What federal employees may lack in paychecks they can make up for in culture. All over the country, museums, orchestras, opera companies, and theaters are offering free tickets to those furloughed by the government. In New York, the Metropolitan … » Read

In August 2017, amid considerable controversy, the Oregon Bach Festival sacked the well-regarded British conductor Matthew Halls, in the job for less than a year,  on charges of  racial insensitivity and sex discrimination that appeared … » Read

Hong Kong’s Xiqu Center has only just opened and already it seems to be the subject of controversy. The $346 million venue, allegedly dedicated to Chinese opera, is the first in the multi-billion dollar West Kowloon Cultural District to … » Read

Remember Yoel Levi? The longtime music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra who was forced out almost 20 years ago and hasn’t been heard from on the American scene since? Levi’s current gig is chief conductor of the KNS Symphony … » Read

In recent years the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) has dominated the California orchestral world. But that justly celebrated ensemble is about to get some company. The recent appointments of Esa-Pekka Salonen, the LA Phil’s conductor … » Read

Polish conductor Marta Gardolinska [pictured] has joined the roster of Askonas Holt. The 30-year-old maestra holds the position of Leverhulme Young Conductor in Association at the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra into the 2019/20 season. Having … » Read

Spanish conductor Jaime Martín, 53, is to be the next chief conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, one of the Irish National Television and Radio (RTÉ) network's four music ensembles. He starts in September and has … » Read

Bass players tired of struggling to transport their instruments and wary of inattentive baggage handlers may soon find some relief. When cased, the portable TravelBass, the creation of a team of Italian luthiers in Parma, measures a svelte 35 x … » Read

Richard Egarr, music director of the Academy of Ancient Music since 2006, is to take on the same title with the San Francisco-based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale as of 2021-22. He succeeds Nicholas McGegan, who in October announced … » Read

Music too loud to be listened to is usually considered the product of rock bands, not symphony orchestras. But, insists Dr. Daniel Fink, a leading Los Angeles-based noise activist and founding chair of The Quiet Coalition, “If something … » Read