Things are looking up Down Under. New Zealand has lifted performance restrictions after a 10-week lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Only contact tracing and border controls will remain in effect. "We're super excited to be able to put the … » Read

First the Met Opera , now the New York Philharmonic. “While [we] deeply regret having to cancel our fall concerts, we had no choice,” said President and CEO Deborah Borda in a statement. “It has become very clear that large … » Read

While COVID-19 continues to stamp out the prospects of live performance—at least in the U.S.—it’s never been a better time to listen to recordings. To judge from the contents of my download folder, new American music is still … » Read

Artist managers want Congressional help to get through the Coronavirus-induced closures and have started an online petition to drum up public awareness and support. The Change.org petition was started by Charlotte Lee, president of Primo Artists … » Read

Australian conductor Nicholas Carter [pictured], chief conductor of the Stadttheater Klagenfurt and the Kärntner Sinfonieorchester, is to be the new director of the Konzert Theater Bern starting in the 2021/22 season, as well as the chief … » Read

At the moment there is little cause for optimism about the state of classical music in the U.K. The pandemic has uncloaked a financial model that relies on robust ticket revenue to break even, due in large part to a public subsidy that provides … » Read

Over the past four months, the coronavirus pandemic has transformed choral singing from a life-affirming to a potentially deadly activity. Outbreaks of the virus in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and South Korea all … » Read

The new, 30-day Salzburg Festival 2020, which opens August 1, remains programmatically impressive, despite the restrictions of the pandemic. As previously reported , it has been pared down to meet health and safety requirements, from 200 events … » Read

Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan, an early graduate of the El Sistema program, is to be the new chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO) as of 2021. He arrives as Vasily Petrenko exits his 15-year tenure to become … » Read

Denmark was one of the first European nations to shut down in response to the coronavirus pandemic, so it comes as no surprise that it was at the front of the line when it came time to reopen on Sunday, June 7, with a concert by the Royal Danish … » Read