Since the emergence of Covid-19, safety concerns surrounding choral singing and playing wind and brass instruments have been topics of considerable debate and disagreement in the music world. Both sides in the argument have claimed science is on … » Read

With Miami-Dade county deaths from COVID-19 having reached 2,050 and no end in sight (and a $50 fine for not wearing a mask), the Cleveland Orchestra has wisely chosen to cancel its planned January 2021 Miami residency. It had been sorely reduced … » Read

Hopes for a timely financial lifeline from Congress to America’s independent music venues were shattered when the Senate recessed on Aug. 13 without acting on the Save Our Stages legislation . “Frankly, it’s a kick in the … » Read

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has joined with the AFL-CIO in endorsing Joe Biden for President of the United States. So have the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the Stage Directors and Choreographers … » Read

The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) have joined forces on a new Emerging Black Composers Project, designed to widen the repertoire and the exposure of early-career composers of color. With the first … » Read

In a burst of optimism, the New York City Opera (NYCO) has announced plans for two productions in the spring of 2021. The first is the world premiere of The Garden of the Finzi-Continis , scheduled for April at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in … » Read

Classical guitarist and lute player Julian Bream has died at his home in Wiltshire, UK, at the age of 87. Among the world’s pre-eminent musicians, Bream toured widely and recorded prodigiously at the height of his career, earning four … » Read

The pandemic has put a damper on planned celebrations of many significant musical anniversaries—the 250 th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, the Salzburg Festival’s centennial, and the 125 th season of the Pittsburgh Symphony … » Read

Trala , the app that teaches beginners how to play the violin and claims 250,000 downloads since its launch in 2017, has managed to raise $3.5 million in seed funding, most of it from former LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, bringing its total investment … » Read

Violinist Gil Shaham has joined the faculty of the Bard College Conservatory in upstate New York. Shaham, Musical America’s 2012 Instrumentalist of the Year and among the world’s most celebrated (and recorded) musicians, will teach … » Read