where live theater is once again packing in audiences. Melbourne houses are currently hosting Come From Away and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , with Moulin Rouge! The Musical due … » Read

When Andreas Mitisek, the Long Beach Opera’s long-time artistic director stepped down in 2020, all concerned knew he would be a hard act to follow. His innovative, experimental productions, often in unconventional locales, had won the … » Read