Joy Amid A Mélange: Music Of Hilda Paredes Sparks A Refreshing CD
DIGITAL REVIEW – In three premiere recordings played by Freiburg-based Ensemble Aventure, the Mexican-born composer melds the musics of early Latin America with those of modern Europe, with a backdrop of cutting-edge electronics.
3 Monodramas Explore Multifaceted Characters Cast In Orchestral Light
BOSTON – To believably conjure a character, develop gestures, and maintain tension in the spare front of stage, with no props is a tour de force. With the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, three singers probed deep into classic figures.
On Final Tour, Assads Flash Virtuosity, Probe Their Brazilian Roots
EVANSTON, Ill. – Brothers Sérgio and Odair Assad, who have been performing together as a guitar duo for six decades, often with other artists, were at their best in an intimate recital hall, just the two of them, direct and unadorned, brilliant as ever.
Pain, Peril Of Gay Love In McCarthy Era Vividly Etched On Opera Stage
SEATTLE – Fellow Travelers, Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce's opera about the anti-queer witch hunt of the 1950s, began its 10th-anniversary tour at Seattle Opera. The story and music have only grown in power since I attended the premiere.
A Half-Size Orchestra Takes Off-Angles On Quasi-Iconic Classics
SEATTLE – With much of the band across town collaborating on a Seattle Opera production, the Seattle Symphony and music director Xian Zhang ventured into Beethoven's Fourth Symphony and the Schumann Cello Concerto with Jan Vogler.
With An Eye To Future, LA Ensemble Shows It’s Thriving In The Present
LOS ANGELES – A change of musical leadership looming and (another) new home in prospect, the LA Chamber Orchestra served up a concert of characteristic range and polish with Fazil Say as the soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3.
Music Bright And Veiled Melds Into Grand Blaze Of Renaissance Rome
NEW YORK – The Marian Consort’s program “City of Echoes: Rome in the 16th Century” illuminated works by Josquin, Palestrina, and Lassus, as well as Vicente Lusitano and Jean Mouton, whose music has seen nearly 500 years of unjust neglect.
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CVNA MARKS 12TH ANNIVERSARY!
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
- Klaus at Chicago's Art Institute - by Hannah Edgar at Chicago Sun-Times
- Is Lise Davidson the soprano of the century? - by Fiona Maddocks at The Observer
- From Kythera to Boston: The Greek pianist setting fire to classical music - by Anna Cominos at Greek Herald
- 2025 in classical music: A year of small triumphs, against all odds - by Michael Andor Brodeur at Washington Post
- Vote for your favorite classical music in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2026 - at Classic FM
- Gesualdo Six explored controversial namesake in new theatrical concert - results at Classic FM
- Chen Yi - Tchaikovsky without Tears - by Harry Rolnick at Concertonet.comWhen the Newspaper Fires the Last Music Critic – by Laurie Niles at Violinist.com
- 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
Around the US
‘Death Of Gesualdo’ Frames Antique Music In Very Distant Action
NEW YORK – In the long, long theatrical space of a church, director Bill Barclay and the British early-music ensemble The Gesualdo Six teamed up for a music drama rich in musical rewards but a challenge visually from a football field away.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
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.
AROUND CANADA
INTERNATIONAL
DISC AND STREAM
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.
GAIL WEIN FOR CLASSICAL GAS
ISSUES IN THE ARTS
Performance Can Take Music Down Pathways Blazed By Circumstance
PERSPECTIVE – The strident urgency of James Ehnes' turn through Sibelius' Violin Concerto with the Minnesota Orchestra, soon after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by ICE agents, bespoke a long history of music's expressive shape-shifting.
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