Latest Classical music News
La Scala's gala season premiere vanquished bad-luck vibes around long-absent Verdi opera
MILAN (AP) — Milan’s storied Teatro alla Scala presented Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” for its gala season premiere Saturday for the first time in 59 years, determined to shake the opera's reputation for bringing bad luck. The production conducted by Riccardo...
Car rams and injures orchestral musicians in Belgrade during a protest over station roof collapse
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra said four of its musicians were injured Friday in an incident during a weekly 15-minute traffic blockade commemorating the 15 people who died when a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in a northern Serbian city last month. ...
Semyon Bychkov conducts through pain in celebrating Year of Czech Music with North American tour
NEW YORK (AP) — Eva Krestová remembered Semyon Bychkov’s first rehearsal as chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, leading Shostakovich’s “Leningrad” symphony. “I was shaking,” the viola leader recalled of that day in Prague’s Rudolfinum. “He smiled at me and...
American tenor Brian Jagde gets last-minute call to sing in La Scala's gala season premiere
MILAN (AP) — American tenor Brian Jagde was just wrapping up Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” in Barcelona last month when he got a last-minute offer to sing the same role in La Scala’s gala season premiere this Saturday, arguably the opera world’s most prestigious gig. ...
Kate Hamill delivers a 'feminist primal scream' with her new play 'The Light and the Dark'
NEW YORK (AP) — The inspiration for Kate Hamill's latest play came from across centuries and the planet. The actor-playwright was honeymooning in Italy in 2020 when she walked into the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and spotted a painting by pioneering Baroque painter Artemisia...
Bayreuth trims 150th anniversary festival, citing budget cuts
The Bayreuth Festival dropped four productions from its 150th anniversary season in 2026 because of budget cuts, the festival said Thursday. The German festival devoted to composer Richard Wagner attributed the decision to its employees' public-service sector labor contracts and an...
From Bach to Beyonce, why a church orchestra aims to lift up young musicians of color
ANAHEIM, California (AP) — For over two years, Ebonie Vazquez searched to find a mentor of color for her son, Giovanni, now 11 and passionate about playing the violin. She has now found that space at a local church. New Hope Presbyterian Church, a multiethnic congregation led by a...
Matías Tarnopolsky to become New York Philharmonic CEO, teaming with Gustavo Dudamel
NEW YORK (AP) — Matías Tarnopolsky will become president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic on Jan. 1 after six years heading the Philadelphia Orchestra, a hiring boosted by his long friendship with incoming music director Gustavo Dudamel. Tarnopolsky's appointment was announced...
More than 3,000 fake Gibson guitars seized at Los Angeles port
LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than 3,000 fake Gibson electric guitars shipped from Asia were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport, authorities said. Had the guitars been authentic, they would have been worth $18 million, U.S. Customs...
Jon Batiste, Ledisi, Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle to perform during Super Bowl pregame
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Super Bowl pregame will have some Louisiana flavor: Multi-talented performer Jon Batiste will hit the stage to sing the national anthem, while Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle are slated to perform “America the Beautiful.” The performances will take...
