That three white men wrote the most celebrated American opera about African Americans— Porgy and Bess —should not be considered evidence that there are not black composers with operas worthy of attention. Here are eight operas, some … » Read

Tanya Derksen, president of Orchestras Canada and of that country’s Regina Symphony Orchestra in Saskatchewan, will move into a new job with the Philadelphia Orchestra as of October 28. The position, which bears the title VP of Artistic … » Read

The idea of a choral setting of the U.S. Constitution sounds like a pretty dry couple of hours. But not only is Benjamin Yarmolinsky’s self-styled “secular oratorio” a cornucopia of catchy themes and variations, in the committed … » Read

When the Wichita Symphony Orchestra (WSO) kicks off its 2019-2020 season this weekend, its new concertmaster, Holly Mulcahy, will be front and center. She will partner with Timothy Jones, the WSO’s associate concertmaster, to perform … » Read

Violinist/conductor Jaime Laredo is to retire as music director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra at the end of the 2020-21 season. Laredo will have been at the helm for 20 seasons, having succeeded Kate Tamarkin in 2000 after she resigned. In … » Read

When a major glossy magazine like Vanity Fair writes about contemporary opera, you know something big must be afoot. The latter years of the 19 th century—the years of Verdi and Puccini—constituted a golden age for new operas, and now … » Read

After a tug of war between two strong-willed artistic leaders that played out in the German press, the leadership succession at the Salzburg Easter Festival has finally been resolved. Christian Thielemann, the Easter Festival’s artistic … » Read

The Berkeley (CA) Symphony will enter its 49 th season next month with a realigned executive structure, as well as a new music director in Joseph Young . (He succeeds Joana Carneiro, now emerita, who leaves after nine seasons in the job.) In the … » Read

As Stéphane Denève takes over as music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra [pictured], seven new musicians arrive in the ranks, all filling the places of retirees, according to a SLSO spokesperson. In the viola section, … » Read

After a recent rehearsal of Handel’s Agrippina at the Royal Opera House, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato enthusiastically reminded Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian’s music critic, of how relevant the story is to our contemporary world. … » Read