Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s path to the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day concert started when he replaced a banned Russian conductor at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2022 with the help of a pianist who traveled … » Read

Once DT slapped his name on the Kennedy Center, what had been a trickle of cancellations after his self-appointed board  voted him chairman last Februrary, turned into a flood. First, folk singer Kristy Lee announced she had canceled a … » Read

By a vote of 53 to 43 on Dec. 19, the U.S. Senate confirmed Mary Anne Carter as the 14 th chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This will be her second time in the post, having served during the first Trump administration between … » Read

Gary Graffman, celebrated pianist, teacher, longtime Curtis Institute president, died December 27 at the age of 97. In a remarkable career launched when he won the Leventritt Award in 1949, the onetime prodigy won a scholarship to the Curtis … » Read

On Dec. 23, Sia Michel, culture editor for The New York Times since January 2023, announced that Adam Nagourney is the newspaper’s new classical music and dance correspondent. A 30-year veteran of the Times and one of its most versatile … » Read

In January, Chung Myung-whun will begin a three-year term as music director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul. His appointment marks his return to Seoul to head a major Korean ensemble since he resigned as music director of the Seoul … » Read

When Chicago’s classical radio station WFMT announced on December 10’s that a new host for the internationally syndicated “Exploring Music” series would start in March, it failed to mention any plans for its originator and … » Read

For nearly two decades, Walter Hambock lived a quiet life in the tiny Scottish village of Strichen, playing the organ at his church, directing the local music society, and running a small sheet music publishing business with his wife Helen Weir. … » Read

When Harry Connick Jr. [pictured] was just 21 years old, he got a call from the late Rob Reiner that helped make his career. In the midst of directing When Harry Met Sally , Reiner invited the composer/performer to Hollywood to “play some … » Read

Curtis Institute of Music has announced the appointment of Teng Li (’05) to its performance faculty with the beginning of the 2026-27 school year. A globally renowned performer, Li is principal viola of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a … » Read