Stefani Matsuo, a member of the Cincinnati Symphony for four years, is the orchestra’s new concertmaster. She succeeds Timothy Lees, who stepped down last year due to medical issues. He had been with the orchestra for 20 years, albeit … » Read

Conductor Brian Stone has only been at the artistic helm of the Santa Monica College Symphony for two years. Now, for reasons at least one musician describes as “definitely a power struggle,” the school has opted not to renew his … » Read

Tim McKeough has resigned as press director for the Metropolitan Opera; his last day is Friday, August 30. In the job since June of 2017 , McKeough, Australian by birth, is leaving to set up the New York office of WildKat PR, a London-based … » Read

With George Enescu’s Oedipe on August 17, my Salzburg opera going of the summer came to an end. Unusually, it was possible to see all of the festival’s new productions—six this year—within the space of a week, and I … » Read

SALZBURG, Austria — Plácido Domingo received a standing ovation as he took to the stage at the Salzburg Festival on Sunday, a concerted show of support at his first performance since nine women accused him of sexual harassment in a … » Read

Christopher Hoare, communications and IT chief for the HarrisonParrott artist management firm, has pleaded guilty to fraud. He was accused of embezzling 362,000 pounds (about $450,000) since 2010 for personal use. The prosecutor said: “He … » Read

The release of a number of movies about musicians—Aretha Franklin, Freddie Mercury, Elton John, among others—over the past year led The Guardian to compile its own list of the 30 best films about music and musicians. The newspaper … » Read

Offerings at the Salzburg Festival are so wide ranging that a uniform theme is often impossible to discern, but this summer its seems to be classical mythology. And what better diversion from the travails of Medea and Oedipus than an Offenbach … » Read

The Pittsburgh Opera has been on a roll. Attendance grew by 13 percent during the past season, bringing total participation up to 67,500. Dr. Donald Fischer, newly elected to a three-year term as chairman of the board, is eager to build on the … » Read

Simon Rattle kicks off his third season as music director of the London Symphony Orchestra in a blaze of contemporary British music. The opening concert, on Sept. 14, starts with the world premiere of Antisphere by Emily Howard, commissioned for … » Read