Budapest Mahler Third, Sprawling And Specific, Is A Carnegie Highlight
NEW YORK – Having lived with Mahler for years, Budapest Festival Orchestra founder-director Iván Fischer renders challenges invisible and mishaps unimportant thanks to his big picture of the work. It was one of the hall's great evenings this season.
Wish For Social Justice In Troubled Times Gets A Spirited Concert Amen
BEAVERTON, Ore. – In a program entitled What Is Your Hand in This? reflecting on America's 250th birthday and including works by enslaved people, bass-baritone Davóne Tines and the nuevo-Baroque ensemble Ruckus explored who we are.
Musical Culture Reigns In Dutch Competitions For Piano And Violin
UTRECHT – Liszt Utrecht 2026 and the Netherlands Violin Competition presented two perspectives on how competitions work when they are designed as cultural ecosystems nurturing artistic growth and public engagement.
Frankfurt Opera Trek: Baroque To ‘Carmen’ To A Holocaust Flashback
FRANKFURT – Three operas over as many evenings at Oper Frankfurt revealed why the company has repeatedly been honored as Germany's top opera house. The shows also displayed the breadth of American talent here.
‘Oklahoma!’ — No, Wait, It’s ‘Manon!’ Done With Exclamatory Concision
NEW YORK – Heartbeat Opera's 90-minute, one-act distillation of Massenet's tragedy parlays a Broadway vibe into a musically rewarding take on the tale, offering ample edge as well as boundless energy. It's even been exuberantly retitled.
No Time For Rehearsal, Pianist Tosses Off Grieg Concerto In Grand Style
PORTLAND, Ore. – When the scheduled soloist injured her hand, multi-prize winner Ying Li caught a flight from New York to join the Oregon Symphony on stage and deliver a bravura performance with conductor David Danzmayr.
When Hahn Bows Out, Kyrgyzstan Violinist Polishes Up Prokofiev
VIENNA – Stepping in for Hahn, who was to play Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto but had to cancel, violinist Alena Baeva (right) appeared with London's visiting Philharmonia Orchestra led by principal conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali.
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Classical Voice North America has won praise for the quality of its informative reviews, articles, commentary, and occasional podcasts at a time when many newspapers have cut back or eliminated coverage. We explore the richness of the classical music scene: opera productions, leading and regional orchestras, new works and upcoming artists, plus calendar listings. But access is free, so we need your support!
IN THE NEWS: MCANA MEMBERS' PICKS
- The grave risk of Trump’s Kennedy Center shutdown - by Philip Kennicott at Washington Post
- Vancouver Symphony offers sophisticated delights with launch of Modum - by David Gordon Duke at Vancouver Sun
- Philip Glass pulls world premiere from Kennedy Center - by Michael Andor Brodeur at Washington Post
- 2026: Gabriela Lena Frank, Composer of the Year - at 2026 Musical America Awards
- The Cliburn, Known for Piano Competitions, Will Hold One for Conductors - by Derrick Bryson Taylor at NY Times
- Yo-Yo Ma plays for the whales - at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- A new ‘Petrushka’ is bringing shape-shifting human puppets to Philadelphia - by David Patrick Stearns at Philadelphia Inquirer
- New Man for the Paris Opera - by Ronald Blum via Musical America
- Guerrero, Grant Park Music Festival to explore the meaning of “American music” in nation’s 250th anniversary - by Lawrence A. Johnson at Chicago Classical Review
- Met Opera season broadcast dates - at MetOpera.org
- 120 years of Deutsche Grammophon, Anniversary Edition – at Diabolus in MusicaIn Defense of the Traditional Review – by Richard Brody at The New Yorker
- Boulanger: The celebrated teacher’s early opera is brought back to life - by Andrew Clements at The Guardian
- Emanuel Ax, Artist of the Year - at Musical America
- Jakub Hruša, Conductor of the Year – at Musical America
- Gabriela Lena Frank, Composer of the Year - at Musical America
- Arvo Pärt 'And I Heard a Voice' - Lebrecht Weekly Album of the Year - at MyScena
- Who wrote 'Porgy and Bess'? – by Joe Horowitz at Unanswered Question
- NY Times Advertises for Classical Music Critic - by Norman Lebrecht at SlippeDisc
- From Slurpees to Shostakovich, an abandoned 7-Eleven becomes a home for classical music - by Graham Meyer for WBEZ
- 5 Questions to Composer Corie Rose Soumah - by Sonna Lee Davidson at I Care if You Listen
- Steve Reich picks his top discs - by Steve Reich at Nonesuch
- Santa Fe's New 'Figaro': Perfect Timing - by Thomas May at Musical America
- Ryan Speedo Green triumphs in first outing as Wagner’s god in 'Die Walküre' - by Mike Silverman at Associated Press
- Santa Fe Opera 2025 Season Review: The Fresh in the Familiar - by Heidi Waleson at Wall Street Journal
- To thrive in 2025, Opera Baltimore is willing to try it all — even AI – by Wesley Case at Baltimore Banner
- Innovative, immersive theatre bringing classical music to younger audiences – by Samiar Nefzi at WPLG
Around the US
Adams Piano Concerto: Emblem Of Americana Amid All-American Fare
LOS ANGELES – While we have yet to define John Adams' place in American music, on a program he conducted with the LA Philharmonic, he wasn't shy about linking his latest piano concerto, After the Fall, to works by Ives, Harris, and Copland.
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Welcome to Classical Voice North America, the online magazine of the Music Critics Association of North America. Since 2013, CVNA has been a vibrant outlet for music criticism, providing expert coverage by members and occasional guest contributors. If you are a writer with experience in classical music, please consider joining MCANA. Together, we will keep music criticism alive and well.
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New Recording Displays Sensual Component In David Lang’s Choral Art
DIGITAL REVIEW – The album performed by The Crossing chamber choir captures Lang’s ability to blend minimalism with emotional resonance, drawing listeners to a place where recurring text and minimal harmony hold the allure of simplicity.
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2,700 Insights: CVNA’s Expert Reviews Deliver World Of Music To You
PERSPECTIVE – Since its founding in 2013, Classical Voice North America has posted some 2,700 articles, forming a permanent archive of events worldwide. Here's a sampling of work by 45 writers in 2025 that you might have missed.
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