Jonathon Heyward, assistant conductor of the Hallé Orchestra , winner of the 2015  Besançon competition , has been named as the new chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie (NWD), effective in January 2021. Much is … » Read

GLYNDEBOURNE—There were fireworks onstage and off for the launch of Glyndebourne’s 85 th season on May 18. Patrons were invited to stand on the lawn at the end of the evening as the skies lit up to mark the 25th anniversary of the … » Read

It’s a brave Brit who labels his program “England’s Orpheus” with all the attendant expectations, but fortunately Iestyn Davies has the musical chops to back it up. The British countertenor’s May 16 recital in the … » Read

The 20 contenders have been winnowed down to just three, and today they are performing concertos by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev with the Philadelphia Orchestra under its Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The First … » Read

After a two-year search, the Phoenix Chorale, a professional chamber choir based in Phoenix, AZ, has named former Kings Singer Christopher Gabbitas [pictured] as artistic director starting next season. He succeeds Charles Bruffy who led the choir … » Read

When Gustavo Dudamel first burst on the scene with his Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, one of their signature pieces was “Mambo” from West Side Story . The players, often clad in their signature yellow-red-and-blue bomber … » Read

Conductor Karina Canellakis made an impressive debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra on May 15, when star soloist (and Musical America Artist of the Year)  Daniil Trifonov suddenly withdrew from the evening’s concert just before … » Read

Australia's professional vocal ensemble The Song Company, in business for 35 years, is filing for bankruptcy, or, in local terms, “being placed in administration.” "The directors have considered the financial affairs of the company … » Read

The 71 st annual Prague Spring Competition , which this year focused on oboe and flute, concluded on May 14 in Prague’s Dvorák Hall. Winning the oboe category was Martin Danek, a Czech oboist who performs in the Lucerne and Iceland … » Read

A sour note accompanies the Royal Opera’s 2019-20 season announcement: Only one of the 19 conductors scheduled for the opera’s main stage is a woman--French conductor Ariane Matiakh [pictured], on tap to lead some performances of a … » Read