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&#