NEWS ROUNDUP


Reviews

Teatro Nuovo Honors a Milestone for Opera in America, Part I

July 20, 2026 | Fred Cohn, Musical America
While the U.S. celebrated its semiquincentennial this month, Will Crutchfield’s Teatro Nuovo looked back not to 1776, but to a more recent milestone: the 1825–1826 season, when the traveling company led by tenor Manuel García … » Read
 

People in the News

Alabama Novice Is the Hot New Wotan

July 20, 2026 | Mike Silverman, Associated Press
MUNICH, Germany (AP) — Nicholas Brownlee had just fallen in love with opera and was eager to see if his emerging bass-baritone voice could handle Richard Wagner’s music. It did not go well. “I kept reading how you have to wait … » Read
 

People in the News

New Music Directors, Regional Edition

July 20, 2026 | Sarah Shay, Musical America
With the start of the 2027-28 season, Laura Jackson will begin a five-year contract as the music director of the Madison (WI) Symphony Orchestra (MSO). Only the fifth individual to hold the position in the ensemble’s 100-year history, she … » Read
 

People in the News

Calgary Phil's Resident Conductor

July 20, 2026 | Sarah Shay, Musical America
Ilan Kumaranayake Mendel is to be the Calgary Philharmonic’s resident conductor with the beginning of the 2026-27 season. He arrives as the orchestra continues its search for a successor to Rune Bergmann, who left in 2025 after an … » Read
 

People in the News

Salonen Fellow Wins Solti Conducting Award

July 17, 2026 | Susan Elliott, Musical America
Elias Peter Brown, 31, has received the 2026 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award as announced by the Foundation’s Board Chair Penny Van Horn and Artistic and Awards Committee Chair Elizabeth Buccheri. The $30,000 prize is said to be “the … » Read
 

Industry News

Wildfire Smoke Cancels Ravinia Performance

July 17, 2026 | Susan Elliott, Musical America
Last night’s concert staging of Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, IL was cancelled due to hazardous air quality from the wildfires in Canada. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus … » Read
 

People in the News

Nashville Has a New CEO

July 17, 2026 | Sarah Shay, Musical America
A 20-year veteran as bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops is to succeed Alan D. Valentine as president and CEO of the Nashville Symphony as of August 1. He is J. Mark Cantrell, arriving after two years at the helm of the … » Read
 

Industry News

Coming to Terms at Opera Colorado

July 17, 2026 | Sarah Shay, Musical America
On July 15, Opera Colorado and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) announced their first-ever collective bargaining agreement. Negotiations underway since May 2025 produced a three-year contract that includes opera singers, staging … » Read
 

People in the News

Opera Carolina Names General Director

July 17, 2026 | Taylor Grant, Musical America
Opera Carolina has elevated Stefano Vignati, currently the company’s music director and principal conductor , to the position of general director as the organization anticipates its 77 th season. Vignati appears to have survived a period of … » Read
 

Industry News

How the U.S. Discourages Foreign Artists from Touring Here

July 16, 2026 | Taylor Grant, Musical America
An artist seeking entrance to perform in the U.S. must navigate a set of rules that seem designed to dissuade them from coming. A process that may take well over a year includes four steps, with no guarantee that having completed them correctly … » Read
 
 

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