No art form exacts a greater physical toll than ballet. The average ballerina has about ten years at the top of her game before the wear and tear on her body overwhelm whatever passion remains for her art. There are, of course, exceptions. One … » Read

A little over a year ago, the Hamburg State Opera, unbelievably,  fired soprano Julie Fuchs because she was four months pregnant. It did so without input from her or her physician. At the time, she wrote on Facebook, “The Staatsoper … » Read

James Arkatov, who 51 years ago founded the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) and became its first principal cellist, died on Saturday, May 12. He was 98. Arkatov arrived from Russia in San Francisco at age five with his family. He began … » Read

NEW YORK — Records show conductor James Levine’s company received more than $936,755 from the Metropolitan Opera in his 47th and final season, a tenure cut short when he was fired as music director emeritus after an investigation … » Read

Conductor Ward Stare, 36, will not renew his contract as music director of the Rochester Philharmonic when it expires at the end of the summer in 2021. He has been in the job since 2014. He arrived at a chaotic time for the orchestra, which had … » Read

Longtime Metropolitan Opera Orchestra trombonist Weston Sprott is the new dean of Juilliard’s preparatory division, overseeing the school’s pre-college division and Music Advancement Program (MAP). He will also remain with the MET … » Read

The 2020 season of the Glyndebourne Festival, May 21 through August 30, includes three new productions and three revivals.  In a statement, Artistic Director Stephen Langridge calls it “a classic Glyndebourne Festival smorgasbord … » Read

Anthony Parnther [pictured] is the new music director of the San Bernadino [CA] Symphony, effective next fall. He becomes the 16th individual to do so since the organization’s founding in 1929. Also music director of the Southeast … » Read

When conductor Brandon Keith Brown was  “relieved of his duties” from Brown University two years ago (two days before a performance with the orchestra), neither the university nor Brown, 39, commented. Now living in Berlin, he … » Read

On May 19 the Chaminade Music Club in Yonkers, NY, will present Her/Music; Her/Story , a program featuring women composers that includes two works by Cécile Chaminade. The French composer and pianist “was one of the most popular and … » Read