Philadelphia arts groups large and small are the beneficiaries of $8 million in Covid-19 relief from the local William Penn Foundation and the New York based Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, each of which brought $4 million to the table.   The … » Read

Danish National Symphony Orchestra reports that it has received a record number of applications for its triennial Malko Competition for Young Conductors, scheduled to take place June 7 – 12, 2021. In total, 612 young men and women under age … » Read

Randy Cohen, VP of Research and Information for Americans for the Arts, lays out some staggering, if not surprising, pandemic statistics in his latest blog. All but 1 percent of all non-profit producing and presenting organizations, he writes, … » Read

While it may seem that there is nothing new to say about the iconic jazz singer Billie Holiday, a new documentary written and directed by James Erskine suggests otherwise. Billie , which begins streaming on Dec. 4 , interweaves Holiday’s … » Read

On July 1 the Teatro Real in Madrid made news when it broke a coronavirus-imposed silence lasting three months with Verdi’s  La Traviata , the first of several performances of the opera that ran through the month. In the apparent … » Read

During the pandemic, the German government has decided to double down on its cultural spending, committing €2.1bn ($2.5bn) for the upcoming calendar year. The proposed expenditure, which includes an increase of €155mn ($185mn) over the … » Read

Since Germany has more opera houses per capita (80, to be precise) than the U.S. has Starbucks, a win at one of the country’s annual Oper! Awards is an important accomplishment, even—or perhaps especially--in the year of the pandemic. … » Read

At 27-years of age, big things are happening for Samuel Mariño. His debut recording has just been released on the Orfeo label, and he’s recently signed to HarrisonParrott, one of the few agencies to buck the trend in 2020. He’s … » Read

Life is sometimes what happens when you’re making other plans. For John Holiday, a 35-year-old countertenor from Texas, 2020 began with him singing the role of Orpheus’ Double in the world premiere of composer Matthew Aucoin’s … » Read

The Hong Kong Philharmonic has appointed a resident conductor, a practical move with Music Director Jaap van Zweden back home in the Netherlands and unable to travel or conduct his HK band without quarantining for two weeks on either end. The new … » Read