Tenor Jonas Kaufmann sits at the pinnacle of today’s opera world. As he recently recalled for an interviewer, his 2006 debut at the Metropolitan Opera with Angela Gheorghiu in Verdi's La traviata “radically changed my career.” … » Read

As the Year 2024 closes, we remember those we lost and their milestone contributions. A list follows: Arlene Croce , December 16 at age 90. Most revered and most feared dance critic at The New Yorker from 1973 to 1996. Balanchine was the ideal, … » Read

Twelve of the most challenging minutes in all of opera are the two coloratura arias sung by the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute . And these days no one seems to sing them better than Kathryn Lewek, as evident in her recent … » Read

The role of the organ as an integral part of most Protestant church services is today taken for granted. But such was not the case for the two centuries after 1517, when Martin Luther issued his Ninety-five Theses taking the Catholic Church to … » Read

BOSTON—This city, with one of the “top-five” American orchestras, remains a rich center for classical music, attracting homegrown and imported artists, though its celebrated orchestra isn’t always at the top of the heap. … » Read

A December 13 update on the PacerMonito r indicates that the Syracuse Opera, which has been dormant since the cancellation of its 2023-24 season , has filed for Chapter 7 liquidation. The last opera on its stage, in October of 2023, was I Am a … » Read

NEW YORK (AP)—If she has the voice of an angel, and the face of an angel, she must be an Angel. American soprano Angel Blue [Musical America’s 2025 Vocalist of the Year], one of the most admired singers of her generation, is … » Read

A conductor, pianist, and bassist, Rotterdam and Israel Philharmonic Music Director Lahav Shani has many talents. Enlivening a weary Chicago Symphony appears to be one of them. In June, Shani powerfully closed out the CSO subscription season, a … » Read

In a year-end summary, SMU DataArts has highlighted five insights from its research projects in 2024. 1. Rural counties hold their own in arts vibrancy. Thirty rural counties scored in the top 5 percent of the SMU Arts Vibrancy Index.  Key … » Read

To demonstrate that opera is not “an antique genre preoccupied with musty subject matter,” The New Yorker critic Alex Ross looks back over a season that included a “striking array of contemporary works.” The Metropolitan … » Read