Photo Journal: The First Emperor Reprises Reign at the Met

Tan Dun's innovative opera, which enjoyed its world premiere at the Met last season, has returned for a 3-performance run with Placido Domingo reprising his starring role as China's real-life first emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Joffrey Ballet: Home at Last

The Joffrey Ballet puts down roots with a new, state of the art facility in the Loop.

Metropolitan Opera: Close Encounter

On the eve of a new exhibition of portraits of Philip Glass, Chuck Close tells Gallery Met Director Dodie Kazanjian about 40 years of creating images of his composer friend.

Houston Grand Opera: First, the Words...

Die Soldaten, the landmark opera production from 20th-century German composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, comes to the Lincoln Center Festival this summer.

Photo Journal: Porgy and Bess at The Dallas Opera

Die Soldaten, the landmark opera production from 20th-century German composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, comes to the Lincoln Center Festival this summer.

Lincoln Center Presents Die Soldaten

Die Soldaten, the landmark opera production from 20th-century German composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, comes to the Lincoln Center Festival this summer.

Pennsylvania Ballet: Getting Handel's Messiah Up on Its Beautiful Feet

George Frideric Handel never set his Messiah to dance, but he probably would have liked this production by Pennsylvania Ballet, performing March 5-9 at the Academy of Music.

Photo Journal: John Doyle Directs Peter Grimes at the Met

The Metropolitan Opera debuted a new staging of Benjamin Britten's tragic work Peter Grimes Feb. 28.

The Dallas Opera: Tosca and Her Church Bells

The Dallas Opera's production of Tosca begins performances March 7. Conductor Anthony Barrese discusses the dramatic and musical significance of the bells in Puccini's score.

New York Philharmonic: Conversation - Alan Gilbert and Matias Tarnopolsky

When Alan Gilbert returns to the New York Philharmonic this month, he'll be a different person, in a way.

New York City Opera: Something Old, Something New

After the zany but poignant Plate, what will Mark Morris do for an encore? "A pageant - a sort of vaudeville - a sequence of production numbers sacred and profane." His staging of Henry Purcell's King Arthur begins at NYCO March 5.

Midori Celebrates Schnittke and Takemitsu

Midori showcases two distinctive contemporaries in three Lincoln Center concerts, the first of which takes place on February 13.

Gospel Truths

The February 9 Black History Month Concert celebrates two of Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's own.

Salome and the Men Who Created Her Magic

Dallas Opera music director Graeme Jenkins explores some of the anecdotal history behind Strauss' Salome, which the company is presenting from February 1 - February 9.

A Global Concert Series

Jane Glover explains how love gloriously influenced art in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio, which is being presented at Houston Grand Opera from January 18 - February 2.

Mozart's Love Letter

Jane Glover explains how love gloriously influenced art in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio, which is being presented at Houston Grand Opera from January 18 - February 2.

American Voices Through the Years

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Winter Festival: American Voices 17502008, beginning February 8, commemorates 250 years of American chamber music.

Brahms and the Emerson

For cellist David Finckel of the Emerson String Quartet, Brahms remains singularly satisfying. (They'll be playing the complete Brahms quartets at Lincoln Center on Jan. 20 and Apr. 6.)

Paris Opera's Last Striking Union Suspends Walkout

The lone union to continue the walkouts that disrupted the Opera national de Paris this fall has finally suspended its labor action, and all productions at the company will take place as planned through the first week of the New Year.

Majestic Movement

In January at the Kennedy Center, the Kirov Ballet and American Ballet Theatre dazzle audiences with two timeless tales of romance, La Bayadre and The Sleeping Beauty.

New Opera Company in Phoenix Gives First Performances This Weekend

A brand new opera company makes its debut this evening at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix - with the world's most popular opera, Puccini's La Bohme.

Bartoli, Bell, Ma Climb Billboard Classical Chart; Philip Glass Arrives on Crossover (!) Chart

Recordings by three classical superstars - mezzo Cecilia Bartoli, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Joshua Bell - have made notable leaps up the Billboard classical chart this week.

Rattle Berlin Phil Mahler 9th Airs Jan. 7 on PBS's Great Performances

One of the centerpieces of Carnegie Hall's "Berlin in Lights" festival last month was Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in Mahler's Ninth Symphony. That performance will also be the centerpiece of "Carnegie Hall Celebrates Ber

Sting's John Dowland Disc Tops Billboard Year-End Classical Chart for Second YearLorraine Hunt Lieberson Is Fifth for 2007

As it was in 2006, "Songs From the Labyrinth," the disc of John Dowland lute songs performed by the veteran rock star Sting, is the best-selling classical album of 2007, according to the Billboard year-end chart.

New York City Opera Reveals Tentative Plans for 2008-09 Season-in-Exile

New York City Opera has revealed a tentative outline for its performances next season, when the company will perform away from the New York State Theater in Lincoln Center while that auditorium undergoes renovations intended to make it a more congenial ve

China's New National Center for Performing Arts Opens in Beijing

A chat with the man who does the wigs and make-up for The Dallas Opera.

Wigging Out with David Zimmerman

A chat with the man who does the wigs and make-up for The Dallas Opera.

Chicago Symphony's Label Schedules Third Release, First to Be Download-Only

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has announced the third release on its new record label, CSO Resound. The recording, of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, is the first to be issued strictly as a digital download.

The Naked Violin - Tasmin Little to Release Next Recording as Free Download

In a step beyond the pay-what-you-wish experiment undertaken by Radiohead and Barbara Hendricks, British violinist Tasmin Little is issuing her next recording as a digital download available completely free of charge.

New York Philharmonic Launches Multimedia Website, "Luciano Berio's Musical Odyssey"

The New York Philharmonic has launched a multimedia website devoted to Luciano Berio (19252003), one of the most significant composers of the modern era. The new minisite, titled "Luciano Berio's Musical Odyssey" and available via www.nyphil.org

Kristin Chenoweth to Play Cunegonde in ENO Candide

Kristin Chenoweth, the Tony-winning actress who can be seen on the new ABC series Pushing Daisies, will make her English National Opera debut in Leonard Bernstein's Candide in June 2008.

Conductor Armin Jordan, 74, Dies Following Collapse on Podium

The Swiss conductor Armin Jordan died last night in Basel following his collapse last Friday while conducting an opera there.

In Memoriam - History-Changing Figures (Pavarotti, Slava, Sills, Stockhausen) Among the Departed of 2007

Every year we in the arts media publish "in memoriam" pieces remembering some of the notable figures who passed away over the preceding 12 months. But 2007 seems different — we saw the passing of many individuals who changed the very h

Jose Carreras Says There Will Be No More Three Tenors Concerts

There can be no Three Tenors without the late Luciano Pavarotti, says one of the two surviving members of the operatic juggernaut. Jos Carreras told The Australian newspaper in an interview published yesterday that there is no question of reviving the pop

Edo de Waart Named Milwaukee Symphony Music Director

Dutch conductor Edo de Waart has been named the next music director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, effective with the 2009-10 season.

Drama Queen

Susan Graham brings passion and artistry to her performances with the New York Philharmonic January 10-12.

Changing Lives, One Player at a Time

A look at The Academy - a performance and training program for postgraduate musicians run by Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute.

Nezet-Seguin Named London Phil Principal Guest Conductor

Yannick Nezet-Seguin has been appointed principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The 32-year-old French Canadian will begin his post with the orchestra's 2008-09 season.

Berlin Staatsoper Receives Nearly $300M for Renovations

Berlin's Staatsoper Unter den Linden will receive 200 million euros ($293 million) from the German parliament, according to Bloomberg News.

Metropolitan Opera Offers Historic Performances in Streaming Audio on Rhapsody

"Opera lovers never have enough opera," says Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb. So he and his company - who have excited opera fans on four continents with such new media ventures as the high-definition broadcasts in movie theaters a

An Etoile Is Born at Paris Opera Ballet's Casual-Dress Nutcracker

The ongoing strikes at the Opera National de Paris have forced the company to make do under some difficult conditions, but a performance two nights ago turned into a major occasion nonetheless.

ASO Concertmaster Resigns

Cecylia Arzewski will resign as concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the end of the season, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops Nutcracker Makes Billboard Classical Chart

As the holidays get underway, a recent disc of selections from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is this week's new arrival on the Billboard classical chart.

Baritone Peter Mattei Withdraws from Chicago Lyric Opera Falstaff

Peter Mattei, the Swedish baritone who mightily impressed audiences in New York (and, on screen, all over the world) in the Metropolitan Opera's Barber of Seville last season, has withdrawn from the upcoming revival of Verdi's Falstaff at Lyric Opera of C

From Russia With Love

The Kirov Opera returns to the Kennedy Center in December with The Queen of Spades and Otello, two masterpieces of love turned to tragedy.

Barbara Hendricks Releases Pay-What-You-Wish Album la Radiohead

American-Swedish Soprano Barbara Hendricks is allowing fans to download her latest album at any price, reports AFP.

New Jersey Symphony Sells 'Golden Age' Collection of Strings

In a conclusion to one of the singular episodes in the recent annals of U.S. orchestras, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has sold its "Golden Age Collection" of string instruments - 30 violins, violas and cellos made by the likes of Stradivari

Original Three Tenors Telecast to Air on PBS Beginning This Week

As a special piece of holiday programming (and for end-of-year pledge drives), PBS member stations around the U.S. will present a re-broadcast of the 1990 event that gave birth to the Three Tenors phenomenon.

Scarlatti Marathon Held in Manchester, England

The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester held a twelve-hour marathon of Domenico Scarlatti's 555 keyboard sonatas yesterday, hosting musicians from across England in free performances at six campus venues.

English National Opera Launches Podcast Series

English National Opera has launched a regular series of free podcasts, featuring information, interviews and musical samples. Hosted by Edward Seckerson, music critic for The Independent of London, the downloadable audio features will be prepared for each

David McVicar's Turn of the Screw at Mariinsky Wins Russia's Golden Mask Award

Scottish director David McVicar's staging of Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw for St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theater - the company's first production ever to be sung in English - has taken the Best Opera Production prize at Russia's Golden Mask Aw

New York Philharmonic to Present Camelot May 7-10

The New York Philharmonic will present four semi-staged performances of Lerner & Loewe's Camelot in May 2008.

Vivere: Andrea Bocelli Live in Tuscany, with Guest Lang Lang, to Air on PBS Beginning Nov. 30

PBS's Great Performances series will present Vivere: Andrea Bocelli Live in Tuscany, the latest television special from the Italian pop-opera tenor, beginning this weekend.

Karabits to Succeed Alsop as Bournemouth Symphony Principal Conductor

Kirill Karabits has been appointed principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and will begin his new position in 2008. The 30-year-old Ukranian succeeds Marin Alsop, who finishes her six-year term with the orchestra this season.

DG Launches Unprecedent Online Catalogue Tomorrow

Deutsche Grammophon will become the first major classical label to offer over half its catalogue online for download, the division of Universal Music Group announced today.

Gluck's Iphigenie an Tauride, Starring Graham and Domingo, Opens at Met

It's a night of firsts this evening at the Metropolitan Opera, as the company opens a new production of Gluck's final masterpiece, Iphigenie en Tauride.

Gustavo Dudamel Makes New York Philharmonic Debut

The meteoric young conductor Gustavo Dudamel has been thrilling audiences across the United States this fall at the helm of the Simon Bolivar National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, the band of which the 26-year-old has been artistic director since 1999.

Two Legends Reunite

Barbara Cook hasn't performed with the New York Philharmonic often, but when she does (as she will on Nov. 19 and 20), it's an evening to remember.

Andrea Bocelli Tries Out at the Met

The rumors are true. Pop-opera superstar Andrea Bocelli was indeed singing on the Metropolitan Opera House stage in a try-out on a Friday afternoon early this month.

Perlman Appointed Westchester Phil's Artistic Director

Violinist Itzhak Perlman has been appointed artistic director of the Westchester Philharmonic in Purchase, New York, about 30 miles north of Manhattan. His three-year term begins with the 2008-09 season.

Soprano Hasmik Papian Brings Her Long-Awaited Norma to Met

Hasmik Papian, the Armenian soprano who is the most talked-about Norma in the world today, sings the part at the Metropolitan Opera for the first time this evening, in the first of four performances in this fall's revival of the Bellini opera at the house

Dudamel and Simn Bolvar Youth Orchestra Receive WQXR Gramophone Award

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela have been given the 2007 WQXR Gramophone Special Recognition Award.

Lang Lang, Repin, Battle, Ozawa to Play New Year's at Beijing's New Concert Hall

China's National Center for the Performing Arts, one of the most glittering of the major building projects springing up in the Chinese capital, will ring in 2008 with a star-studded classical program on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

New York Welcomes a New Talent

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel makes his eagerly anticipated New York Philharmonic debut Nov 29-Dec. 4.

Pavarotti's Widow Accepts Posthumous Award

Nicoletta Mantovani, Luciano Pavarotti's widow, accepted an Italian government prize given to the late tenor just before his death in early September. The ceremony for the Premio per l'Eccellenza nella Cultura Italiana (Prize for Excellence in Italian Cu

Photo Journal: Samuel Barber's Vanessa at New York City Opera

Is Samuel Barber's opera Vanessa in fact a once-forgotten but "authentic American masterpiece," as the chief critic of The New York Times found? Or "a pretty-well-remembered minorpiece," as New York magazine's reviewer wrote?

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Offers $10 Tickets to 20- and 30-Somethings

In another test of the proposition that there's nothing wrong with classical music audience demographics that lower ticket prices won't cure, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has launched a new program offering $10 seats to people in their 20s and 30s.

Boston Modern Orchestra Project Launches Own Label

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), an orchestra devoted exclusively to performing and commissioning new music, has announced it will launch an in-house record label, BMOP Sound, in January.

BSO and Levine Give World Premiere of Carter's Horn Concerto Tonight

James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra with soloist and BSO principal hornist James Sommerville in the world premiere of Elliott Carter's Horn Concerto tonight at Boston's Symphony Hall.

Morten Lauridsen, HZ Steinway Among Winners of National Medal of Arts

Composer Morten Lauridsen and Henry Ziegler Steinway, former president and chairman of the world-famous piano manufacturer founded by his great-grandfather, are among the nine recipients of the 2007 National Medal of Arts.

La Scala Strike Forces Cancellation of Second Verdi Requiem with Barenboim

For the second consecutive week, a one-day strike at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan has forced the cancellation of a special gala performance of Verdi's Requiem conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

Lincoln Center Names New Director of Public Programming

Lincoln Center has appointed Bill Bragin to the new position of Director of Public Programming, beginning next January. He will be responsible for curating all of the complex's free outdoor presentations, most notably the popular summer programs Midsumer

Edo de Waart Extends Hong Kong Phil Contract to 2012

The Dutch conductor Edo de Waart has extended his contract as artistic director and chief conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra through 2012.

Paris Opera Gets Partial Reprieve from Strikes(Tosca Oui, Nutcracker Non)

The Opra National de Paris has gotten some relief from the strikes that cost the company 2.2 million last month and threatened to do similar damage this month.

Diana Damrau, Jacobs Don Giovanni Make Billboard Classical Chart

A new disc of coloratura showpieces featuring soprano Diana Damrau and the latest installment in conductor Ren Jacobs's Mozart opera series are this week's new entrants to the Billboard classical chart.

Piano Maker Bosendorfer Sold

The fabled Austrian piano manufacturer Bsendorfer has been sold for just under 11 million, according to the Austrian national broadcaster ORF and Deutsche Presse-Agentur. The purchaser, Brodmann Pianos of Vienna, beat out rival Yamaha Pianos of Japan.

LA Opera to Celebrate Anniversary of Domingo Debut

Los Angeles Opera will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Placido Domingo's Los Angeles debut in a gala concert at Walt Disney Hall on April 18. The tenor sang the title role in Alberto Ginastera's Don Rodrigo during a 1967 tour with the New York City Ope

Met Opera Guild to Honor Marilyn Horne in Inaugural 'Met Legends' Series

The Metropolitan Opera Guild will launch on November 29 a new series titled "Met Legends" with a tribute to Marilyn Horne at Hunter College's Kaye Playhouse in New York City.

Met's Radames, Marco Berti, Withdraws from Season's Remaining Aidas

Due to illness, Marco Berti, the Italian tenor who had been scheduled to sing Radames for this season's revival of Verdi's Aida at the Metropolitan Opera, has withdrawn from all remaining performances of the run.

CMS of Lincoln Center to Present NY Premiere by Roberto Sierra

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will present the St. Lawrence Quartet on November 14 in a performance of works by Chausson, Franck, Schumann and Roberto Sierra as part of its International String Quartet Series.

North Carolina Symphony to Make First Major Commercial Recordings

The North Carolina Symphony Orchestra is preparing to make its first internationally released recordings ever.

North Korean Orchestra to Make First-Ever Tour Abroad, to Great Britain

The North Carolina Symphony Orchestra is preparing to make its first internationally released recordings ever.

Don Giovanni Starring Erwin Schrott Opens at Washington National Opera

An autumn chill has just fallen over the East Coast, but it should be getting pretty warm at the Kennedy Center Opera House this evening, as Washington National Opera opens a new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, directed and designed by John Pascoe an

Tenor Russell Watson in Critical Condition Following Emergency Brain Surgery

Tenor and crossover star Russell Watson was rushed to a hospital near Manchester today for emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor, according to reports from British agencies and newspapers.

Free 'New York Philharmonic Offstage' Program to Feature Vadim Repin on Nov. 7

Violinist Vadim Repin is next month's guest for New York Philharmonic Offstage, an occasional series of discussions and performances sponsored by the orchestra. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Novem

How Covent Garden Found a Replacement Brunnhilde Within 24 Hours

After all, Brnnhildes don't grow on trees, you know, as the divine Anna Russell might have said.

British Composer Sues London Paper Over Bad Review (and Loses)

Keith Burstein's opera Manifest Destiny received some less-than-kind reviews when it played the Edinburgh International festival in 2005. One of the notices upset him so much that he sued the newspaper that published it.

Scene Stealers

A look at the character singers whose small crucial roles gives make all the difference to the works in Houston Grand Opera's season.

Bartoli's Maria Malibran Tribute Hits #1 on Billboard Classical Chart

Maria, Cecilia Bartoli's tribute album to a 19th-century mezzo superstar, has hit no. 1 on the Billboard classical chart following its first week in release.

Photo Journal: Daughter of the Regiment at Houston Grand Opera

A week after opening its 2007-08 season with a new production of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, Houston Grand Opera presents its second fall opera: Donizetti's sparkling comedy La Fille du regiment (The Daughter of the Regiment) in five performances beginn

CSO Reports Balanced Budget for First Time in Four Years

Celebrating a string a successes, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association has finished in the black for the first time since 2003, posting an $113,000 surplus on its $58 million operating budget.

Franco Farina Replaces Marco Berti in Two More Met Aidas

American tenor Franco Farina has been engaged to fill in for the indisposed Marco Berti as Radames for two further performances of Verdi's Aida at the Metropolitan Opera - tomorrow and next Tuesday (Oct. 30), both at 8 p.m.

Slatkin-DSO Extension 'in Works'

Leonard Slatkin will start his new job as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's music director next fall, but a two-year extension to his three-year contract is "in the works," the conductor told the AP.

Fifties-Style Cendrillon Opens at New York City Opera

New York City Opera's new-and-unusual production of Massenet's fairy tale Cendrillon opens this afternoon at the New York State Theater in Lincoln Center. The staging, by the Montreal-based team Barbe & Doucet, puts a '50s gloss on the Cinderella tale

Finals of Long-Thibaud Piano Competition This Weekend in Paris

The finals of the Margurite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Competition will be held this weekend in Paris. The six finalists compete in solo recitals today at the Salle Gaveau; the concerto finals are tomorrow at the Salle Pleyel, with the participati

Playing Vivaldi in Iraq

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's Vice President for Education and Community Partnerships participates in the Performing Arts Academy in northern Iraq.

Queen of Hearts

The soprano playing Marie in Houston Grand Opera's current Daughter of the Regiment pays tribute to one of her great predecessors in the role, the late Beverly Sills.

Leonard Slatkin Appointed Music Director of Detroit Symphony

After a five-year search, Leonard Slatkin has been named music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Birmingham Symphony Names New Director

Twenty-eight-year-old Andris Nelsons has been named music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He begins his tenure in 2008.

2007 Opera News Awards Go to Blythe, Borodina, Hampson, Price and Rudel

Two compelling mezzo-sopranos, Stephanie Blythe and Olga Borodina, are among the five winners of the third annual Opera News Awards. Also receiving laurels from the magazine are baritone Thomas Hampson, conductor Julius Rudel and retired soprano legend Le

NY Phil Likely to Perform in North Korea

New York Philharmonic president Zarin Mehta and public relations director Eric Latzky, along with a U.S. State Department official, traveled to Pyongyang, North Korea last weekend to investigate possible venues for a concert by the orchestra.

The Tchaikovsky Performers

A virtual discussion of interpreting the beloved Russian composer, with musicians featured in the New York Philharmonic's Tchaikovsky Experience, running through Oct. 16.

Buffalo Philharmonic Reports Balanced Budget and Promising Start to Endowment Campaign

After several years of deficits and a serious brush with bankruptcy in the 1990s, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra posted its third balanced budget in a row this past season.

Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians Ratify New Three-Year Contract

The musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra voted last night to accept a new three-year contract which includes annual salary increases averaging 4.6%, the loosening of some work and scheduling rules and more flexibility in distributing concert recordings

Chief of Warner Music Group Says Business Is Set to Rebound

"Our business is poised to rebound," said the CEO of Warner Music Group yesterday, "because the demand for music is as strong as it has ever been and our determination to meet that demand has never been greater."

'Crossing Broadway' - Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Begins Its 'Season-in-Exile'

With Alice Tully Hall undergoing major renovations, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center begins its "season in exile" tonight with a program of "American Explorations" featuring a new work named to reflect the organization's new

New York Philharmonic Begins 2007-08 Season; Beethoven/Berio, Neikrug and Tan Dun Premieres, Three Weeks of Muti Among Highlights

Following last night's season-opening gala with Lorin Maazel and Yo-Yo Ma — and the very popular free dress rehearsal yesterday, the free simulcast of the concert outside Avery Fisher Hall last night, and the live telecast on PBS — the

Spotlight: Daniel Hope Writes a Book, Midori Gives Books Away, Thomas Hampson Becomes a Professor

What the stars are up to, on stage and off.

San Francisco Symphony Opens 2007-08 Season With MTT and Rene Fleming

Just back from a three-week tour of Europe that included concerts at the Edinburgh, Berlin and Lucerne Festivals as well as the BBC Proms, the San Francisco Symphony opens its 2007-08 season tonight at home in Davies Symphony Hall. SFS music director Mich

Photo Journal: 'A Tribute to Beverly Sills' at Lincoln Center

Fans started lining up hours before dawn to get seats for "A Tribute to Beverly Sills." The farewell event in honor of the late, great singer, administrator, star and superwoman, co-presented by New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera and Li

Meta-MORPHOSES

Christopher Wheeldon's hotly anticipated new ballet company gives its New York debut performances at City Center October 17 through 21.

Conductor Colin Davis Celebrates 80th Birthday

Angela Gheorghiu, the glamorous, gifted and famously temperamental Romanian soprano, has been fired by Lyric Opera of Chicago for unprofessional behavior and violation of her contract. She had been engaged to sing Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme, in a staging

Lyric Opera of Chicago Fires Soprano Angela Gheorghiu

Angela Gheorghiu, the glamorous, gifted and famously temperamental Romanian soprano, has been fired by Lyric Opera of Chicago for unprofessional behavior and violation of her contract. She had been engaged to sing Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme, in a staging

Julia Fischer, Nelson Freire, Riccardo Chailly Winners at 2007 Gramophone Awards

In something of a David-over-Goliath victory, the young violinist Julia Fischer has been named the Classic FM Gramophone Artist of the Year 2007. In online voting co-sponsored by classical radio stations in 13 countries, the 24-year-old native of Munich t

Angela Gheorghiu Responds to Lyric Opera Firing

Soprano Angela Gheorghiu, who this morning was publicly fired by Lyric Opera of Chicago from the company's upcoming run of La Boheme, has released the following statement in response to her dismissal.

Vancouver Symphony Calls Off Concerts Due to Municipal Strike

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, faced with picket lines of angry municipal workers at the city-owned venue where it performs, has postponed all of its scheduled concerts this week.

Jansen, Villazon, Dessay, Kern Make Billboard Classical Chart

New recordings by four top-flight soloists, two singers and two instrumentalists, have arrived on the Billboard classical chart this week.

Photo Journal: Philip Glass's Appomattox Has World Premiere at San Francisco Opera

The likely high point of the celebrations of Philip Glass's 70th birthday year arrives this evening at War Memorial Opera House, as San Francisco Opera presents the world premiere of Appomattox, the composer's 12th full-scale opera.

Get Real

Were verismo operas like Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci (now playing at New York City Opera) anticipating our current addiction to reality TV?

Andras Schiff Launches Beethoven Sonata Project in North America

Andras Schiff always had a healthy respect for Beethoven's piano sonatas - enough so that he had only played about half of them before he turned 40 and waited to reach that age before starting to study the rest. "I always had this plan to wait until

Photo Journal: Neo-Verismo at New York City Opera

Think about it - What is Italian neo-realism if not verismo transferred to postwar cinema? Alternatively, what is verismo if not the Italian neo-realism of the 1890s, only on the opera stage?

Zoom Lens

Why the movies and verismo opera (like the Cav/Pag double-bill now at New York City Opera) make such good bedfellows.

Mortal Beloved

Fiery Sir Colin Davis brings the London Symphony Orchestra to New York in October to open Lincoln Center's 2007-08 Great Performers series.

Philadelphia Orchestra Sees Swell in Summer Attendance

Today would have been — still is — the 95th birthday of composer/thinker/conceptual artist John Cage, the man without whom the lively American new music scene we have today could never have existed.

'24 Hours and 33 Minutes' - WNYC Online Presents John Cage Marathon Sept. 5-6

Today would have been — still is — the 95th birthday of composer/thinker/conceptual artist John Cage, the man without whom the lively American new music scene we have today could never have existed.

Measha Brueggergosman Sings Bolcom Premieres on First DG Album

Soprano Measha Brueggergosman's first disc as part of her exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammphon, titled Surprise, will feature the world-premiere recording of recently orchestrated songs by William Bolcom. Joining her on the album are the

Soprano Dorothea Rцschmann Cancels All Engagements for Three Months

Dorothea Rцschmann, a 40-year-old German soprano who has won widespread praise in Europe and North America for her performances and recordings, especially of Mozart, has withdrawn from all of her engagements for the next three months.

NY City Opera Profiles: Brian Mulligan and Julianna DiGiacomo

Some words from two of the most promising stars of the company's fall 2007 season.

Conductor Claudio Abbado Withdraws from Carnegie Hall Season Openers Next Month

Conductor Claudio Abbado has cancelled his appearances with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York on October 3, 4 and 6. The highly-anticipated concerts - now-rare U.S. appearances by this revered maestro as well as the orchestra's

San Francisco Opera Opens 2007-08 Season with Olga Borodina as Delilah

Biblical passion rules at the War Memorial Opera House tonight, as San Francisco Opera opens its 85th season with Saint-Sans's Samson et Dalila. Tenor Clifton Forbis, in his company debut, stars as the Israelite hero, with mezzo Olga Borodina as his Phili

John Adams Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky 2nd Open Dallas Symphony's Season Tonight

Contemporary American music gets pride of place alongside the heart of the standard orchestral repertoire in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's season-opening program this year. The overture to Leonard Bernstein's Candide opens the evening on a festive note,

L'Opera de Montreal Claims 'Clean Bill of Health,' Announces Four-Opera Season

Pierre Dufour, managing director of the Opera de Montreal, has given the deficit-afflicted company a "clean bill of health," according to The Globe and Mail.

Opera de Montreal Cuts Staff, Including General Manager, to Stay Afloat

The Opera de Montreal has announced major steps, including layoffs, it has taken to curtail its rising deficit and retain government funding.

Simone Dinnerstein's Acclaimed New Goldbergs Land at No. 1 on Billboard Classical Chart

Brooklyn pianist Simone Dinnerstein and her new recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations have been getting an extraordinary run of press coverage recently: glowing praise everywhere from The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer to the online newsma

Detroit Symphony Close to New Contract with Musicians

Following 11 hours of negotiations that ended early yesterday, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and its musicians are close to finalizing a new contract that would avoid a potential strike, reports the Detroit Free Press.

Classical CD Highlights: September

Several labels head back to basics with Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, while two opera superstars team up for an album of duets.

Nashville Symphony Appoints Music Director

Giancarlo Guerrero will become the Nashville Symphony Orchestra's music director starting in 2009 for five seasons, orchestra officials announced this week. The 38-year-old native of Costa Rica and current music director of the Eugene Symphony replaces

Fidelio And Verdi Requiem Open Los Angeles Opera's 2007-08 Season

Los Angeles Opera opens its 2007-08 season this weekend with two major events.

Houston Symphony Opens 2007-08 Season with 'Musical Gems of Russia'

A virtual roundtable among featured performers in the New York Philharmonic's Tchaikovsky Experience, running Sept. 26 through Oct. 16.

Tchaikovsky Today

A virtual roundtable among featured performers in the New York Philharmonic's Tchaikovsky Experience, running Sept. 26 through Oct. 16.

New York City Opera Season Gets Underway with Bohуme and Margaret Garner Premiere

After completing another sold-out Opera-for-All festival last night, New York City Opera begins its season in earnest this week with three productions, two old favorites and one major premiere.

BBC Proms Achieve Record Attendance

BBC Proms has seen unprecedented numbers of concertgoers at London's Royal Albert and Cadogan Halls.

Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble to Present Discussion/Performance of New York City Opera's Margaret Garner Sept. 10

In connection with New York City Opera's upcoming production of Richard Danielpour's Margaret Garner, with a libretto by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison based on her novel Beloved, the Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble on Manhattan's Upper West Side is

New York City Center Announces a Global 'Fall for Dance' for 2007

New York City Center has announced the program for its fourth annual Fall for Dance festival, running from September 26 through October 6. The ten-day event will feature top-level companies from all around the globe — among them, the New York Ci

Miami Impresario Judy Drucker Joins Florida Grand Opera

Judy Drucker, the impresario who founded the Concert Association of Florida in 1967 and developed it into the Miami-Fort Lauderdale region's largest presenter of touring classical artists, has joined Florida Grand Opera as Senior Artistic Adviser, effecti

PBS's Great Performances Airs Nureyev: The Russian Years Beginning Tomorrow

Rudolf Nureyev became one of the most celebrated dancers in the world in the years following his dramatic defection from the Soviet Union in 1961. Yet his youth deep in the Russian provinces and his time with the Kirov Ballet in what was then Leningrad ha

ASO to GIve U.S. Premiere of Smyth's 'The Wreckers'

The American Symphony Orchestra led by Leon Bostein will open it's 45th season with the U.S. premiere of Ethel Smyth's opera, The Wreckers, on September 30 at Avery Fisher Hall.

Transcontinental Tenor: Joseph Kaiser Withdraws from L.A. Jenufa to Fill In for Villazon at Met

This could turn out to be another one of those substitute-singer star-is-born moments.

Canadian Conductor Files Defamation Suit Against Musicians

The Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra's conductor, Douglas Sanford, has filed a defamation lawsuit against six musicians of the orchestra, seeking over $200,000 in damages.

Dessay, Netrebko, Gunn, Levine to Perform in Free Tribute to Beverly Sills Sept. 16

As singing star, as administrator, as fundraiser, as public spokesperson, the late Beverly Sills had an extraordinary impact on New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center. All three organizations are joining forces to present "A T

Baltimore SO Launches New 'Composers In Conversation'

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will begin next month a live discussion series called "Composers in Conversation," featuring eleven composers whose works the orchestra will perform in its upcoming season.

Pianist Clifford Benson Dies at 60

Pianist, composer and teacher Clifford Benson died on August 10 from an inoperable brain tumor. He was 60.

Deutsche Grammophon Signs Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, the formidable French pianist whom The New York Times has praised for "staggering technique, searching intellect and fantastical imagination," has signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon.

James Levine and Boston Symphony Begin First European Tour Together

James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra have embarked on their first international tour together. Maestro and musicians departed Boston yesterday for a two-week, seven-city tour of Europe - the BSO's first overseas tour in six years.

Houston Symphony to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage with Free Concert Sept. 9

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Houston Symphony will offer its annual free concert, Chevron Fiesta Sinfnica Familiar, on September 9 with the Brasil Guitar Duo, a winner of the 2006 Concert Artist Guild International Competition.

Mitsuko Uchida's Beethoven 'Hammerklavier' Makes Billboard Classical Chart

A new Philips Classics recording by pianist Mitsuko Uchida of two famous Beethoven sonatas is this week's entrant to the Billboard classical chart, debuting at no. 11. The disc features the Op. 101 sonata (No. 28) and the "Hammerklavier," Op. 10

Fort Worth Symphony Launches Its First Mahler Symphony Cycle

In what the Dallas Morning News's critic calls "quite a daring move," the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra begins its first-ever Mahler cycle this weekend, playing three symphonies - the First, Ninth and Fifth — on three successive evenin

At a Castle Near Vienna, A New Festival Launches (With Rene Fleming on Hand)

Toni Morrison, Nobel laureate and librettist of the opera Margaret Garner, talks with New YorkCity Opera dramaturg Cori Ellison about the astonishing American anti-heroine who has for several decades haunted her works of fact and fiction.

'Steady as a Rock'

Toni Morrison, Nobel laureate and librettist of the opera Margaret Garner, talks with New YorkCity Opera dramaturg Cori Ellison about the astonishing American anti-heroine who has for several decades haunted her works of fact and fiction.

Another Cancellation at Salzburg: Diana Damrau Pulls Out of Tonight's Figaro

Illness continues to decimate the ranks of the Salzburg Festival's singers this summer.

L.A. Philharmonic Postpones U.S. Premiere of Saariaho's Passion de Simone

The Los Angeles Philharmonic has postponed the U.S. premiere of Kaija Saariaho's oratorio La Passion de Simone, which was to have opened the orchestra's 2007-08 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall this October.

Sydney Dance Company's New Leader Killed Before She Could Assume Post

Tanja Liedtke, who just three months ago was named the Sydney Dance Company's next artistic director, died early this morning. She was hit by a garbage truck while crossing a highway near her home shortly after 2 a.m. local time and was declared dead at R

Nathan Gunn's New Solo Disc Hits Billboard Classical Crossover Chart

It rarely happens that our biggest news from the weekly Billboard charts comes from the crossover side, but that's the case this week. The new solo CD by Nathan Gunn, the American baritone whose famously fit physique sometimes leads people to overlook his

Opera Colorado Sees Changes in Two Top Leadership Posts

Opera Colorado is about to go through a major transition: the company revealed yesterday that both its general director and its artistic director have submitted their resignations.

Victor L. Goines to Step Down as Artistic Director of Juilliard Jazz

The Juilliard School announced yesterday that clarinetist and saxophonist Victor L. Goines is stepping down as Artistic Director of Juilliard Jazz in order to pursue his performing and recording career as leader, soloist, and active member of the Jazz at

Photo Journal: Swamp Thing on the Loose in Santa Fe

And how can a swamp creature have washed up in New Mexico's high desert? It's Plate, a frog-like nymph who rules over a mythological marsh - and the heroine (if that's the word) of Jean-Philippe Rameau's comic opera Plate, which finishes up its run at San

Seattle Symphony, Searching for a Concertmaster, Settles on Four

In an arrangement likely without precedent in the U.S., the Seattle Symphony Orchestra has engaged four different concertmasters for the coming seasons. Even more unusually, two of the new appointees will keep their current positions at other orchestras,

Attendance Falling at Cincinnati Symphony

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has seen a 10 percent drop in average attendance, reports The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Home of the Arts - 20 Years at the Wortham Theater Center

Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera took a great leap forward in 1987 with the opening of their new home.

Orange County PAC Sues Architect Cesar Pelli, Fluor Corp

The Orange County Performing Arts Center in California filed a suit on August 17 against architect Cesar Pelli and the contractor Fluor Corporation, alleging that it exceeded construction costs by over $30 million and made permanent errors in the building

Pittsburgh Ballet Stages Impressive Recovery

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, which recently emerged from years of orchestral discord and financial woes, will continue its rebirth with season openers at Wolf Trap and Hartwood Acres.

John Adams's Doctor Atomic Symphony Gets World Premiere at BBC Proms (and on the Web)

The Doctor Atomic Symphony, an orchestral work (re-)composed by John Adams from the music of his 2005 opera Doctor Atomic, receives its world premiere tonight at the BBC Proms in London.

Henry Brant Brings His Spatial Work Dormant Craters Back to Lincoln Center Out of Doors Aug. 22

Dormant Craters, a 30-minute percussion extravaganza written for the outdoor spaces at Lincoln Center, returns to the complex tomorrow evening in a performance presented by Lincoln Center Out of Doors, which commissioned the piece in 1995.

Met Opera Sets Opening Day Sales Record

The Metropolitan Opera has posted record opening-day sales numbers, topping $2.08 million after its box office opened to the general public August 19, reports the Associated Press.

'Blockbuster Week' in Chicago's Millennium Park to Feature Joffrey, CSO, Lyric Opera - All for Free

"Blockbuster Week," a summer's-end series of large-scale free performances in Chicago's Millennium Park, offers its third season early next month, with performances by the Joffrey Ballet, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Lyric Opera of Chicago and t

MATA to Honor Phillip Glass in September

Pianist Horacio Gutierrez has cancelled all his engagements through January 2008 due to a diagnosis of primary gastric lymphoma.

Nearly 20 World Premieres in Boosey & Hawkes' 2007-08 Season

English music publisher Boosey & Hawkes has announced its premieres for the 2007-08 season, written by over 20 different composers.

Horacio Gutirrez Cancels Performances Through January 2008

Pianist Horacio Gutierrez has cancelled all his engagements through January 2008 due to a diagnosis of primary gastric lymphoma.

Photo Journal: From the Munich Opera Festival, a Fantastic New Alice in Wonderland

Alice has had a strange journey ...

Refurbished Bolshoi Theater to Open Later Than Planned

The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow may not reopen by November 2008, as the venue's general director stated last month, Reuters reports.

New York Philharmonic Reveals Program for John Williams Concerts Sept. 14-16

Music by John Williams for films such as Memoirs of a Geisha, Hook, Jane Eyre and the Harry Potter series will be on tap when the composer conducts three New York Philharmonic concerts of great Hollywood film scores. The program will be performed Septembe

Sydney Opera House CEO Makes Early Departure

Norman Gillespie, the embattled chief executive of the Sydney Opera House, will resign his post tomorrow, almost two months before the expiration of his contract.

Classical CD Highlights: August

Ian Bostridge begins a Baroque journey, two noted sopranos record Handel's Nine German Arias, Bernarda Fink sings landmarks of French song, and Naxos pays homage to Stravinsky on his 125th birthday.

Oscar-Nominated Short on Leon Fleisher Airs Tonight on Cinemax

The documentary short by Nathaniel Kahn, Two Hands, nominated for a 2006 Academy Award, airs tonight on Cinemax at 7:00 p.m Eastern time (check local listings).

Soukhovetski Wins New Orleans Piano Competition

Juilliard graduate Konstantin Soukhovetski has won the 2007 New Orleans International Piano Competition.

Lincoln Center Out of Doors Gets Underway; Paul Taylor Dance Company Appears August 3

Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the complex's large and varied series of free summer performances, gets underway today with a 7:30 p.m. concert at the Damrosch Park Bandshell featuring legendary protest singers Roy Brown Ramrez and Arlo Guthrie.

Placido Domingo to Appear on The Simpsons in September

The famously tireless Placido Domingo already has a repertoire of over 120 roles, sings all over the globe, conducts, runs two opera companies and produces a vocal competition. And he's just taken on an entirely new job: cartoon voice-over artist. The vet

Washington's Arena Stage Presents New Play About Beethoven and 'Diabelli' Variations

33 Variations, the latest project from the creator of the renowned documentary plays Gross Indecency and The Laramie Project, begins a world premiere run on Aug. 24 at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

Private Equity Firm Buys EMI

Private equity group Terra Firma has bought EMI, the third largest record company, for Ј2.4 billion (currently about $4.9 billion).

Marin Alsop Leads Opening Concert of Cabrillo Festival - With Premieres by Higdon, MacMillan, O'Connor

"More new music for orchestra in one place, at one time, than anywhere else in the world."

'Mozart Dances' to be Telecast Live and Hosted by Sam Waterston

Mark Morris's Mozart Dances, which debuted last year, returns to Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival with four performances in August, the first of which will be telecast live and hosted by actor Sam Waterston.

Violinist Janine Jansen Cancels Aug. 5 Tanglewood Appearance, Replaced by Stefan Jackiw

Glamorous young Dutch violinist Janine Jansen has withdrawn from the Serge and Olga Koussevitzky Memorial Concert this Sunday (August 5) with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Music Center in western Massachusetts.

Martha Graham Company Announces Joyce Theater Program

The Martha Graham Dance Company has announced the repertoire it will perform next month during a two-week engagement at The Joyce Theater, presented by Paul Szilard Productions, Inc.

New Zealand Arts Festival 2008 to Feature Glass's Book of Longing, Dancer Sylvie Guillem

The New Zealand International Arts Festival, the island nation's largest arts showcase, has announced preliminary details of its 2008 program, which will feature two performances by one of the world's foremost ballerinas and the Southern Hemisphere premie

Sylvie Guillem Appointed to Post at Sadler's Wells

Sadler's Wells has appointed Royal Ballet star Sylvie Guillem as an associate artist, the London contemporary-dance venue announced.

Perfect Prelude

The Kennedy Center celebrates the new season this September with a month of music, theater, dance, and fun events for all ages.

Barenboim, Dessay, Gergiev, Terfel Among Nominees for 2007 Gramophone Artist of the Year

"Possibly the biggest classical music contest the world has ever seen." That's how Gramophone describes its 2007 Artist of the Year Award. The magazine's editors have announced the ten finalists for this year's honor, and they're inviting reade

Conductor Edo de Waart Cancels BSO/Tanglewood Concerts; James Levine to Help Fill In

Edo de Waart, the veteran Dutch maestro in the news of late, has withdrawn from his two concerts with the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Music Center this weekend. He had been scheduled to conduct the orchestra in an all-Dvork program on Saturday eveni

Flutist Louis Moyse Dies at 94

Louis Moyse, prominent flutist, pedagogue and co-founder of the Marlboro Music School & Festival, died of heart failure yesterday at age 94.

Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin Awarded to Fiddler Ruby Jane Smith

The inaugural Chicago Dancing Festival, an unprecedented free concert, will occur on August 22 at the Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

Inaugural Chicago Dancing Festival to Launch Next Month

The inaugural Chicago Dancing Festival, an unprecedented free concert, will occur on August 22 at the Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

Philadelphia Orchestra and Charles Dutoit Open 2007 Season at Saratoga

The Philadelphia Orchestra opens its annual August season in the North Country of New York state this evening, with a concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center featuring that favorite work for celebratory occasions, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Fire Island Dance Festival 13 to Feature Six World Premieres and Whoopi Goldberg

Fire Island Dance Festival 13, running this weekend, will feature six world premieries along with emcees Whoopi Goldberg, Michael McElroy and Phylicia Rashad.

Anthony Minghella's Butterfly, Robert Lepage's Ring Cycle to Feature in Future Met Opera High-Definition Simulcasts

The Metropolitan Opera's new deal to release DVDs wasn't the only news to come out this week about the company's popular movie-theater simulcasts. The Associated Press reported yesterday that two of the Met's best-known productions — one already

Anthony Dean Griffey Replaces Neil Shicoff in Met's New Peter Grimes Next Season

Anthony Dean Griffey, the fast-rising American tenor, will play the title role in all performances of the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Britten's Peter Grimes next season.

Revolving Sopranos: Hasmik Papian Brings Her Acclaimed Norma to Met Next Season, as Maria Guleghina Takes Over Lady Macbeth

Armenian soprano Hasmik Papian, possibly the most talked-about Norma in the world today, will sing the role for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera next season. She replaces Maria Guleghina for the first four performances of the Bellini opera's fall

Miami's Carnival Center Turns to Kennedy Center Execs for Advice

CEO Michael Kaiser and other executives of Kennedy Center visited Miami's Carnival Center early last month to offer guidance to the beleaguered center, the Miami Herald reports. The center endured an estimated $5.4 million loss in its opening year.

Period Instruments in a Period Setting: Boston's Old State House Presents Summer Baroque Series

The Old State House in downtown Boston is the city's oldest surviving public building: it was erected in 1713 to house the government offices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Bostonian Society, which was founded in 1881 to save the historic structure

Leon Fleisher Withdraws from This Weekend's Tanglewood Engagement

Pianist Leon Fleisher has withdrawn from his July 22 engagement with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood because of tenosynovitis, an inflammation of the tendon sheath, in both hands, the orchestra announced today.

James Levine Cancels This Weekend's Verbier Festival Appearances

For health reasons, conductor James Levine has withdrawn from his appearances at this summer's Verbier Festival and Academy in the Swiss Alps. He was scheduled to lead the festival's opening concert this evening as well as a program on Sunday (July 22) fe

Pittsburgh Symphony Appoints a Music Director - Manfred Honeck

After a three-year experiment with a trio of part-time "artistic advisers" and guest conductors, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has selected a music director.

Author/Classical Guitarist Glenn Kurtz to Appear July 23 at Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble

Glenn Kurtz, author of Practicing: A Musician's Return to Music, will read from and talk about his book on Monday, July 23 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Triangle branch of Barnes & Noble, at Broadway and West 65th St. in Manhattan.

It's a Family Affair: New York Philharmonic Names Alan Gilbert Its Next Music Director

Alan Gilbert, who grew up attending New York Philharmonic rehearsals while his parents played in the violin section and who became known on tours as the kid passing out the players' passports, has just entered a new stage in his relationship with the orch

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Narrows Search for New Music Director

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has narrowed its search for a new music director to a set of three to seven candidates, the Chicago Tribune reported today.

Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra Gets Temporary Reprieve

Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra's 78 musicians will keep receiving their salaries until October 14, the Toronto Star reports.

Leonard Bernstein: A Classical Conductor for a Rock-and-Roll Nation

The Dallas Symphony's education director considers the man who turned out to be tailor-made for a new generation - and a new medium (television).

Riccardo Muti Accepts Informal, Though Substantial, Guest-Conducting Post with New York Philharmonic

Even as the New York Philharmonic has named a young, fast-rising American talent to be its next music director, the orchestra has engaged the services of a top-of-the-profession veteran in the mold of Lorin Maazel and Kurt Masur, the Philharmonic's curren

Lyric Opera of Chicago to Stay on Radio Through 2011-12

Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced that is has sufficient funding to stay on the airwaves through at least the 2011-12 season.

Metropolitan Opera and EMI Classics to Release Five High-Definition Broadcasts on DVD

Following a six-year hiatus, the Metropolitan Opera is set to resume issuing commercial video recordings of some of its productions. The company announced yesterday that it has concluded a deal with EMI Classics to release on DVD five of the coming season

Spotlight: Nathan's on the Faculty, Emma's on the Television, Kristjan's on Big Brother's Territory

He's got brains as well as brawn. Buff baritone Nathan Gunn is about to become the newest member of the faculty at the University of Illinois School of Music. Gunn — recently anointed opera's latest superstar by The New York Times — begins his appointment

San Francisco Opera Announces Casting, Adds Performance of Philip Glass's New Appomattox

San Francisco Opera has announced further casting for the world premiere run of Philip Glass's opera Appomattox next October.

International Keyboard Institute & Festival, Featuring Kern and Hamelin, Opens at Mannes College

The ninth annual International Keyboard Institute & Festival (IKIF) got started this past weekend at Mannes College The New School for Music with a July 15 recital by Jerome Rose, the festival's founder and director.

Lincoln Center Out of Doors to Present Car Music Concert

Lincoln Center will present the ensemble Car Music Project next month as part of its Out of Doors free concert series.

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine, Harry Christophers and The Sixteen Make Billboard Classical Chart

A tribute to America's first great classical violinist, played by one of her musical descendants, and a collection of unusual arrangements sung by one of the world's great vocal ensembles, are the new arrivals on this week's Billboard classical chart.

Merola Opera Program to Premiere New Pasatieri Opera Hotel Casablanca

The Merola Opera Program of San Francisco Opera will give the world premiere of Thomas Pasatieri's The Hotel Casablanca next month.

Tenor Jerry Hadley Taken Off Life Support

Tenor Jerry Hadley, who has been in a coma in an upstate New York hospital since an apparent suicide attempt last week, has been taken off life support.

Houston Symphony Breaks Even for Third Year in a Row

The Houston Symphony has ended its 2006-07 fiscal year with a balanced budget for the third consecutive year, it announced today.

Meet the Composer Names Ed Harsh Its Next President

Meet the Composer, the new-music promotion and advocacy organization based in New York City, has appointed its Vice President, Ed Harsh, as its next president, effective August 1.

A Home in Milan For Toscanini Orchestra

The Acrimboldi Theater, in a northeastern suburb of Milan, will be the permanent home of the Symphonica Toscanini beginning next year, The New York Times reports.

Julian Budden, BBC Radio Producer and Verdi Scholar, Dies at 82

Julian Budden, a noted opera scholar whose writings about Verdi are acknowledged classics, died on February 28 at age 82, reports The Guardian of London.

BAM to Present New York of Nina Ananiashvili's State Ballet of Georgia

The State Ballet of Georgia, the acclaimed young national company of the former Soviet republic, will make its New York debut next winter at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The troupe, led by artistic director (and world-renowned ballerina) Nina Ananiashvi

Lincoln Center Festival 2007 Opens

It should be one exciting July in Manhattan, as the 2007 Lincoln Center Festival presents an array of extraordinary events, beginning this evening with two one-act Beijing operas starring the extraordinary Wu Hsing-Kuo as well as theater from the Comdie-F

San Francisco Symphony to Launch $23 Million Education Program in Fresno

The San Francisco Symphony will launch an ambitious education program with a pilot program in Fresno, California, during the 2005-06 school year.

'Fall for Dance' Opens at New York's City Center with Bill T. Jones and Trisha Brown Companies

Fall for Dance, New York City Center's autumnal extravaganza of first-rate performances at affordable prices, opens tonight with a two-hour program featuring five companies: the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in an excerpt from Last Supper at Uncl

Juilliard Announces 2007-08 Season

The Juilliard School has announced its 2007-08 season, comprising over 700 performances by the school's students, faculty and special guest artists.

Seattle Opera Receives Over $21 Million

Seattle Opera has received donations totaling $21.5 million, its general director Speight Jenkins announced yesterday at its annual meeting.

Tenor Jerry Hadley on Life Support After Shooting Himself

American tenor Jerry Hadley is in critical condition in a hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York, suffering from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Pianist and Holocaust Survivor Natalia Karp dies at 96

Pianist Natalia Karp, whose life was spared during the Holocaust because of her musical talent, died on July 9, The Daily Telegraph of London reports.

A Palace for the People

"There should be a fountainhead in the city for music and art, and it seems to me that [New York] City Center fills that need." (Leonard Bernstein, 1945)

Tonight's Lincoln Center Festival Performance Cancelled Due to Injury Sustained by Marion

Tonight's performance of Fables de La Fontaine by Comdie-Franaise at Lincoln Center Festival 2007 has been cancelled due to an injury company member Madeleine Marion has sustained, the performing arts center has announced.

Festival del Sole Opens in Napa Valley with von Stade, the Galways and Russian National Orchestra

The second annual Festival del Sole in California's Napa Valley - with a starry lineup, a new castle-like venue and John Corigliano as composer in residence - gets started tomorrow evening with a special opening gala featuring mezzo-soprano Frederica von

Lincoln Center Announces Public Artwork Commission for 2007 Mostly Mozart Festival

Lincoln Center has commissioned an artwork to be displayed on the southern facade of Avery Fisher Hall for this year's Mostly Mozart Festival, center officials announced.

Tenor Jerry Hadley's Condition Apparently Hopeless After Suicide Attempt

Jerry Hadley, on life support in a Poughkeepsie, New York hospital after a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, appears to have no hope of recovery.

Chicago Symphony Breaks Even for First Time Since 2003

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has balanced its budget for the first time in four years, the orchestra announced yesterday.

Christopher Wheeldon's New Company Announces First Season

Christopher Wheeldon's new company, Morphoses / The Wheeldon Company will feature two American and eight New York premieres in its inaugural season at New York City Center.

First Week of BBC Proms Features Kurt Masur's 80th Birthday, David Robertson, 40-Voice Party Pieces, and Rameau with South African Buskers

The BBC Proms, being the world's biggest classical music festival - with 90 concerts over two months and an enormous variety of orchestras, soloists, conductors and ensembles — have far too much music to preview in a single article.

Barbara Frittoli Withdraws from Chicago Lyric's Onegin

Barbara Frittoli has withdrawn from her scheduled debut appearances at Lyric Opera of Chicago next March. She was to portray Tatiana - giving her first performances of the role - in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, the final production of the company's 2007-0

Kimmel Center Ends Fifth Season With Marked Successes

The Kimmel Center's fifth season has come to a close with several accomplishments of note, the Philadelphia performing arts center reported today.

Philadelphia Orchestra Continues Free Neighborhood Concert Series Tonight in Chestnut Hill

The Philadelphia Orchestra gives the second of its 2007 Neighborhood Concerts tonight on Pastorius Park in the city's Chestnut Hill neighborhood.

Philharmonic Summer: The Ins and Outs

The hard-working New York Philharmonic keeps playing all through the month of July, from neighborhood parks to the mountains of Colorado.

Pennsylvania Ballet Purchases Land for New Headquarters

The Pennsylvania Ballet has purchased land for its new headquarters, the Philadephia Inquirer reported last week.

After Oratorio, Spamalot Creators Idle and Du Prez Consider Doing Ballet

Comedian Eric Idle and composer John Du Prez, creators of Spamalot, are at work on a new ballet, according to New York magazine.

Florida Grand Opera Purchases Building for Headquarters

The Florida Grand Opera has purchased a building in Miami that will ultimately consolidate operations spread between Coral Way, Coral Gables, a costume shop and a separate warehouse, the company reported yesterday.

Piano Damaged in Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima Successfully Repaired

A 75-year-old piano damaged during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 has been repaired by a piano tuner named Mitsunori Yasagawa, the Mainichi Shimbun reported yesterday.

Attend the Tale: Bryn Terfel Stars in Concert Version of Sweeney Todd at London's Southbank Centre July 5-7

A concert staging of Sweeney Todd — with a cast headed by baritone superstar Bryn Terfel and Olivier Award winner Maria Friedman — will be presented this weekend to celebrate the reopening of London's newly refurbished Royal Festival H

Bard SummerScape 2007, Exploring 'Elgar and His World,' Opens with World Premiere Dance Work by Doug Varone

The 2007 Bard SummerScape festival kicks off six weeks of music, dance and drama at Bard College in the Hudson River Valley tonight with the world premiere of Victorious, a work commissioned by the festival from choreographer Doug Varone.

FLUX Quartet's Violinist Reunited with Instrument Stolen from Subway Platform

Calling it a "miracle from God", violinist Tom Chiu of the FLUX Quartet has been given back his instrument, which was stolen on June 27 from a New York City subway platform.

Met Commissions New Opera from Osvaldo Golijov and Anthony Minghella

The San Francisco Symphony's 2005 recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 7, part of the orchestra's complete Mahler symphony cycle recorded in concert under the baton of music director Michael Tilson Thomas, has returned to the Billboard classical chart, land

MTT's Mahler 7, Mark Padmore's Handel, Kronos Quartet's Grecki Return to Billboard Classical Chart

The San Francisco Symphony's 2005 recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 7, part of the orchestra's complete Mahler symphony cycle recorded in concert under the baton of music director Michael Tilson Thomas, has returned to the Billboard classical chart, land

Chicago Symphony Begins Summer Season at Ravinia Festival

The Chicago Symphony begins its 2007 summer season in earnest this evening, with a concert at its longtime summer home, the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, just north of the city. Violinist Pinchas Zukerman joins Ravinia music director James Conlon and

Boston Symphony Opens 2007 Tanglewood Season

Tonight the Boston Symphony Orchestra begins its 2007 season at its legendary summer home, the Tanglewood Music Center in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, with a concert conducted by music director James Levine.

Pianists Adam Golka and Rachel Kudo Named 2008 Gilmore Young Artists

Pianists Rachel Kudo and Adam Golka are the recipients of the 2008 Gilmore Young Artist Award, the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival announced this week.

Philadelphia Orchestra Launches Its First Residency at Vail's Music Festival

The Philadelphia Orchestra opens its first-ever summer residency at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado tonight. This evening's concert will be the first of six the Philadelphians give in Vail through July 14, with Music Director Christoph

'Don't Look Back' - Glimmerglass Opera Opens 'Orpheus' Season

Glimmerglass Opera begins its 2007 season tonight, a season built around the classical myth of Orpheus, the world's greatest musician. Four new productions — of operas by Offenbach, Monteverdi, Gluck and Glass — will run through August

World Piano Competition of Cincinnati Announces Winners

The winners of the 2007 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati have been announced.

Young German Violinist Misses Philadelphia Orchestra Debut Due to Visa Delays

Erik Schumann, a rising 25-year-old violinist from Germany, had been expecting a career landmark last night. He was scheduled to make his Philadelphia Orchestra debut playing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto at the second concert of the Orchestra's first res

Hans Graf Signs with Houston Symphony Through 2012

Hans Graf will remain the Houston Symphony Orchestra's music director through its 2011-12 season, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Winners of First Stradivarius Violin Competition Announced

24-year-old Yooshin Song of Korea won first prize in the 1st Stradivarius International Violin Competition in Utah yesterday.

Yo-Yo Ma Takes Back Top Spot on Billboard Classical Chart from Lang Lang

Young superstar pianist Lang Lang's new disc of Beethoven concertos may have burst onto the Billboard classical chart last week at no. 1, but this week a veteran superstar, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, has reconquered the summit with his Appassionato.

Los Angeles Opera Names New Chorus Master: Grant Gershon of L.A. Master Chorale

Conductor Grant Gershon, a key figure of the Los Angeles Music Center in his position as music director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, will be expanding his presence there this fall. Los Angeles Opera announced this week that Gershon has been appointe

Tenor Christopher Ventris Wins 2007 Maria Callas Award from Dallas Opera

British tenor Christopher Ventris has been named the recipient of the 2007 Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year Award, presented annually by The Dallas Opera to the singer who makes the biggest impact on voting patrons in his/her company debut.

Stradivarius Violin Stolen From Vienna Apartment

A 1680 Stradivarius violin worth about €2.5 million was stolen over the weekend from an apartment in central Vienna.

Mstislav Rostropovich - Cellist, Conductor, Humanitarian - Dies at Age 80

Not only one of the most accomplished cellists of the twentieth century — renowned for the poise, passion, color, accuracy and imagination of his playing — but also a conductor, composer, pianist, and, by dint of his worldwide standing

Second Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition Ends Without First Prize Winner

Gustavo Dudamel is a hard act to follow.

Boris Eifman Brings The Seagull to New York

The Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg brings its newest full-length work — based on Chekhov's drama, but transferred to a dance studio — to New York City Center April 13-29.

Karita Mattila Withdraws From Boston Symphony Fidelio, and Christine Brewer Steps In

Due to illness, soprano Karita Mattila has cancelled her appearances this weekend as Leonore in the Boston Symphony's concert performances of Beethoven's Fidelio with music director James Levine. The role is one she has sung to great acclaim under Levine

Juilliard Bookstore Holds Major Relocation Sale This Week Only

The Juilliard bookstore is cutting prices on all its merchandise before it closes next week to accommodate the major construction to renovate Alice Tully Hall, which is located one floor below.

Tower.com Purchased by Caiman

A bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of the Tower Records website business to an affiliate of Internet retailer Caiman Inc. for approximately $4.2 million, reports the Associated Press.

Daedalus Quartet and Mezzo Kate Lindsey Win Lincoln Center's 2007 Segal Awards

Kate Lindsey, a mezzo-soprano in the Metropolitan opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, and the Daedalus String Quartet, a young ensemble associated with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, are the winners of the 2007 Segal Awards.

CBC Radio Two Trims Classical Music From Schedule

Classical music has been reduced on Canada's national radio broadcaster, CBC Radio Two, as of yesterday evening, reports The Globe and Mail.

Italian Researchers Assemble Archive of Music From WWII Concentration Camps

For the past fifteen years, Italian musician Francesco Lotoro has been collecting thousands of forgotten works composed in the prisons and concentration camps of World War II, which will be displayed in a library scheduled to open in September at Rome's T

Yefim Bronfman Withdraws From March 22 Brahms Chamber Concert at Carnegie Hall

Due to a death in his family, pianist Yefim Bronfman has withdrawn from tomorrow evening's "Gil Shaham and Friends" all-Brahms chamber program at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall. He will be replaced by Akira Eguchi.

Kiri Te Kanawa Wins 'Panty-Throwing' Lawsuit

Soprano Kiri Te Kanawa has prevailed in a breach of contract lawsuit brought against her in Australia, a case that achieved global notoriety because of the (potential) involvement of middle-aged antipodean women tossing undergarments.

Charlotte Symphony Musicians Accept Pay Cut

The musicians of the Charlotte Symphony have agreed to a wage cut to help reduce the orchestra's deficit, reports the Charlotte Observer.

Seattle Symphony Selects New Executive Director

The Seattle Symphony has appointed Thomas Philion, president & CEO of the Eastern Music Festival, its new executive director.

WFMT Radio Network Inaugurates Live Opera Series Featuring Chicago, San Francisco Houston and Los Angeles Houses

The WFMT Radio Network in Chicago has announced a series of broadcast performances recorded live by the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera and San Francisco Opera.

East Oregon Symphony Loses Archives and Music Library in Fire

The East Oregon Symphony lost its archives and music library when the building housing its office in Pendleton was destroyed in a fire on March 15, reports The East Oregonian.

Spotlight: Brendel Won't Tell, Bostridge Doesn't Sell, But Biss Does Kvell

What the stars are up to, on stage and off.

Thomas Quasthoff's Jazz Album Makes Billboard Classical Crossover Chart

Billboard magazine's classical crossover chart offered the big news in CD sales last week, as a recording of jazz standards by bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff arrived on that best-seller list at no. 19.

Rossini Rematch

Alexandrina Pendatchanska and Barry Banks, breakaway stars in New York City Opera's 2004 Ermione, return for new Rossinian challenges in La donna del lago, opening March 22 at the New York State Theater.

Tenor Ernst Haefliger Dies at 87

Ernst Haefliger, the Swiss tenor noted for his interpretations of oratorio and lieder, died on Saturday (March 17) at age 87, reports the Associated Press.

One of Chopin's Own Pleyel Pianos Discovered in England

A Pleyel grand piano owned by Frederic Chopin has been discovered in a country house museum in the south of England, reports The Times of London.

New York City Opera Postpones Ragtime Scheduled for 2008

New York City Opera has been obliged to postpone the new staging of Ragtime it had announced to close its 2007-08 season.

Change of Directors for World Premiere of Philip Glass's Appomattox

George C. Wolfe, the renowned theater director who had been slated to stage the world premiere of Philip Glass's Appomattox at San Francisco Opera this October, has withdrawn from the production. A statement from the company said that he had been released

BBC Launches New Competition for Young Musicians

The BBC is looking for young classical musicians with "star quality" to take part in a new competition which will be filmed and shown in a 5-part BBC TV series.

Philadelphia Orchestra and Eschenbach to Being U.S. Tour on May 15

Music director Christoph Eschenbach and the Philadelphia Orchestra will tour the U.S., beginning May 15 in Kansas City and finishing June 3 in Washington, D.C. Repertoire will include works by Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Berlioz, Mozart, Schoenberg and Schubert

American Ballet Theatre Receives $1 Million Gift From Tara and John Milne

American Ballet Theatre has announced a $1 million gift from Tara and John Milne to support the company's new production of The Sleeping Beauty. The four-act ballet, scheduled for its premiere on June 1 this year, is choreographed by artistic director Kev

Sebastian Currier Wins 2007 Grawemeyer Award

Sebastian Currier, a composer and professor at Columbia University in New York, has won the 2007 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for Static, a six-movement work scored for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano.

Aspen Music Festival Announces 2007 Season

The 2007 Aspen Music Festival, which runs June 21 to August 19, features programs exploring the influence of jazz on the classical tradition; a rare staged performance of Cavalli's Eliogabalo; Kathleen Battle singing Gershwin songs and Wynton Marsalis con

New and Unusual: Morten Lauridsen's Choral Music and Carl Nielsen's Orchestral Works Make Billboard Classical Chart

A recording of rarely-played orchestral works by Carl Nielsen and a new disc of recent choral music by Morten Lauridsen are this week's newcomers to Billboard magazine's classical album chart.

Natalie Bodanya, Met Soprano of '30s and '40s, Dies at 98

Natalie Bodanya, an American soprano who sang at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1930s and early 40s, died yesterday at 98, reports The New York Times.

Dawn Upshaw Cancels March Concerts With David Robertson and St. Louis Symphony

Soprano Dawn Upshaw, who returned to the concert stage last month for the first time since beginning treatment for breast cancer last November, has withdrawn from her scheduled performances this month with conductor David Robertson and the St. Louis Symph

Bryn Terfel Replaces Thomas Hampson in London Recital with Susan Graham

Bryn Terfel will replace Thomas Hampson in a March 17 recital with Susan Graham at London's Barbican.

New Jersey Symphony to Sell Collection of Rare String Instruments

In a surprising move intended to help solve serious financial problems, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has decided to sell the collection of rare "Golden Age" string instruments which it acquired with great fanfare in 2003.

Los Angeles Opera COO Edgar Baitzel Dies at 51

Edgar Baitzel, the chief operating officer of Los Angeles Opera, died yesterday after a brief struggle with cancer. He was 51 years old.

Ballerina Finishes Pas de Deux After Partner's Injury, Wins Erik Bruhn Prize

Tina Pereira's route to winning the prize for best female dancer at the Seventh International Competition for the prestigious Erik Bruhn Prize last weekend wasn't exactly routine.

Disklavier Recreates Glenn Gould's Goldbergs in New York

It was the ghost of Glenn Gould at the piano, but without the groans. At a press conference last week in New York, Zenph Studios demonstrated the latest fruits of its technology research: a recreation of Gould's legendary 1955 mono recording of the Goldbe

New York Philharmonic Announces Details of May Tour of Europe

Новости академической музыки

Green Room: Sir Colin at 80

Colin Davis, who recently completed a glorious decade at the helm of the London Symphony Orchestra, conducts the New York Philharmonic in two programs in late March.

The Face That Launched a Thousand Dhows: Deborah Voigt Stars as Strauss's 'Egyptian Helen' at the Met

Deborah Voigt is probably the world's reigning Strauss soprano. She has built her career on Ariadne, a role with which she made worldwide headlines at one point; she's given acclaimed performances as the Marschallin, the Empress (Die Frau ohne Schatten),

Gramophone Editor James Jolly to Host New Program on BBC Radio 3

James Jolly, Gramophone magazine's editor-in-chief, will be one of two presenters of "The Classical Collection" - a new program on BBC Radio 3 that will run from 10 am-12 pm. Jolly's first show will be broadcast on April 23.

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Announces 2007-08 Season

Highlights of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's 2007-08 season include world premieres by Robert O. Johnson and Krzysztof Penderecki; a contemporary lineup that also includes works by John Adams and Arvo Prt; a Stravinsky festival and appearances by pia

Dallas Opera Guild Announces Winners for Vocal Competition

Twenty-three year old soprano Valerie Vinzant has won first prize and $8,000 at the Dallas Opera Guild's 19th annual vocal competition.

San Francisco Opera to Return to Radio

Classical 102.1 KDFC and San Francisco Opera have formed a broadcast partnership that will bring the opera company back to Bay Area radio.

'Mr. Bach Comes to Town': In Manhattan and Philadelphia, New York Collegium Presents JSB's Audition Pieces for Leipzig

In February of 1723, the 38-year-old Johann Sebastian Bach traveled to Leipzig to audition for the post of Kantor at the St. Thomas Church and School, the city's most important musical position. It was a very good career move: he got the job, of course, a

'Good Night, Alice!' - Lincoln Center Plans a Gala Sendoff for Alice Tully Hall Before Renovation

The first major construction project of Lincoln Center long-discussed redevelopment plan gets underway this spring, as Alice Tully Hall closes down for an 18-month renovation.

Thibaudet, Yundi Li, Philadelphia Orchestra and Sting (Again) Get New Discs on Billboard Classical Chart

New releases from pianists Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Yundi Li made their debuts on the Billboard classical chart last week, as did the Philadelphia Orchestra and rocker-turned-Renaissance-man Sting.

In Los Angeles, Classical and Country Radio Stations Switch Places on the Dial

At 6 a.m. yesterday morning, Los Angeles-based commercial classical music station K-Mozart switched to country music, bringing the latter genre back to FM radio in the Los Angeles-Orange County market.

Vladimir Putin Awards Russian State Medal to Mstislav Rostropovich

Russian President Vladimir Putin has honored Mstislav Rostropovich with the Order of Service to the Fatherland, First Degree. The head of state signed a decree on Monday paying tribute to the cellist and conductor for his "outstanding contribution to

Grard Mortier to Take Helm at New York City Opera

Grard Mortier, a director and administrator who has shaken up the status quo as head of La Monnaie in Brussels, the Salzburg Festival, and the Paris Opera, has been named general manager and artistic director of New York City Opera, effective September 20

Faced With Unexpected Budget Problems, Florida Grand Opera Overhauls Next Season's Plans

Florida Grand Opera has scaled back its 2007-08 season to five operas from six and dropped plans to stage David DiChiera's new work Cyrano, which were announced last month.

New Hampshire Symphony Cancels Remainder of Season

The New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra is canceling all of its upcoming performances this season and may not return to the stage next season, reports the New Hampshire Union Leader Staff.

Decca Classics Signs Soprano Danielle de Niese

The Times of London called her an "all-singing, all-dancing superstar sex bomb."

Woman Arrested on Suspicion of Embezzling From San Francisco Symphony

San Francisco police have arrested a woman on February 27 on suspicion of stealing over $17,000 from the San Francisco Symphony's box office proceeds, reports the San Jose Mercury News.

Arvo Prt Wins Denmark's Sonning Music Prize

Arvo Prt, whose meditative, spiritually-themed music has made him among the most popular and recorded of living classical composers, has been named the winner of the 2008 Lonie Sonning Music Prize, Denmark's top award in the field.

Newly Discovered Letter Suggests (to Some) That Richard Wagner Was Cross-Dresser

The debut issue of the London-based The Wagner Journal includes a previously unpublished letter by Richard Wagner to a couturier in Milan, which suggests he might have had a fetish for ladies' clothes.

John Adams's A Flowering Tree Gets U.S. Premiere From San Francisco Symphony

"The score is opulent, dreamlike, fiercely lyrical, at times shadowy and strange, unlike anything that the 59-year-old composer has written."

Dallas's Turtle Creek Chorale Selects Three Candidates for Artistic Director

The Turtle Creek Chorale, one of the best-known (and the most classical music-oriented) gay men's choruses in the United States, has settled on three finalists in its search for a new artistic director.

Mikhail Baryshnikov to Appear on PBS's Charlie Rose Show March 2

Dancer, choreographer, sometime actor and general superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov will be the feature guest on The Charlie Rose Show tomorrow night on PBS.

Andrea Bocelli's Cavalleria, Jonathan Biss's Schumann Make Billboard Classical Chart

A new recording of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana starring blind crossover tenor Andrea Bocelli and a disc of Schumann piano works by 26-year-old Jonathan Biss are the new arrivals on this week's Billboard classical chart.

New York City Gay Men's Chorus to Give First All-Classical Concerts in Decade

This month, the New York City Gay Men's Chorus is set to devote an entire concert program to classical music for the first time since 1995.

Seattle Symphony Subscribers Protest Price Increases

The Seattle Symphony Orhestra's massive increase in some ticket prices for the 2007-08 season has irked subscribers, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Pittsburgh Symphony to Tour Europe

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will embark on a three-week European tour in January 2008, marking the beginning of a year-long celebration of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra Announces Adventurous Programming for 2007-08 Season

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which is still without a music director following Neeme Jдrvi's departure in 2005, has announced its 2007-08 season. Detroit Free Press music critic Mark Stryker, who has previously criticized the orchestra for its conserva

Met Opera Guild Hosts 'Legacy: Celebrating 30 Years of the Met on Television' March 4

Thirty years ago this month, on March 15, 1977, the Metropolitan Opera entered the television era with a telecast of Puccini's La Bohme starring Renata Scotto and Luciano Pavarotti and conducted by James Levine.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces Innovative New Season, First Under Music Director Marin Alsop

Among the highlights of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's 2007-08 season, the first under music director Marin Alsop, will include a complete Beethoven Symphony cycle, each symphony paired with a contemporary work by the likes of Tan Dun and John Adams,

Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival Opens - With Concerts, Dance and Even Digital Art

It's a big year for the Mostly Mozart Festival: the 40th anniversary of Lincoln Center's summer concert series itself and the 250th anniversary of its namesake composer's birth. And the festival is getting a suitably majestic launch this evening, as Langr

Ojai Festival Announces 2007 Season, First Programmed by Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, the French pianist noted for his championing of contemporary repertoire, will focus on the music of Ligeti, Stravinsky, Carter, Bartk and Etvs during his first season as music director of the Ojai Festival in southern California. He

Jerome Robbins's Musical Charade

A look at the master choreographer's comic ballet, The Concert (or the Perils of Everybody), opening at Houston Ballet this month.

Vienna State Opera Chief Executive to Step Down

Ioan Holender, the powerful and sometimes controversial Intendant (chief executive) of the Vienna State Opera, announced today that he will step down from his position when his current contract expires in August 2010.

Energy Transfer

Saint Louis Symphony cellist Melissa Brooks-Rubright describes rare moments when the energy on stage is just right.

New York Philharmonic's 2007-08 Season Offers Beethoven/Berio, Neikrug and Tan Dun Premieres, and Three Weeks of Muti

A festival celebrating Tchaikovsky's symphonies and concertos, a series exploring connections between Beethoven and Berio, brand-new works by Tan Dun and Marc Neikrug, concert performances of Puccini's Tosca and Zemlinsky's Florentine Tragedy, tours of Eu

2007 Mostly Mozart Festival to Have (Living) Composer-in-Residence

The ingredients may not be 51% Mozart this particular summer, but Lincoln Center has a particularly varied musical menu planned for the 2007 Mostly Mozart Festival. Programming themes include focuses on Beethoven and on Latin American music, as well as an

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Announces 2007-08 Season

The ASO has announced its upcoming season; highlights include two world premieres; a French festival and a return to Carnegie Hall.

A Maestro Returns

James Levine brings The MET Chamber Ensemble to Carnegie's Zankel Hall in March to play music by Mozart, Brahms, and Elliott Carter.

Siegfried Landau, Brooklyn Philharmonic Founder, Dies in House Fire

Siegfried Landau, the founding music director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, died yesterday morning in a fire at his home in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. He was 85.

Lorin Maazel to Conduct at Met for First Time in 45 Years

Lorin Maazel, one the world's most esteemed maestros, will return to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time in 45 years to conduct five performances of Wagner's Die Walkre, beginning January 7, 2008. These performances will be Maestro Maazel's first co

Celia Franca, Founder of National Ballet of Canada, Dies at 85

Celia Franca, a London-born dancer and ballet mistress who emigrated to Toronto, founded the National Ballet of Canada and made it into an international-caliber company, died yesterday morning in an Ottawa hospital. She was 85 and had been ailing since br

Boston Symphony Premieres Kaija Saariaho's Notes on Light This Week

Conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste will lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of Kaija Saariaho's Notes on Light for cello and orchestra on Thursday evening (Feb. 22). Anssi Karttunen is the soloist.

ENO's Jenufa, Royal Ballet's Chroma Win 2007 Olivier Awards

English National Opera's production of Jancek's Jenufa was the leader among the fine arts winners at the 2007 Laurence Olivier Awards, presented by the Society of London Theatre this evening at the Grosvenor House Hotel in the British capital.

A Vision of Heaven and Hell: Ensemble Dialogos Sings Medieval Croatian Music on North American Tour

Hypnotic, meditative, by turns serenely simple and exotically strange — a collection of chants from medieval Croatia gets it North American debut performances over the next 10 days as Ensemble Dialogos, a Paris-based vocal group led by singer an

Vocal Support

How do you get to the Metropolitan Opera? Coaching, coaching, coaching. A roundup of some of opera's top vocal teachers and coaches.

A New Face at the Podium

Fayal Karoui, New York City Ballet's recently appointed Music Director, looks ahead to the challenges of mastering the company's repertory.

Recordings by Late Pianist Joyce Hatto Alleged to Be Fakes

After the British pianist Joyce Hatto died last summer at age 77, newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic published glowing obituaries paying tribute to her enormous recorded legacy and neglected talent.

Spotlight: Mozart Made in the Schade, Aimard's 'Sound Mirrors', Hilary Hahn Hits the Bars

What the stars are up to, on stage and off.

DG Signs Soprano Measha Brueggergosman

"I'm a large woman with a large personality and big hair — everything about me is big. So there's not a lot about me I can hide."

Villazn's Zarzuela Disc, 1955 Bayreuth Gtterdmmerung Make Billboard Classical Chart

An album of zarzuela arias by tenor Rolando Villazn and a live Gtterdmmerung from Bayreuth's mid-20th-century glory years are the two new arrivals on this week's Billboard classical chart.

Brian Ferneyhough Wins 200,000-Euro Siemens Music Prize

The British composer Brian Ferneyhough, 64, a major figure in the "New Complexity" movement, has won the 200,000 Euro Ernst von Siemens International Music Prize.

The Creation of Lohengrin

Recounting the genesis of a masterwork - now receiving its Dallas Opera premiere - that helped propel Richard Wagner into the upper tier of opera immortals.

Sydney Opera House Marks 50 Years Since Design Competition With Exhibition of Entries

The Sydney Opera House is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the year that Jrn Utzon, then a little-known young Danish architect, won a competition to design an opera venue for the city.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet Cancels Tonight's Appearance at Morgan Library

Due to circumstances beyond his control, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet has withdrawn from his scheduled performance/discussion this evening at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City.

Tenor Marcello Giordani Gives Private Recital at U.S. Supreme Court This Evening

Marcello Giordani will give a private performance this evening at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

With Harsh Words, Conductor Mikko Franck Resigns From Finnish National Opera

Mikko Franck, the 27?-year-old music director of the Finnish National Opera, has resigned, after only beginning his tenure last August.

Kostas Paskalis, Verdian Baritone of 1960s & '70s, Dies at 77

Kostas Paskalis, a Greek baritone known for his Verdi interpretations, died on February 9 at age 77, according to a statement from the Vienna State Opera, where he sang for many years.

Gordon Wright, Founder of Fairbanks (Alaska) Symphony, Found Dead on Cabin Porch

The body of conductor Gordon Wright, 72, was discovered on the front porch of his cabin near Anchorage, Alaska, last night, reports the Anchorage Daily News. He reportedly died from natural causes.

Carl St. Clair Appointed Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin

Carl St. Clair, an American conductor known in his homeland as music director of Orange County's Pacific Symphony Orchestra, has just won an important European post: general music director of the Komische Oper Berlin.

Planetary scandal in classical record industry

Новости академической музыки

Planetary scandal in classical record industry

Новости академической музыки

The Bald Soprano: Dawn Upshaw Returns to Stage Following Cancer Treatment

Dawn Upshaw is back.

Eschenbach and Orchestre de Paris to Stream Concert Live Over Web Feb. 14

Today, for the first time, the Orchestre de Paris is offering a free live audio stream of one of its performances over the Web.

LA Philharmonic's 2007-08 Season to Feature Sibelius, Saariaho and Stucky

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2007-08 season, its 16th under music director Esa-Pekka Salonen, will feature an in-depth survey of the music of Sibelius, a residency by Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and premieres by Oliver Knussen, Steven Stucky an

Baltimore Symphony Appoints New General Manager

The Baltimore Symphony has appointed Kendra Whitlock, currently a senior official with the Detroit Symphony, as its new vice president and general manager. She is expected to take up her duties — which will include overseeing all day-to-day oper

Toronto Symphony Extends Peter Oundjian's Contract Through 2012

The Toronto Symphony has extended music director Peter Oundjian's contract, which was initially scheduled to run through 2008, for another four years.

Ben Heppner Withdraws from Montreal Symphony's Concert Tristan

Tenor Ben Heppner has withdrawn from next week's concert performances of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde with conductor Kent Nagano and the Orchestre symphonique de Montral. A statement released by the orchestra yesterday afternoon said only that the singer w

Elmer Setzer, Longtime Cleveland Orchestra Violinist and Father of Emerson Quartet's Philip, Dies at 86

Elmer Setzer, a member of the Cleveland Orchestra's violin section for 41 years, died on January 30 at 86, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Jorma Silvasti Switches Roles in Met's Jenufa as Kim Begley Withdraws

Tenor Kim Begley has withdrawn due to illness from the remainder of the current run of Jancek's Jenufa at the Metropolitan Opera.

Baritone Stphane Degout Cancels Feb. 18 Recital at Lincoln Center

Due to illness, the acclaimed young French baritone Stphane Degout has cancelled his "Art of the Song" recital scheduled for February 18 at Alice Tully Hall in New York's Lincoln Center.

Fort Worth Opera Announces Casting For Innaugural Summer Season

Casting has been announced for the Fort Worth Opera's summer season.

Met's Eugene Onegin, With Fleming, Hvorostovsky, Vargas and Gergiev, Opens Tonight

"This looks to be a highlight of the season," says the chief music critic of The New York Times of the Met's Eugene Onegin. And indeed it does: there's a collection of high-voltage talent on the stage for this revival of Tchaikovsky's romantic t

Jean-Yves Thibaudet to Give Performance, Discussion Panel at Morgan Library

The French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet will celebrate the release of his new Decca CD, Aria, Opera Without Words, on February 15 at the Morgan Library and Museum in NY.

The Digital Future

The Philadelphia Orchestra continues its tradition of technological innovation, with its Online Music Store, high-definition video, and real-time workshops via Internet2.

Boston Baroque Recording of Cherubini's Requiem in C Minor Debuts on Billboard Classical Chart

Luigi Cherubini's Requiem in C minor — a work commissioned in 1816 to commemorate the anniversary of the executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette — is the sole new arrival on this week's Billboard classical chart. The new Telarc re

Filmmaker Sofia Coppola to Direct Her First Opera in Montpellier

Sofia Coppola will join the ranks of filmmakers who have recently turned to opera. The 35-year-old director, whose films include Lost in Translation (2003) and Marie Antoinette (2006), will stage a production of Puccini's Manon Lescaut, starring Roberto

Angela Gheorghiu's March 23 Miami Gala Concert Rescheduled for 2008

A special gala concert by soprano Angela Gheorghiu at the Carnival Center in Miami, scheduled for Friday, March 23, has been postponed until next season. The Miami Herald reported the change this past weekend.

Mellon Foundation Donates $3.5 Million to NY City Center's Fall for Dance Festival

New York City Center has been awarded a $3.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support its annual Fall for Dance festival.

Mezzo Faith Sherman Wins $10,000 First Prize in Houston Grand Opera's McCollum Competition

Faith Sherman, a 25-year-old mezzo currently enrolled at the Juilliard Opera Center, has taken the top prize in the "Concert of Arias," the finals of Houston Grand Opera's annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. She receives $10,0

Boston Symphony Principal Horn Named Music Director of Hamilton Symphony

The Hamilton Philharmonic has turned to unusual quarters to recruit its new music director the horn section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Minnesota Orchestra and Osmo Vnsk Begin Two-Concert Series at Carnegie Hall

Osmo Vnsk joined the Minnesota Orchestra as music director in the fall of 2003. That very season, in February of 2004, he and his band made their first visit together to Carnegie Hall — and they gave a performance so thrilling that it got Vnsk n

Two Members of Eugene (Oregon) Symphony Killed Coming Home From Rehearsal

Two members of the Eugene (Oregon) Symphony were killed in a car crash caused by a driver driving in the wrong direction on Sunday (February 11) night, reports The Oregonian.

Boston Symphony Orchestra Appoints Two New Assistant Conductors

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has named Julian Kuerti and Shi-Yeon Sung assistant conductors, effective next season. They replace Ludovic Morlot and Jens Georg Bachmann, whose tenures end this summer.

Conversation: Lorin Maazel and Emanuel Ax

The New York Philharmonic's music director and the beloved piano virtuoso talk about Brahms, whose symphonies and piano concertos they'll explore in four concerts beginning in February.

New York City Opera's 2007-08 Season to Feature New Productions of Cendrillon and Margaret Garner

The 2006-07 season at New York City Opera will feature six new productions, including Massenet's Cendrillon and the New York premiere of Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison's Margaret Garner.

Salvatore Licitra to Sing Both Cav and Pag for Remaining Met Performances

The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Salvatore Licitra will sing both tenor leads in the Metropolitan Opera double-bill of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci for the performances on February 7 and 10.

Minnesota Orchestra CEO Tony Woodcock to Move to New England Conservatory

Anthony Woodcock, the president and CEO of the Minnesota Orchestra, is stepping down from that position to become president of New England Conservatory, effective June 4. He replaces interim CEO and president Laurence Lesser and succeeds Daniel Steiner, w

Ian Bostridge Withdraws From Orpheus Concert at Carnegie Feb. 6

Due to illness, tenor Ian Bostridge has withdrawn from his February 6 concert with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Dallas Symphony Names Jaap van Zweden Music Director

Jaap van Zweden has been appointed music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; his four-year tenure will begin in September 2008.

David Byrne Begins Carnegie Hall Perspectives Series

"No Boundaries." That's the fitting title David Byrne has chosen for his Carnegie Hall Perspectives series, which begins tonight. The genre-straddling musician and multimedia artist — "Rock's Renaissance Man," as Time magazi

Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater Damaged by Rogue Sprinkler System

An overactive fire sprinkler system has caused serious water damage at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia - the second such occurrence since the venue opened in late 2001.

Atlanta Symphony to Build 12,000-Seat Amphitheater in Northern Suburbs

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Woodruff Arts Center have announced a plan to build and operate a 12,000-seat amphitheater on 45 acres of land in Alpharetta, outside Atlanta in northern Fulton County. The amphitheater will be owned by the Woodruff

New York Philharmonic Gives World Premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen's Piano Concerto

Esa-Pekka Salonen may be famous as a conductor, but he considers himself a composer first. His latest piece, a piano concerto written for Yefim Bronfman, gets its world premiere under Salonen's own baton this week from the New York Philharmonic. Performan

Opera Company of Philadelphia's 2007-08 Season to Feature Christine Goerke as Norma

Highlights of the Opera Company of Philadelphia's 2007-08 season include a new production of Verdi's Rigoletto, the company premiere of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, the East Coast premiere of David DiChiera's Cyrano, and soprano Christine Goerke takin

San Francisco Opera's 2007-08 Season to Feature Philip Glass's Appamattox, Zambello's 'American Ring'

San Francisco Opera has announced details of its 85th season, which will feature the world premiere of Philip Glass's Appomattox, the West Coast premiere of Rachel Portman's The Little Prince, and new (to San Francisco) productions of The Rake's Progres

New York Philharmonic Close-Up: The Horns

A talk with the six musicians who play one of the orchestra's most challenging instruments.

Classical CD Highlights: February

The new month brings piano music galore and bargain-pieced sets sure to appeal to Haydn lovers and Maria Callas fanatics.

Deutsche Grammophon Signs Violinist Daniel Hope

Daniel Hope, a widely admired violin soloist and the youngest member of the venerable Beaux Arts Trio, has signed an exclusive recording contract with the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Atlanta Symphony Appoints Evans Mirageas Director of Artistic Planning

The Atlanta Symphony announced this week that Evans Mirageas, artistic director of Cincinnati Opera, has been appointed the orchestra's director of artistic planning.

Financial Times Music Critic David Murray Retires

Financial Times classical music critic David Murray, 70, is retiring after 27 years as a member of the reviewing team, the paper has announced.

Hungarian Mezzo Klra Palnkay Dies at 85

Hungarian mezzo-soprano Klra Palnkay died yesterday at 85, reports the Associated Press.

John Adams and St. Louis Symphony Postpone Premiere of Doctor Atomic Symphony

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has announced that the world premiere of John Adams's Doctor Atomic Symphony, scheduled for this coming March, has been postponed for a season.

BBC National Orchestra of Wales to Move to Wales Millennium Centre

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales will move across town from its current home, a studio in Cardiff's BBC Broadcasting House, into a new facility at the Wales Millennium Centre on Cardiff Bay.

As Late Substitute, Salvatore Licitra Will Sing Both Leads in Met's Cav/Pag Tonight

Tenor Salvatore Licitra will sing both Turiddu in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Canio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci in tonight's performance of the classic double-bill at the Metropolitan Opera. While Licitra was already scheduled to sing Canio, he ha

Steve Reich and Sonny Rollins Win 2007 Polar Music Prize

Two renowned American musicians, composer Steve Reich and jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, have won the 2007 Polar Music Prize. The awards were announced yesterday at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in Stockholm.

Heppner, Levine, Pape, Scotto and Voigt to Receive 2006 Opera News Awards at Jan. 28 Gala

The second annual Opera News Awards are to be presented this weekend at a gala reception and dinner in the ballroom of the Hotel Pierre in New York City on Sunday, January 28. The recipients, announced in October, are Wagnerian tenor Ben Heppner, longtime

Pedal to the Metal: New York's Miller Theatre Presents Free Festival of Modernist Organ Music

Those of us who love the organ often despair of getting newcomers to check out the music that excites us so much. The associations most American have with the instrument are too specific — it reminds people of funerals or of Aunt Josephine's wed

The [New] Rules of Engagement

Cultural historian Siva Vaidhyanathan muses on contemporary culture and how using technology can create gateways to new audiences. He tells the Metropolitan Opera's Elena Park that arts institutions can no longer sit back and simply deliver content.

A Song in His Heart

French baritone Stphane Degout comes to Lincoln Center's Great Performers series in February.

Angela Gheorghiu to Substitute as Violetta for One Met Performance in March

The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Angela Gheorghiu will appear as Verdi's most famous heroine, Violetta Valry in La traviata, for one performance only this spring  — on the night of Saturday, March 24. She will be filling in for Krassimi

Deborah Voigt Cancels Appearances Due to Back Injury

Due to a back injury suffered late last week, soprano Deborah Voigt was forced to withdraw from high-profile appearances at two high-profile events over the weekend.

Angel Voices by London Youth Choir Libera Makes Billboard Classical Chart

Libera, a vocal ensemble of boys from South London neighborhoods, has made the latest Billboard classical chart with its newest disc, Angel Voices, which arrives at no. 23.

Susan Graham Completes U.S. Recital Tour With Carnegie Hall Concert

Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and pianist Malcolm Martineau finish up an eight-city U.S. recital tour tonight with a much-anticipated concert of French mlodies in Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Karita Mattila and Anja Silja Open in Jenufa at Metropolitan Opera

Finnish soprano Karita Mattila, an opera star celebrated for her vocal and musical gifts, her compelling acting and her physical beauty alike, begins a six-performance run tonight in one of her most acclaimed roles, the title part in Jancek's gripping dra

Diana Damrau Signs With Virgin Classics

The German coloratura soprano Diana Damrau has signed an exclusive recording contract with Virgin Classics.

Knickers in a Twist: Te Kanawa Sued Over Canceling Concerts With Singer Whose Fans Throw Panties

Well, it's a good thing she never toured with Tom Jones ...

Houston Symphony Announces 2007-08 Lineup

Hans Graf will mark his seventh season as music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra conducting such leading soloists as Evelyn Glennie, Martha Argerich and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg; a world premiere of a trombone concerto; and a semi-staged version

Chicago Symphony Concertmaster Samuel Magad Retires Today After 34 Years

Samuel Magad, for 48 years a violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and for 34 of those years its concertmaster, steps down from his post today.

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Photo Journal: Hvorostovsky in Simon Boccanegra at Houston Grand Opera

"His sound was lustrous and even. His ability to convey the emotional point of words was a marvel (particularly in the recitative-like section of the council chamber scene). His stage presence was magnetic — even as another person sang. And

Deutsche Oper Berlin to Go Ahead With Controversial Idomeneo Following Assurances From Police(But Is It Worth the Effort?)

The Deutsche Oper Berlin announced today that it will go ahead with a controversial production of Mozart's Idomeneo which was cancelled last month due to fears of political or sectarian violence. The decision follows yesterday's determination by Berlin po

Leonid Hambro, Accomplished Concert Pianist and Straight Man for Victor Borge, Dies at 86

Leonid Hambro, a concert pianist with a remarkable memory who was a part of Victor Borge's piano comedy routines, died at 86 on October 23, reports the Associated Press.

Dallas Opera and Its Musicians Without Contract Two Weeks Before Season Opens

The Dallas Opera and its union orchestra are without a contract, two weeks before the 50th season opens on November 10 with Verdi's Nabucco, reports The Dallas Morning News.

Golden Meaning

HGO Music Director Patrick Summers addresses the mixture of comedy and drama in Mozart's Don Giovanni.

1906 Boston Symphony Recording Surfaces

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has unearthed what is believed to be its earliest recording: a pop ditty called The Kerry Dance, made by four BSO trombonists in 1906, reports The Boston Globe.

San Antonio International Piano Competition Names Winners - Following Dispute Between Jury and Board

Alexey Koltakov, a Ukraine native now studying at Texas Christian University, has won the top prize and $15,000 cash at the San Antonio International Piano Competition, which concluded on last Friday (October 20), reports the San Antonio Express News

Music: Trumpeting Freedom, in Spirit, Thought and Jazz

For the trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, one of the most acclaimed improvising musicians in Europe, the significance of jazz was unmistakable the first time he heard it more than 50 years ago.

Requiem for a Stores Dying Classical Department

The classical music department at the Tower Records store near Lincoln Center is a funereal place these days. Longtime shoppers are making final pilgrimages and having weepy farewells with sales clerks, some of whom have worked there for years and been he

Woman on Trial for Alleged Theft and Sale of Glenn Gould Papers

A New York jury was asked yesterday by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Martin to convict Barbara Moore on charges of stealing Glenn Gould mementos from the Gould collection at the Canadian Library and Archives in Ottawa, to which she had access to in

Metropolitan Opera Begins Free Weekly Live Audio Streams on Website Tonight

Tonight the Metropolitan Opera launches another of its recent efforts to reach new audiences within the US and abroad: a free weekly audio stream of a performance live from the house's stage.

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Appoints New CEO, Andr Gremillet

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has appointed 39-year-old Andr Gremillet as its president, effective January 2007, the orchestra announced today.

Edgar Summerlin, Pioneer of Liturgical Jazz, Dies at 78

Tenor saxophonist and composer Edgar E. Summerlin died at age 78 on October 10, reports The New York Times.

Nigel Kennedy Breaks Arm in Bicycle Accident

British violinist Nigel Kennedy has broken his arm in a bicycle accident in London, reports MusicalAmerica.com.

Birth of a Nation

As Houston Grand Opera presents its stirring production of Simon Boccanegra, George Jellinek uncovers the real Boccanegra and the political Verdi.

Swiss Conductor Michel Tabachnik on Trial in Connection With Cult Suicides

Swiss conductor Michel Tabachnik went on trial yesterday (October 23) for his alleged role in dozens of ritual killings perpetrated by the Order of the Solar Temple cult, reports the Associated Press.

Alabama Symphony Executive Director Resigns

Paul Ferrone has resigned as executive director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, reports The Birmingham News.

The Show Will Go On: Tenor Salvatore Licitra Injures Shoulder in Fall, But Will Sing at Met Tonight

San Diego Opera has launched a podcast series exploring the 2007 season.

San Diego Opera Begins Podcasting

San Diego Opera has launched a podcast series exploring the 2007 season.

1906 Boston Symphony Recording Surfaces

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has unearthed what is believed to be its earliest recording: a pop ditty called The Kerry Dance, made by four BSO trombonists in 1906, reports The Boston Globe.

Photo Journal: Hvorostovsky in Simon Boccanegra at Houston Grand Opera

"His sound was lustrous and even. His ability to convey the emotional point of words was a marvel (particularly in the recitative-like section of the council chamber scene). His stage presence was magnetic — even as another person sang. And

Defendant in Glenn Gould Document Trial Gets Split Verdict

Barbara Moore, the 62-year Texan woman charged with illegally possessing Glenn Gould memorabilia, was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of stolen property on October 24, reports the Associated Press. The New York jury acquitted

Deutsche Oper Berlin to Go Ahead With Controversial Idomeneo Following Assurances From Police(But Is It Worth the Effort?)

The Deutsche Oper Berlin announced today that it will go ahead with a controversial production of Mozart's Idomeneo which was cancelled last month due to fears of political or sectarian violence. The decision follows yesterday's determination by Berlin po

Leonid Hambro, Accomplished Concert Pianist and Straight Man for Victor Borge, Dies at 86

Leonid Hambro, a concert pianist with a remarkable memory who was a part of Victor Borge's piano comedy routines, died at 86 on October 23, reports the Associated Press.

Dallas Opera and Its Musicians Without Contract Two Weeks Before Season Opens

The Dallas Opera and its union orchestra are without a contract, two weeks before the 50th season opens on November 10 with Verdi's Nabucco, reports The Dallas Morning News.

Golden Meaning

HGO Music Director Patrick Summers addresses the mixture of comedy and drama in Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Alabama Symphony Executive Director Resigns

Paul Ferrone has resigned as executive director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, reports The Birmingham News.

The Show Will Go On: Tenor Salvatore Licitra Injures Shoulder in Fall, But Will Sing at Met Tonight

San Diego Opera has launched a podcast series exploring the 2007 season.

San Diego Opera Begins Podcasting

San Diego Opera has launched a podcast series exploring the 2007 season.

Metropolitan Opera Begins Free Weekly Live Audio Streams on Website Tonight

Tonight the Metropolitan Opera launches another of its recent efforts to reach new audiences within the US and abroad: a free weekly audio stream of a performance live from the house's stage.

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Appoints New CEO, Andr Gremillet

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has appointed 39-year-old Andr Gremillet as its president, effective January 2007, the orchestra announced today.

Edgar Summerlin, Pioneer of Liturgical Jazz, Dies at 78

Tenor saxophonist and composer Edgar E. Summerlin died at age 78 on October 10, reports The New York Times.

Nigel Kennedy Breaks Arm in Bicycle Accident

British violinist Nigel Kennedy has broken his arm in a bicycle accident in London, reports MusicalAmerica.com.

Birth of a Nation

As Houston Grand Opera presents its stirring production of Simon Boccanegra, George Jellinek uncovers the real Boccanegra and the political Verdi.

Swiss Conductor Michel Tabachnik on Trial in Connection With Cult Suicides

Swiss conductor Michel Tabachnik went on trial yesterday (October 23) for his alleged role in dozens of ritual killings perpetrated by the Order of the Solar Temple cult, reports the Associated Press.

Woman on Trial for Alleged Theft and Sale of Glenn Gould Papers

A New York jury was asked yesterday by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Martin to convict Barbara Moore on charges of stealing Glenn Gould mementos from the Gould collection at the Canadian Library and Archives in Ottawa, to which she had access to in

San Antonio International Piano Competition Names Winners - Following Dispute Between Jury and Board

Alexey Koltakov, a Ukraine native now studying at Texas Christian University, has won the top prize and $15,000 cash at the San Antonio International Piano Competition, which concluded on last Friday (October 20), reports the San Antonio Express News

Lyric Opera of Chicago Receives Grant to Fund Radio Broadcasts

Lyric Opera of Chicago has received a grant from the Matthew Bucksbaum Family to support the company's local and national radio broadcasts.

Lyric Opera of Chicago Opens 2006-07 Season With Turandot

Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its 2006-07 season last night with a revival of its famous staging of Puccini's Turandot designed by artist David Hockney. In the production, which has six performances through October 3 with another seven from January 13 thr

Michal Dworzynski Wins Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London

The 27-year-old Polish conductor Michal Dworzynski has won the 2006 Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London. He was awarded 15,000 and the opportunity to work as an assistant conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra for a year.

George Goslee, Longtime Principal Bassoonist of Cleveland Orchestra, Dies at 89

George Goslee, the Cleveland Orchestra's longtime principal bassoonist, died onOctober 19 at age 89, reports The Plain Dealer of Cleveland.

Music: Trumpeting Freedom, in Spirit, Thought and Jazz

For the trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, one of the most acclaimed improvising musicians in Europe, the significance of jazz was unmistakable the first time he heard it more than 50 years ago.

Requiem for a Stores Dying Classical Department

The classical music department at the Tower Records store near Lincoln Center is a funereal place these days. Longtime shoppers are making final pilgrimages and having weepy farewells with sales clerks, some of whom have worked there for years and been he

Kristin Chenoweth to Make Metropolitan Opera Debut on January 17

Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth will debut at the Metropolitan Opera on January 17.

The Case for Opera

Does the art form have a relevant place in contemporary culture? Lincoln Center Theater director Andr Bishop considers the question.

Washington National Opera to Simulcast Madama Butterfly on Mall November 21

Washington National Opera will present a free simulcast performance of Puccini's Madama Butterfly on the National Mall on November 12, transmitted live from the Kennedy Center stage.

Violist David Aaron Carpenter Wins 2006 Naumburg Competition

David Aaron Carpenter, a 20-year-old violist, has won the 2006 Naumburg Foundation viola competition, which concluded on Wednesday (October 18).

Deborah Voigt Sings Her First Staged Salome This Weekend at Lyric Opera of Chicago

Soprano Deborah Voigt makes her much anticipated first staged appearance in the title role of Francesca Zambello's new production of Salome, which opens the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2006-07 season on October 21.

Soprano Ruth Ann Swenson Diagnosed With Breast Cancer

Soprano Ruth Ann Swenson has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery next week and chemotherapy shortly afterwards, reports Opera News.

Arvo Pyart Dedicates All Performances of His Music This Season to Slain Journalist Anna Politkovskaya

Arvo Pyart will dedicate all performances of his music during the 2006-07 season to the memory of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered on October 7.

Christoph Eschenbach to Leave Philadelphia Orchestra After 2007-08 Season

Conductor Christoph Eschenbach announced today that he will step down as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the end of the 2007-08 season.

Music in Review

Alexander Nevsky at Lincoln Center, Veronika Povilioniene at the Thalia Theater, Beck at Madison Square Garden and Stefon Harris at Zankel Hall.

Christoph Eschenbach to Leave Philadelphia Orchestra After 2007-08 Season

Conductor Christoph Eschenbach announced today that he will step down as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the end of the 2007-08 season.

Photo Journal:Remembering Lorraine

Joshua Bell will perform and sign copies of his latest album, Voice of the Violin, at 7 pm at the Lincoln Triangle branch of Barnes & Noble, at Broadway and West 65th St. in Manhattan.

Violinist Joshua Bell Will Appear November 27 at Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble

Joshua Bell will perform and sign copies of his latest album, Voice of the Violin, at 7 pm at the Lincoln Triangle branch of Barnes & Noble, at Broadway and West 65th St. in Manhattan.

Fusion Revolutionary

Jazz legend Joe Zawinul hits Jazz at Lincoln Center this month.

Music: Films About Glenn Gould Arrive, Providing a Path Into the Mind of a Musician

“For Glenn, music was a mental process,” says Bruno Monsaingeon in his new film, “Glenn Gould: Hereafter.” The film will carry you deep inside Mr. Gould’s musical mind: an awesome place to be, and not always a comfortable one.

New Jersey Symphony Announces 2006-07 Season

Beethoven, much of it performed under music director Neeme Jrvi, will be the focus of the New Jersey Symphony's 2006-07 season.

San Francisco Bomb Squad Called to Davies Symphony Hall

The area around Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco was cleared for about two hours today while the city police department's bomb squad investigated an odd- and suspicious-looking device on the sidewalk outside the building.

Soprano Marisol Montalvo Steps In for Cellist Truls Mrk for Cleveland Orchestra Premiere

"The hardest-working musician on the Philadelphia Orchestra's European tour ... and the most watchable." That's how David Patrick Stearns of The Philadelphia Inquirer described soprano Marisol Montalvo, who gave riveting performances of Matthia

Chicago Symphony Increases Attendance, Revenue; Endowment Breaks $200 Million

At the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's 115th annual meeting on October 12, the orchestra's board and administration revealed that ticket sales, subscription renewals and fund-raising are all strong and the deficit has been reduced, reports the Chicago Sun-Ti

Andras Schiff and Cappella Andrea Barca Give Three Mozart Programs at Lincoln Center This Week

Acclaimed Hungarian pianist Andrs Schiff returns to Lincoln Center's Great Performers for three all-Mozart concerts at Alice Tully Hall beginning tonight.

Soprano Ruth Ann Swenson Diagnosed With Breast Cancer

Soprano Ruth Ann Swenson has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery next week and chemotherapy shortly afterwards, reports Opera News.

Boston Symphony Launches its Fall Podcast - Focusing on Beethoven and Schoenberg

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has launched its fall podcast, now available on the orchestra's website and at iTunes.

Welsh National Opera Announces Winter-Spring 2007 Season

The Welsh National Opera has announced its winter-spring season, which features a new production of Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina as well as revivals of Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Bizet's Carmen.

Rene Fleming to Make Appearance at Metropolitan Opera Shop Oct. 18

Star soprano Rene Fleming will be making a personal appearance tomorrow at the Metropolitan Opera Shop to greet well-wishers and sign copies of her latest CD.

San Francisco Opera Launches Discount Scheme With $50 Orchestra Seats

The San Francisco Opera will offer $50 orchestra tickets to members of its club for young adults.

Local Governments Pledge C$500,000 to Help Save Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony

Local governments have stepped in to help save the Ontario-based Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony from bankruptcy, reports local newspaper The Record.

Metropolitan Opera Appoints Donald Palumbo New Chorus Master

The Metropolitan Opera has named Donald Palumbo its new chorus master, beginning with the 2007-08 season. He succeeds Raymond Hughes, who is stepping down after sixteen seasons in the job.

Cellist Truls Mrk Cancels Tour With Gil Shaham and Yefim Bronfman; Lynn Harrell to Fill In

Cellist Truls Mork has withdrawn from an 11-stop chamber music tour of North America with violinist Gil Shaham and pianist Yefim Bronfman which was to culminate with a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. According to a statement from Carnegie's manageme

New York Philharmonic Launches Food Drive

The New York Philharmonic and the Food Bank for New York City will launch a weeklong city-wide campaign for hunger awareness tomorrow.

Lyric Opera of Chicago Returns to Radio After Four-Year Hiatus With Deborah Voigt in Salome

After a four-year hiatus, Lyric Opera of Chicago radio broadcasts will resume at 7:30 pm on October 21 with opening night of the company's new production of Salome, starring Deborah Voigt in the title role.

Jeffrey Kahane Withdraws From Houston Symphony Concerts Due to Injury

Jeffrey Kahane has withdrawn from conducting the Houston Symphony Orchestra on October 19, 21 and 22 due to shoulder and back problems. He will be replaced by Austrian conductor Christoph Campestrini on all three dates.

Arvo Pyart Dedicates All Performances of His Music This Season to Slain Journalist Anna Politkovskaya

Arvo Pyart will dedicate all performances of his music during the 2006-07 season to the memory of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered on October 7.

The Top Ten European Orchestras, According to Ten European Media Outlets

A consortium of ten European media outlets convened by the French magazine Le Monde de la Musique has named its list of the Top Ten European Orchestras — and the Vienna Philharmonic has taken the top slot, just barely beating out the Concertgebo

Orchestra Musicians Come Calling (and Playing)

For Edith and Jason Marks, the living room recital presented by two members of the London Symphony Orchestra was a poignant phrase in the soundtrack of their 43-year marriage.

LA Opera Launches Podcast Series

Following the premiere of its new production of Manon on September 30, the Los Angeles Opera has launched a podcast series which offers listeners insights into the creation of the production.

Choreographer Jane Comfort Replaces Denni Sayers in Chicago Lyric/Deborah Voigt Salome

New York-based choreographer Jane Comfort will make her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in the company's new production of Salome. Comfort replaces English choreographer Denni Sayers, who has withdrawn because of her husband's illness.

National Ballet of Canada Posts Surplus

The National Ballet of Canada has posted a $504,000 surplus for the 2005-06 season, the company announced today. (or yesterday?)

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Ratifies New Contract

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra board, management and musicians announced today that a two-year contract has been ratified, effective immediately.

Lincoln Center Opens 2006-07 American Songbook Season With Audra McDonald and Friends

"A transforming experience." That's how Stephen Holden of The New York Times described Audra McDonald's appearance last year in the American Songbook series at Lincoln Center in New York.

Montreal Symphony Announces Finalists of its International Composition Competition

Five candidates have been announced for the finals of the Montreal Symphony's first International Composition Prize: Britain's Luke Stoneham, France's Raphal Cendo, Ramon Humet and Eneko Vadillo Prez of Spain, and Canada's Paul Frehner.

Arnold Steinhardt of Guarneri String Quartet to Appear Tomorrow at Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble

Arnold Steinhardt, longtime first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet, will give a free performance tomorrow at 7 pm at the Lincoln Triangle branch of Barnes & Noble, at Broadway and West 65th St. in Manhattan.

Pianist Stewart Goodyear Replaces Andr Watts for Philadelphia Orchestra Concerts

Due to illness, pianist Andr Watts has withdrawn from his appearances tonight, tomorrow and Saturday (Oct. 14) with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Christoph Eschenbach at Verizon Hall in center city Philadelphia's Kimmel Center.

Elaine Calder Denies Reports of New Appointment at Oregon Symphony

Elaine Calder, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra's managing director, has not been appointed president of the Oregon Symphony, as was reported in several articles earlier this week.

Seiji Ozawa Withdraws From Paris Concerts for Health Reasons

Veteran conductor Seiji Ozawa has cancelled, for health reasons, two concerts with the Orchestre national de France (ONF) in Paris late next month.

Carry-On Luggage Restrictions Lead to Broken Arm for Jazz Trumpeter

Russian-American jazz musician Valery Ponomarev is the latest performer to struggle against stringent restrictions regarding carry-on luggage on flights, reports The New York Times.

Pittsburgh Opera Names Antony Walker as Music Director

The Pittsburgh Opera has appointed 38-year-old Australian conductor Antony Walker as its new music director, effective immediately, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Conductor Paavo Jarvi Takes Up New Post at Frankfurt Radio Symphony

Paavo Jarvi, chief conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, inaugurates his three-year tenure as chief conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra tonight.

Bournemouth Symphony Loses Tax Appeal (But Rural Opera House Wins)

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra has lost its appeal to qualify as a voluntary organization, which would have allowed it to sell VAT-free tickets.

Peruvian Tenor Juan Diego Flrez to Make Carnegie Recital Debut

The Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flrez, a noted Rossini specialist, will make his Carnegie Hall recital debut on December 1, accompanied by pianist Vincenzo Scalera.

Gothenburg Opera Gets Windfall From Swedish Tax Court Ruling

Sweden's Gothenburg Opera has beaten the taxman, following a court ruling that the VAT on its income is tax deductible, reports Gramophone Online.

Clarion Music Society Opens Season with Rare New York Performance of Beethoven on Period Instruments

Period-instrument Beethoven isn't exactly revolutionary in 2006. Boston Baroque, Tafelmusik in Toronto and Philharmonia Baroque in San Francisco all perform the symphonies; for European groups like the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (London), the O

Bass Yevgeny Nikitin Withdraws From Gergiev/Kirov Shostakovich Cycle at Lincoln Center

Yevgeny Nikitin has withdrawn from his scheduled appearances as bass soloist with the Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre under conductor Valery Gergiev at Lincoln Center on October 24 and 29.

Two Star Flutists, James Galway and Emmanuel Pahud, Give World Premieres of Concertos

Tonight, in Washington and Berlin, James Galway and Emmanuel Pahud, two of the most renowned flutists in the world, are each giving the world premiere of a concerto written expressly for him.

Russian Orthodox Church Campaigns Against Shostakovich Work

Shostakovich, who spent many years under censure from the Soviet government, is now facing a posthumous struggle with the Russian Orthodox Church.

San Francisco Symphony Receives $10 Million Challenge Grant

A new EMI Classics recording of Ecce Cor Meum, the second oratorio by Paul McCartney, has entered the Billboard classical chart this week at no. 2. It trails only Joshua Bell's Voice of the Violin, which entered the chart at no. 1 four weeks ago and has r

Opra de Montral on Shaky Ground

The Opera de Montral, which is facing major debt, considered canceling its 2006-07 season, reports the Montreal Gazette.

John Adams, Osmo Vnsk, Paavo Jarvi and (Yes) Paul McCartney Land on Billboard Classical Chart

A new EMI Classics recording of Ecce Cor Meum, the second oratorio by Paul McCartney, has entered the Billboard classical chart this week at no. 2. It trails only Joshua Bell's Voice of the Violin, which entered the chart at no. 1 four weeks ago and has r

Tower Records to Be Liquidated

Tower Records, the long-troubled music retailer which filed for bankruptcy for the second time in late August, was purchased at auction today by Great American Group, which will begin liquidating the company immediately.

Arts Council of England to Cut One-Quarter of Its Staff

The Arts Council of England will cut a quarter of its staff in a restructuring effort that aims to save the organization 1.8 million, reports Britain's The Stage.

Pittsburgh Opera Introduces "The Opera Lady"

The Pittsburgh Opera has decided to try and bridge the gap between opera connoisseur and novice with the help of the Opera Lady, who will answer questions from potential attendees baffled by the art form.

New York Philharmonic Launches Third Season of Radio Broadcasts on WFMT Network Next Week

The New York Philharmonic and the WFMT Radio Network in Chicago will launch the third season of the concert broadcast series "The New York Philharmonic This Week" beginning October 2.

Live and Learn

A new concert series designed for families begins at Powell Symphony Hall in St. Louis in October.

Opera Cleveland Appoints First Executive Director

Opera Cleveland has appointed Jeff Sodowsky as its first executive director, effective October 16.

Finnish Radio Symphony Puts Concert Archives Online

The Finnish Radio Symphony has become the latest orchestra to offer its archives online. Details regarding individual concerts are currently only in Finnish.

Reich From the Start

Lincoln Center's Great Performers series salutes composer Steve Reich on his 70th birthday.

Classical CD Highlights: October

Several top musicians share their favorite short pieces and a British label returns to the Unites States with a seminal recording by the late Malcolm Arnold.

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Radio Broadcasts Begin Today

David Finckel and Wu Han, artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center have announced the 2006-07 season of national radio broadcasts, which begin today.

Chicago Symphony Opens Season (Officially) With Gala Featuring Yo-Yo Ma and Cyndia Sieden

Okay, so they've already been giving concerts for a few weeks. They even gave a world premiere last night. But the Chicago Symphony officially opens its season this evening with a gala concert featuring superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma and coloratura soprano C

Planets and Asteroids (from Simon Rattle) and Stars (Fleisher, Andsnes, Genaux) Enter Billboard Classical Chart

Perhaps it's Pluto's last hurrah. A new recording by Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic of Holst's The Planets — with the additional movement composed by Colin Matthews in honor of the recently decertified planet — has made its d

Los Angeles Opera Opens Manon Starring Netrebko and Villazn

They've been called "opera's most electrifying stage duo." Soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Rolando Villazn, who have been burning up opera stages on two continents together, return to Los Angeles Opera for Massenet's Manon. The new production, d

Cleveland Orchestra Opens Season With Andsnes and Quasthoff

The Cleveland Orchestra opens its 2006-07 season this evening with a special gala concert celebrating the 75th anniversary of Severance Hall, the orchestra's renowned home.

Plcido Domingo Writing Book Called The Joy of Opera

The king of the operatic multitaskers, tenor/conductor/administrator Plcido Domingo, is now set to become an author as well. He has begun writing The Joy of Opera, a book which promises to offer insights into operas and how people can better enjoy them &a

Rene Fleming and James Galway Join James Levine and Boston Symphony to Open 2006-07 Season

The Boston Symphony and music director James Levine opened their 2006-07 season at Symphony Hall last night with a special gala concert featuring James Galway and Rene Fleming. Galway performed the Lyric Concerto for flute and orchestra composed for him b

Virginia Symphony Orchestra Balances Budget for Fourth Consecutive Year

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra has balanced its budget for the fourth consecutive year, the orchestra announced today.

Quasthoff Lets Go

The legendary bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff warms up for a thrilling season of Carnegie Hall Perspectives concerts.

Metropolitan Opera Offers $100 Orchestra Seats for $20

The Metropolitan Opera has announced the introduction of $20 community rush tickets at most weeknight performances this season. Up to 200 seats in the house's orchestra section, normally priced at $100, will be made available at the box office on the day

Los Angeles Opera Announces Details for Upcoming Ring Cycle

LA Opera general director Plcido Domingo has announced details for the company's premiere of Wagner's Ring cycle, which will be directed and designed by Achim Freyer. Music director James Conlon will conduct a cast including Plcido Domingo, Vitalij Kowalj

Spain to Establish National Ballet Company

Spain is the only western European country without a national ballet company, but that may soon change.

San Francisco Opera Launches First Podcast Interview, Featuring Deborah Voigt

San Francisco Opera's debut podcasting interview, a conversation with soprano Deborah Voigt, is now available on the company's website.