Carnegie Hall President and tech billionaire Robert F. Smith is the world’s wealthiest African American and also one the world’s most generous philanthropists. According to Inside Philanthropy , the 2016 tax records for his Fund II … » Read

The shrinking audience for opera has become a familiar trope that often occasions a combination of hand wringing and ill-conceived efforts to lure younger attendees. “The traditional subscription audience is declining as people age out of … » Read

When Aretha Franklin died in August 2018, her family reported that she did not have a will. Discoveries made in early May by Sabrina Owens, Franklin’s niece and her estate’s personal representative, suggest that the Queen of Soul may … » Read

The two mainstays of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem have simultaneously announced their plans to retire: Artistic Director and Conductor Greg Funfgeld [pictured] will step down in June 2021, after 38 years, and Executive Director Bridget George will … » Read

London’s Philharmonia Orchestra has chosen another Finn as its next principal conductor. Starting in the 2021-22 season, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, 33, is to succeed Esa-Pekka Salonen for a five-year term. In doing so, he moves up from his … » Read

German conductor Kevin John Edusei [pictured] has moved from Denmark’s Crescendi Agency to England's Intermusica. He has been chief conductor of the Munich Symphony Orchestra since 2014 and this summer concludes his tenure in that same post … » Read

American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the union that represents some 7,500 American professional opera singers, choristers, and dancers, has elected a new slate of officers. Each will serve a four-year term. The new president, elected by the … » Read

If you’re someone who just can’t turn off your smart phone wherever you may be, you’ll love the BBC Philharmonic’s new web app called Notes. Beginning next September, audience members seated in a special section of the … » Read

The estate of Harold Arlen is taking Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and other of the  largest tech retailers to court, alleging copyright infringement of some of the songwriter’s most iconic creations, either through streaming or … » Read

ROTTERDAM— For three days ending May 18, some 1,300 people from 45 countries gathered in this city of striking postwar architecture to talk about the future of classical music. It wasn’t a doom-and-gloom affair. The gathering, … » Read