What do contemporary composers Matthew Aucoin, Hannah Lash, Jonathan Bailey Holland, and Hilary Purrington have in common? The answer is New England, and in particular its universities, as American Composers Orchestra’s November 13 … » Read

Ernest H. Harrison, a doctoral candidate in choral conducting at USC, is the new music director and conductor of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA). He succeeds interim Gavin Thrasher, now head of New York’s GMC; Thrasher in … » Read

Last July, news broke of violinist Lara St. John’s alleged sexual abuse at age 15 by her then teacher Jascha Brodsky, 78, at the Curtis Institute in the mid-1980s. Although Brodsky’s death over 20 years ago precluded any possibility … » Read

For its second edition, the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition on October 19 awarded Vienna-based Simply Quartet first prize in the string quartet category. The quartet, which receives €15,000 and concert opportunities … » Read

During Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) lockout last summer, Marin Alsop, the ensemble’s music director, was notably silent. At a meeting on Nov. 12 in Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, she broke her silence. This was a state-mandated gathering of … » Read

Once one of the bad boys of British music, James MacMillan—now Sir James MacMillan—still regularly manages to raise an eyebrow or two. His outspoken views on politics (he’s a committed socialist) and religion (he’s a … » Read

A tragic fall down a flight of stairs has claimed the life of oboist Janice Thomson, 62; the incident occurred Sunday night in a University of Miami concert hall, just prior to a performance by the Greater Miami Symphonic Band (GMSB). Thomson was … » Read

Ojai Music Festival 2020’s Music Director Matthias Pintscher [pictured] has announced his programming for the June 11-14 event, together with the Festival’s Artistic-director-in-brief, Chad Smith. “Brief” because Smith was … » Read

A fraught relationship with violinist Holly Mulcahy has left the Chattanooga Symphony (CSO) without its concertmaster since its season opened in early October. In August Mulcahy  sued the orchestra for breach of contract after it canceled … » Read

This year’s Prototype Festival, which runs January 9-19 at a number of different NYC venues, boasts six works, some of them premieres, all of them new, by no less than 23 composers and librettists. Self-described as exploring the … » Read