T/classical-music

  1. An American Conductor Comes Home to Lead Houston Grand Opera Arts, Today

    After more than a decade in Europe, James Gaffigan is returning to the United States to take over one of the nation’s highest-profile opera houses.

  2. How the Metropolitan Opera Feeds Its Over-the-Top Appetites Food, Today

    When the curtain goes down onstage, it goes up at the Met’s restaurant, bars and staff cafeteria.

  3. Music to Mourn Ukraine in World War II Returns With Fresh Urgency Arts, Yesterday

    Thomas de Hartmann’s Violin Concerto was long neglected but is now being championed by Joshua Bell, while Ukraine is once again under attack.

  4. Itzhak Perlman Wasn’t Sure About Doing ‘Schindler’s List’ Arts, November 1

    “I foolishly said that I’d think about if I wanted to do it,” the violinist said. “And Toby, my wife, said, ‘Are you out of your mind? You’re going to think about it?’ So I called back.”

  5. 28 Things to Do in N.Y.C. in November Arts, November 1

    Sure, Tom Turkey looms large this month, but other highlights include a magic show with Muppets, Patti Smith and “Horses,” and wrestling drag queens.

  6. A Black Composer Was a Star, Then Faded. Is It Time to Shine Again? Arts, October 28

    Samuel Coleridge-Taylor devotees are working to revive his music and legacy coinciding with the 150th anniversary of his birth.

  7. A Conductor Returns to New York After His Unhappy Philharmonic Tenure Arts, October 27

    Jaap van Zweden left the New York Philharmonic in 2024. Now he’s returning to the city with his new orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

  8. Benita Valente, Acclaimed Bel Canto Soprano, Is Dead at 91 Arts, October 25

    Her career spanned decades, included performances at the Metropolitan Opera and brought her effusive praise from critics and operaphiles.

  9. J. William Middendorf II, 81, Dies; Navy Secretary and Musical Diplomat U.S., October 24

    A G.O.P. fund-raiser, he was the Navy chief under Gerald R. Ford and held ambassadorships in the 1970s and ’80s. He gained notice for his classical music compositions.

  10. Arvo Pärt Gets the 90th Birthday Concert He Deserves Arts, October 24

    The Estonian Festival Orchestra made its North American debut at Carnegie Hall, offering a broad, excellently played survey of Pärt’s music.

  11. Under Trump, National Symphony Opens Concerts With the National Anthem Arts, October 23

    The new directive came after President Trump made himself chairman of the Kennedy Center, the home of the orchestra.

  12. American Wins International Chopin Piano Competition Arts, October 21

    In Warsaw, a 27-year-old pianist from Massachusetts beat out 180 competitors to win what some call the Olympics of the piano world.

  13. His Music Saw Our Age of Information Overload Coming Arts, October 21

    Luciano Berio, who would have turned 100 this year, anticipated an overwhelming media culture in his classic “Sinfonia.”

  14. Can an Israel Philharmonic Concert Be Just About Music? Arts, October 20

    In the days following a cease-fire in Gaza, the orchestra returned to New York under circumstances that were more tense than usual.

  15. Israel Philharmonic Draws Protests as Fragile Cease-Fire Holds in Gaza Arts, October 16

    Carnegie Hall was a site of protest on Wednesday, one of many demonstrations over the last two years targeting cultural events, particularly those with Israeli artists.

  16. The Conductor Who Set the Course of Music in the 20th Century Arts, October 14

    Pierre Monteux, who led the scandalous premiere of “The Rite of Spring,” went on to a career of remarkable peace and selflessness.

  17. He’s Cuing a New Era at One of America’s Oldest Orchestras Arts, October 12

    Cristian Macelaru has started his tenure as the music director of the storied Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

  18. Boulez by Salonen: Roots, Branches and Family Ties Arts, October 10

    In two programs with the New York Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen has constructed a moving exploration of musical legacy.

  19. Why Families Are Leaving New York City New York, October 10

    Households with three or more children have declined sharply in the city. Housing and child care costs are the big reasons.

  20. 5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now Arts, October 9

    Works by Philip Glass and Bohuslav Martinu, as well as performances by Daniil Trifonov and Jonas Kaufmann, are among the highlights.

  21. At a Bastion of Classical Music, She’s Amplifying the Experimental Arts, October 8

    Caterina Barbieri, 35, plays gigs on banks of synthesizers. That makes her a surprising choice to lead the cerebral Venice Music Biennale.

  22. Helmut Lachenmann’s Music Is Like Nothing Else Arts, October 8

    The composer, who turns 90 this fall, has expanded the spectrum of sounds that instruments produce and that audiences can perceive.

  23. Jaap van Zweden’s Brief, Fraught Time Atop the New York Philharmonic Arts & Leisure, May 28

    He arrived on a mission to reshape the ensemble as its music director. Now, as he departs, he’s still making sense of his pandemic-interrupted tenure.

  24. Audience Snapshot: Four Years After Shutdown, a Mixed Recovery Culture, March 12

    Covid brought live performance to a halt. Now the audience for pop concerts and sporting events has roared back, while attendance on Broadway and at some major museums is still down.

  25. It’s Never Too Late to Find a New Career (a Mile Above Your Old One) Projects and Initiatives, March 12

    Patrick Milando, an accomplished French horn player, now splits his time between the orchestra pit and the cockpit, where he teaches budding pilots like he himself once was.

  26. Channeling the Pain of Chinese Immigrants, in Music and Verse Arts & Leisure, January 7

    “Angel Island,” an oratorio by Huang Ruo, brings to life the stark poetry of the people who were detained on the California island in the early 1900s.

  27. Raising Our Glasses to a Pianist Who Loves Vodka Metro, October 13

    Gary Graffman, who is turning 95, is a man of many enthusiasms, including citrus infusions.

  28. Audiences Are Coming Back to Orchestras After ‘Scary’ Sales Last Fall Culture, May 23

    “It seemed like a switch flipped right before Thanksgiving,” the leader of the Chicago Symphony said.

  29. The Met’s Efforts to Increase Ticket Sales for Operas Letters, December 30

    Readers praise plans for more contemporary works. Also: Zelensky and American values; protecting the minority; remote work; the Groucho exception.

  30. Onstage, It’s Finally Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Again Culture, December 21

    After one holiday season lost to the pandemic and another curtailed by Omicron, seasonal staples including “The Nutcracker,” “A Christmas Carol” and “Messiah” are back in force.

  31. After Covid, Playing Trumpet Taught Me How to Breathe Again Magazine, November 29

    The benefits of group (music) therapy.

  32. In New York, Masks Will Not Be Required at the Opera or Ballet Culture, October 17

    Many arts groups, worried about alienating older patrons, have maintained strict rules. Now “the time has come to move on,” one leader said.

  33. Live Performance Is Back. But Audiences Have Been Slow to Return. Culture, August 21

    Attendance lagged in the comeback season, as the challenges posed by the coronavirus persisted. Presenters hope it was just a blip.

  34. Theater at Geffen Hall to Be Named for Two Key Donors Culture, August 3

    The Wu Tsai Theater will honor a $50 million gift from Joseph Tsai, a founder of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, and Clara Wu Tsai, a philanthropist.

  35. San Antonio Symphony to Dissolve Amid Labor Dispute Culture, June 17

    The decision will make San Antonio the largest American city without a major orchestra.

  36. San Antonio Symphony to Dissolve Amid Labor Dispute Culture, June 17

    The decision will make San Antonio the largest American city without a major orchestra.

  37. Never Missing a Curtain This Season, the Met Opera Takes a Final Bow Culture, June 13

    As it ended a challenging pandemic return, the Met had one last marathon: a matinee, an evening performance, and then moving out as American Ballet Theater moved in.

  38. New York Philharmonic Agrees to Restore Pay for Musicians Culture, June 13

    After a stronger-than-expected season, the orchestra said it would reverse pay cuts imposed at the height of the pandemic.

  39. At the Met This Season, Opera Was Icing on the Cake Arts & Leisure, June 12

    Amid a labor battle, the continuing pandemic and war in Ukraine, it often felt as though the real drama was in simply putting on a show.