LONDON—A decade or so back, UK productions of Handel’s operas were as rare as hens’ teeth. English National Opera scored a notable success with Xerxes ( Serse ) in a ravishing staging by Nicholas Hytner, plus well received … » Read

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have dropped their deportation case against John Shin, a South Korean violinist who was detained by agents on Aug. 18 in Utah while he was traveling for work purposes. On Sept. 8, he was … » Read

The former Macy’s store in central Philadelphia will host a series of musical and holiday events, beginning on Oct. 17 and running through the remainder of the year. Following an early September performance by the Wanamaker Grand Organ, the … » Read

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) has recently taken several steps to enhance its artistic leadership and broaden its collaborative capabilities. Kazuki Yamada will remain as music director until at least the end of the … » Read

In the final scene of Bellini’s La sonnambula , as laid out in Felice Romani’s libretto, the Swiss maiden Amina sleepwalks precariously on the roof of the village millhouse, clutching a bouquet of faded flowers, a gift from her … » Read

The staff at La Fenice has voted for a one-day strike on Oct. 17, the opening night of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck , to protest the naming of Beatrice Venezi as the company’s new music director. The theater’s musicians and staff have … » Read

James Meena, former principal conductor and artistic director for Opera Carolina, posted a short video on Sept. 26 refuting “unsubstantiated rumors” that artists had not been paid during his tenure because he had stolen money from the … » Read

The Vienna Philharmonic has certainly come a long way since the bad old days of women and East Asians not even being permitted to audition. It’s doubtful too that an Israeli would have been welcome 20 years ago, but the orchestra’s … » Read

The appointment of conductor Beatrice Venezi as the music director of La Fenice in Venice beginning in 2026 has prompted “a properly operatic outbreak of rage,” writes classical music critic Ivan Hewett in The Daily Telegraph . The … » Read

Winston-Salem residents Randall “Randy” and Kamalakshi “Kamu” Dishmon have donated more than $10.1 million to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) to establish the American Roots Music Institute. … » Read