Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Putin’s favorite conductor, has been persona non grata in Europe and the U.S. Dismissed as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and replaced as conductor of … » Read

LONDON—The ability to mount a production of Peter Grimes is a litmus test for the health of even the starriest institution. This July 6 performance at London’s Cadogan Hall proved that British Youth Opera (BYO), the U.K.’s … » Read

The 30-year-old Colombian conductor Ana María Patiño-Osorio is to become the new music director of the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra (“Filarmed”) as of February 2026. Her appointment makes her one of the … » Read

On June 29 Kenneth Freed died while participating in a triathlon with his wife and son. He was 64. Freed was a mainstay of the viola section of the Minnesota Orchestra for 27 years, and for the past 12 had also served as the artistic director and … » Read

La Scala has recently reminded its patrons of proper attire at the opera house. Flip-flops, tank tops, and shorts – apparently favored primarily among tourists—are not ok. In fact there has been a dress code on the books since 2015, … » Read

NEW YORK (AP) — The former Librarian of Congress abruptly fired by President Donald Trump has been hired by the country’s largest philanthropic supporter of the arts. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation exclusively told The Associated … » Read

CHICAGO—The opera is four hours long, including two intermissions. The composer—Leonardo Vinci (no, not that Leonardo)—was famous in the early 1700s but virtually unknown today. The plot is beyond byzantine. Set in ancient … » Read

Beginning this autumn, composer/conductor Owain Park will move from principal guest conductor of the BBC Singers to chief conductor, succeeding Sofi Jeannin, who will devote more time to guest conducting and to her jobs with Ars Nova Copenhagen … » Read

FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates (AP)—The humble road rumble strip, used around the world to alert drifting drivers to potential hazards or lane departures, can play Beethoven on a mountain highway in the far reaches of the United Arab … » Read

Stuart Burrows, a Welsh lyric tenor who was a fixture on both sides of the Atlantic during the1970s and ‘80s, died in Cardiff, Wales, at age 92 on June 29. Born a coal miner’s son on Feb. 7, 1933, in Cilfynydd, Burrows passed up a … » Read