These classical music and arts-related stories have been recommended by members of the Music Critics Association of North America and the editors of Classical Voice North America. Members — do you have a story to recommend? Send the headline and link to cvna.desk@gmail.com
March 2015
Jordi Savall’s never-ending repertoire — By Zachary Woolfe at the New York Times
Handel and Haydn Society exhibits its wares on anniversary day — By Elissa Birdseye at the Boston Musical Intelligencer
Crafty Stephen Cohn Premieres in Pacific Palisades and Pasadena — By Rodney Punt at LA Opus
Emerson Quartet inspires affection — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Canadian Opera Company general director Alexander Neef on the intersection of art and music — By Jared Bland at the Globe and Mail
Tilson Thomas leads London Symphony in victory lap at Disney Hall — By Richard S. Ginell at LA Times
A Fight at the Opera: Peter Gelb has a bold vision. Can the Met afford it? — By James B. Stewart at The New Yorker
MusicNOW, Cincinnati Symphony Partner for Second Year — By Mary Ellyn Hutton at Music in Cincinnati
‘Written on Skin,’ an opera in concert at the Toronto Symphony — By Colin Eatock at Eatock Daily
David Geffen paid $100 million to get his name on Lincoln Center, and that`s kind of gross — By Felix Salmon at Slate.com
Interview with Paavo Järvi: Globe-Trotting Maestro — By Mary Ellyn Hutton at Music in Cincinnati
The future of orchestral music in two pieces — By Justin Davidson at Vulture.com
L.A. Phil’s Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla lights a fire at Disney Hall — By Mark Swed at the L.A. Times
February 2015
Pulitzer winner Kevin Puts returns to Minnesota Opera with high expectations — By Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune
How should artists engage with times of crisis? — By John Luther Adams at Slate
Opera is dead? — By Alan Fletcher at Huffpost Arts and Culture
Exploratory ‘First Take’ presents six operas in progress — By Mark Swed at the L.A. Times
An award to honor Julius Rudel — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
Memorable work from Jacobs, Bronfman and the Cleveland Orchestra — By Daniel Hathaway at ClevelandClassical
LPO returns to Orpheum Theater and sets a ‘Resurrection’ season for 2015-2016 — By Chris Waddington at NOLA.com
The (new) golden age of classical music — By Richard Todd at Wolfgangs Tonic
Alan Gilbert to leave the New York Philharmonic in 2017 — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
‘Don Giovanni’ in New York, Paris and Toronto — By Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
Edmonton Symphony shines under conductor Bill Eddins — By Mark Morris at the Edmonton Journal
Grammys 2015: ‘City Noir,’ L.A.’s Partch take home awards — By Saba Hamedy at the L.A. Times
America’s orchestras grapple with lack of diversity — By Brian Wise and Naomi Lewin at WQXR
Gergiev and Mariinsky: Sparkling Prokofiev, Searing Shostakovich, and Some Tchaikovsky on the Side — By Geoffrey Simon at CVNC
January 2015
Chicago SO at Carnegie with Muti, a story-teller, and an operatic one at that — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Winnipeg puts New York, California to shame with new music festival — By Teghan Beaudette at CBC News
Yannick Nézet-Séguin signs with Philadelphia Orchestra through 2022 — By Peter Dobrin at the Philadelphia Inquirer
Dallas Opera hits a double with ‘La Wally’ and ‘Everest’ — By David Weuste at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Mason Bates named composer-in-residence at the Kennedy Center — By Jaime Prisco at Classicalite
Protester climbs on to stage at Met Opera — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
The Pleasures of Richard Strauss — By Tim Page at the New York Review of Books
Mozart’s Don Giovanni falls hard under COC’s heavy hand and curtain — By Arthur Kaptainis at the National Post
New York City Opera board prefers lower bid — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
Kent Nagano and Toronto’s Tafelmusik deliver Beethoven at his best — By Michael Vincent at the Toronto Star
Composer Michael Gordon to celebrate Miami Beach with New World Symphony premiere — By Sarah Hucal at South Florida Classical Review
Opera conductor Karen Keltner broke the gender barrier — By John Patrick Ford at the San Diego Source
‘The Song Continues’ celebrates the art of song — By Vivien Schweitzer at the New York Times
Paul Jacobs carries torch for organists — By Elijah Ho at the San Francisco Examiner
21-year-old Atlanta Symphony bassoonist wins post as new principal with Chicago Symphony — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
In Paris, a New Music Hub Hums — By Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
A New Festival for New Music — By Allan Kozinn at the Wall Street Journal
L.A. Opera tackles immigration with `Figaro 90210`— By Josie Huang at Southern California Public Radio
National Symphony Orchestra hits the clubs, and scores — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Top 25 pianists in Canada — By Matthew Parsons at CBC Music
Leadership and the art of orchestra conducting — By Shelley Karabell at Forbes magazine
New York’s Prototype Festival offers a mix of opera and theater — By Heidi Waleson at the Wall Street Journal
Four nights of contemporary music in Vancouver — By David Gordon Duke at the Vancouver Sun
Canadian Opera Company unveils homegrown products — By Kate Taylor at the Globe and Mail
Two California opera companies to merge — By Marijke Rowland and Donald Munro at the Fresno Bee
Carlos Kalmar nails American music plan for Grant Park Music Festival — by Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
December 2014
Then and now, L.A. women get things done in classical music — By Mark Swed at the Los Angeles Times
Lyric chief Anthony Freud plots new directions for Chicago opera — By Mike Silverman at U.S. News
How the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra wants to re-invent the modern chamber orchestra — By Doug Grow at MinnPost
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein goes beyond Bach at the Met — By James R. Oestreich at the New York Times
Excellent biography of composer Claude Vivier is long overdue — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Montreal Gazette
Edmonton composers Alissa Cheung and Vivian Fung finding success on bigger stages — By Mark Morris at the Edmonton Journal
Cincinnati Music Hall gets $25 million tax-credit — By Janelle Gelfand at the Cincinnati Enquirer
Why failing orchestras are the problem of every American — By David Donnelly at the Huffington Post
John Adams’ ‘Death of Klinghoffer’ at the Met — By Anthony Tomassini at the New York Times
Four New Yorkers offer different perspectives on ‘Klingoffer’ — By Moustafa Bayoumi, Kayla Epstein, Alan Yuhas and Eli Valley at the Guardian
Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus dies at 65 — By Ian Holubiak at Classicalite
Newly created Pennsylvania Philharmonic launches season — By David Patrick Stearns at the Philadelphia Inquirer
November 2014
Boston Symphony’s Andris Nelsons: maestro of emotionality — By Christopher Lydon at Radio Open Source (audio interview)
Finally, a Max Reger moment at the L.A. Philharmonic — By Mark Swed at the L.A. Times
Alasdair Neal returns to New World Symphony for thrilling Dvořák — By Lawrence Budmen at South Florida Classical Review
Jahja Ling to leave San Diego Symphony — By James Chute at the San Diego Union-Tribune
Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra launches in Los Angeles — Rodney Punt at Huffington Post
L.A. Opera Revives Florencia en el Amazonas — Rodney Punt at San Francisco Classical Voice
Roll over, Mahler: U.S. orchestras are shrinking — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
The shape of opera to come: ‘The Fool’ at issue project room — By John Chiaverina at ArtNews
Andras Nelsens energizes the Boston Symphony — By Alex Ross at the New Yorker
“The Death of Klinghoffer” is already a different experience than it was at its Brussels premiere 23 years ago — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Langrée-CSO Mahler First Resplendent — By Mary Ellyn Hutton at Music in Cincinnati
Atlanta Symphony returns to applause and criticism — By Mark Gresham at ArtsATL.com
A tale of two Bohèmes — By Janos Gereben at San Francisco Classical Voice
Czech Philharmonic comes to Fairfax — Robert R. Reilly at Ionarts
Vancouver SO conductor loses scores to theft — By Marsha Lederman at the Globe and Mail
LA Opera’s double-bill of Bluebeard’s Castle and Dido and Aeneas frustrates — By Timothy Mangan at the Orange County Register
Virgil Thomson, the greatest music critic — By Jeff Simon at the Buffalo News
Comedic Riccardo Muti leaves ’em laughing — By Lawrence B. Johnson at Chicago On the Aisle
Boston SO to celebrate 75 years at Tanglewood — By Jeremy Eichler at the Boston Globe
Atlanta Symphony musicians agree to a four-year contract — By Howard Pousner at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Happily in tune with CSO, Muti nixes idea of position at Vienna State Opera — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
October 2014
Pianist asks the Washington Post to remove concert review — By Caitlin Dewey at the Washington Post
Vienna Aisle: Inside reeling mind of Tannhäuser via a bold psychological thriller at the Staatsoper — By Lawrence B. Johnson at Chicago On the Aisle
Dido & Aeneas , Bluebeard’s Castle in a Duo at LA Opera — By Rodney Punt at LA Opus
Portland Opera makes move to summer seasons — By David Stabler at the Oregonian
Why failing orchestras are the problem of every American — By David Donnelly at the Huffington Post
John Adams’ ‘Death of Klinghoffer’ at the Met — By Anthony Tomassini at the New York Times
Four New Yorkers offer different perspectives on ‘Klingoffer’ — By Moustafa Bayoumi, Kayla Epstein, Alan Yuhas and Eli Valley at theGuardian
Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus dies at 65 — By Ian Holubiak at Classicalite
Newly created Pennsylvania Philharmonic launches season — By David Patrick Stearns at the Philadelphia Inquirer
Aidan Lang’s Seattle Opera debut — By Ronald Holden at Crosscut.com
Canadian Opera’s Falstaff is a fine figure of a performance — By Arthur Kaptainis at the National Post
Four types of cranky letters from readers — By Scott Cantrell at the Dallas Morning News
Lyric’s ‘Capriccio’ embraces ensemble flair, patrician milieu of Strauss’ high-minded lark — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
A conversation with Pinchas Zukerman — By Lenny Cavallaro at Stay Thirsty magazine
Has veneration of Beethoven stifled his successors? — By Alex Ross at the New Yorker
United focus, local talent, help Utah Opera find success — By Whitney Butters at the Deseret News
Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society celebrates 200 years — By Andrea Shea at the Artery (WBUR)
At the Toronto Symphony, subtle Chopin from Khatia Buniatishvili — By Arthur Kaptainis at the National Post
Verdi’s ‘Masked Ball’ Returns to S.F. Opera — By Rodney Punt at San Francisco Classical Voice
Does classical music sound better when you’re high? — By Chris Walker at OC Weekly
Stop sanitizing, and show the great works as they were created — By Philip Kennicott at the Washington Post
Protesters disrupt St. Louis Symphony with song for Michael Brown — By Ed Mazza at the Huffington Post
Joshua Bell at Washington’s Union Station — By Robert Pohl at Ionarts
Gustavo Dudamel leads Mahler’s Fifth in Los Angeles — By Mark Swed at the Los Angeles Times
Dark, funny, musically vibrant ‘Don Giovanni’ raises the curtain on new Lyric Opera season — By Lawrence B. Johnson at Chicago On the Aisle
Toronto’s $32-million Integral House was built for music — By Robert Everett-Green at the Globe and Mail
Alan Gilbert nears completion of his Carl Nielsen cycle with the New York Philharmonic — By Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
Robert Spano and Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed urge ASO and musicians to resolve conflict — By Jenny Jarvie at ArtsATL
Boston overdue for a proper opera house — By Jeremy Eichler at the Boston Globe
Inaugural concert ushers in the Nelsons era for the Boston Symphony — By David Wright at Boston Classical Review
Quire Cleveland presents exquisite vocal exhibit of Flemish Renaissance Polyphony — By Daniel Hathaway at Cleveland Classical
Mozart, Adams Combine for Perfect Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Opening — By Mary Ellyn Hutton at Music in Cincinnati
Happy ending for Toronto Symphony Orchestra Ninth — By Arthur Kaptainis at the National Post
Bach, Played in Living Color: From Christian Tetzlaff, Violin Sonatas and Partitas — By James R. Oestreich at the New York Times
Musicians go to bat for threatened Conservatoire, seen as valuable training ground for top Quebec talent — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Montreal Gazette
September 2014
In Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni,’ director Robert Falls sees a complex figure worthy of Shakespeare — By Lawrence B. Johnson at Chicago On the Aisle
New Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal disc is more crossover than classical — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Montreal Gazette
Miami Lyric Opera offers vibrant, semi-staged ‘Un ballo in maschera’ — By Lawrence Budmen at South Florida Classical Review
Author Robert Freeman says schools aren’t building classical audiences — By Mark Kanny at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Gazette
Montreal Symphony launches Bach cantata cycle — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Montreal Gazette
Will artists be squeezed out of SF Bay area? — By Mark MacNamara at San Francisco Classical Voice
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s crisis matters everywhere — By Tom Service at the Guardian
The trouble with ‘Klinghofer’ isn’t quite what you think — By Justin Davidson at New York magazine
Miami Lyric Opera offers vibrant, semi-staged ‘Un ballo in maschera’ — By Lawrence Budmen at South Florida Classical Review
Author Robert Freeman says schools aren’t building classical audiences — By Mark Kanny at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Gazette
Montreal Symphony launches Bach cantata cycle — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Montreal Gazette
Will artists be squeezed out of SF Bay area? — By Mark MacNamara at San Francisco Classical Voice
Atlanta Symphony Orhcestra’s crisis matters everywhere — By Tom Service at the Guardian
The trouble with ‘Klinghofer’ isn’t quite what you think — By Justin Davidson at New York magazine
Met opera with new contract gears up for season that nearly wasn’t — By Anne Midgette for the The Washington Post
Interview with soprano Christine Goerke — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Size is an issue in Atlanta Symphony dispute — By Howard Pousner at the Atlanta Journal Constitution
South Carolina Philharmonic funds commission through Kickstarter — By Amanda Coyne at the State
‘The Canticle of the Black Madonna’ brings post-traumatic stress disorder to the opera stage — By James Bash at Northwest Reverb
Dallas’s Myerson Symphony Center at 25 — By Scott Cantrell and Mark Lamster at the Dallas News
‘The Persians’ of Aeschylus premieres at Getty Villa — By Rodney Punt at LA Opus
Chicago Symphony’s new chief Jeff Alexander is battle tested by long, productive career in orchestra world — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
The top 30 Canadian classical recordings — By Michael Morreale at CBC Music
Cellist Carmine Miranda brings Piatti into focus — By Mary Ellyn Hutton at Music in Cincinnati
White Lights Festival presents spiritual journey in New York — By Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
Franz Welser-Möst resigns from Vienna State Opera — By Zachary Lewis at the Cleveland Plain Dealer
August 2014
Colorado Symphony drops tuxedos and brings drinks into the hall — By Ray Mark Rinaldi at the Denver Post
St. Teresa Honored in Dolora Zajick’s ‘Roads to Zion’— By Rodney Punt at San Francisco Classical Voice
Ottawa’s Opera Lyra fires tenor over Facebook comments — At CBC News
14 Artists who are transforming opera — By Priscilla Frank at the Huffington Post
Classical CDs: a flourishing of young pianists — By Scott Cantrell at the Dallas Morning News
The best of all possible ‘Candides‘ — By Cashman Kerr Prince at the Boston Musical Intelligencer
The Met is too grand for today’s operas — By Joseph Horowitz at the Wall Street Journal
Barbara Pentland’s opera ‘The Lake’ is adapted to lakeside site — By Marsha Lederman at the Globe and Mail
Wolf Trap Opera closes season with surreal double-bill — By Charles T. Downey at Ionarts
Santa Fe Opera’s sustained high note — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Cleveland Orchestra hits the mark with first Summers@Severance concert — By Mark Satola at the Plain Dealer
Speight Jenkins recalls highs and lows at Seattle Opera — By Melinda Bargreen at the Seattle Times
Louisville Orchestra back in the black — By Elizabeth Kramer at the Courier-Journal
A chorister speaks to the Met’s financial challenges — By Mark MacNamara at San Francisco Classical Voice
Amid all the fretting about classical music’s future, some worries about its past — By Tim Smith at the Baltimore Sun
Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico finds peace in contemporary music — By Natasha Gauthier at the Ottawa Citizen
Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera scrap fall season — By Edward Ortiz at the Sacramento Bee
LumenoCity Encore Thrilling — By Mary Ellyn Hutton at Music in Cincinnati
Immortal Beloved: Review of Jan Swafford’s ‘Beethoven’ — By Jeremy Denk at the New York Times Sunday Book Review
Book Review: Jan Swafford’s ‘Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph’ — By Edmund Morris at The Wall Street Journal
Book Review: Stephen Budiansky’s ‘Mad Music’ and David C. Paul’s ‘Charles Ives in the Mirror’ — By Leon Botstein at The Wall Street Journal
July 2014
‘Baby Doe’ remains relevant through Chautauqua Opera’s remarkable staging — By Arthur Kaptainis in The Chautauquan Daily
Longtime Chicago symphony executive named CEO of San Diego Symphony — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Triumphs in American Premiere — By Rodney Punt at San Francisco Classical Voice
The curious case of Peter Gelb — By Zachary Woolfe at the New York Observer
Shut up, please — By Joe Queenan at the Weekly Standard
Wolf Trap Carmen could use more edginess — By Tom Huizenga at the Washington Post
Riccardo Muti and the Critics — By Paul E. Robinson at Musical Toronto
Too Little Gershwin in ‘The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess at the Muny — By Chuck Lavazzi at KDHX.org
Houston Grand Opera delivers powerful experience with ‘The Passenger’ — By George Grella at Classical Review
The Met’s decision to present but not broadcast ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’ is the opposite of Solomonic — By Marty Peretz at the New York Observer
What do opera singers actually get paid? — By Jennifer Rivera at the Huffington Post
Recitals at the Banff Centre offer outstanding performances — By Stephan Bonfield at the Calgary Herald
Next Wave Audio: The Affordable Revolution in High Resolution Recording — By Jason Victor Serinus at San Francisco Classical Voice
Not over till overtime’s due? Met labor strife bares secrets — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
Imaginative programming at Fort Worth’s Mimir Festival — By Scott Cantrell at the Dallas Morning News
Odd choices sink Renee Fleming’s performance at Tanglewood — By Priscilla McLean at the San Francisco Chronicle
Violinist Midori is expecting a child — By David Ng at the L.A. Times
Creating world-class acoustics in Kingston, Canada — By Michael Morreale at CBC Music
On the state of opera — By Speight Jenkins at OperaSleuth
A symphony of clangor, and an early modern dream — By Jeremy Eichler at The Boston Globe
NANOWorks (North American New Opera Workshop) Closes Season Powerfully — By Mary Ellyn Hutton at Music in Cincinnati
‘Baby Doe’ remains relevant through Chautauqua Opera’s remarkable staging — By Arthur Kaptainis in The Chautauquan Daily
Longtime Chicago symphony executive named CEO of San Diego Symphony — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Triumphs in American Premiere — By Rodney Punt at San Francisco Classical Voice
The curious case of Peter Gelb — By Zachary Woolfe at the New York Observer
Shut up, please — By Joe Queenan at the Weekly Standard
Wolf Trap Carmen could use more edginess — By Tom Huizenga at the Washington Post
Riccardo Muti and the Critics — By Paul E. Robinson at Musical Toronto
Too Little Gershwin in ‘The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess at the Muny — By Chuck Lavazzi at KDHX.org
Union Avenue Opera’s La Traviata is the Toast of the Town — By Chuck Lavazzi at KDHX.org
Vancouver opera scene is on a roll — By David Gordon Duke at the Vancouver Sun
Classical musicians and the terror of the audition — By Donna Perlmutter at the L.A. Times
John Luther Adams blends his music with city noise — By Justin Davidson at Vulture.com
New Orford Quartet presents a premiere to remember — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Montreal Gazette
Military bands face challenges — by Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
The love of ‘La Calisto’ — By Janelle Gelfand at the Cincinnati Enquirer
Lorin Maazel dies at 84 — By Elizabeth Bloom at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Eminent conductor Lorin Maazel dies at 84 — By Tim Smith at The Baltimore Sun
June 2014
Non-stop action adds distraction to Opera Theatre’s ‘The Magic Flute’ — By Chuck Lavazzi at KDHX.org
To wisdom framed in memorable songs, Sting’s musical ‘The Last Ship’ adds mystery of grace — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Opera Theatre of St. Louis “Elixir of Love” is intoxicating — By Chuck Lavazzi at KDHX.org
Jacaranda Music: Still Edgy After All These Years — By Rodney Punt at LA Opus
Cellist Samis Makes the Case for Reinecke Concerto — By Mary Ellyn Hutton at Music in Cincinnati
New organ for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra’s hall — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Montreal Gazette
Musicians for 2013 Chicago Beethoven Festival still unpaid — By Ellen McSweeny at NewMusicBox
Gertrude Stein in St. Louis — By Heidi Waleson at the Wall Street Journal
Steven Stucky’s ‘The Classical Style: an Opera (of Sorts)’ in San Francisco — By Jeff Dunn at Classical Voice San Francisco
Toward livelier orchestra programs — By Scott Cantrell at the Dallas Morning News
Jocelyn Morelock appointed Vancouver Symphony’s new Composer-in-Residence — By David Gordon Duke at the Vancouver Sun
Origins of Canada’s national anthem revealed in Mozart — by Michael Vincent at Musical Toronto
A new symphony for former Canadian prime minister Joe Clark — By Marsha Lederman at the Globe and Mail
Digital-music Ring Cycle in Connecticut generates anger — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
Let’s get American about our music — By Zoe Kennerling at NewMusicBox
Los Angeles Master Chorale wraps season 50 — By Douglas Neslund at LA Opus
Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow says goodbye to the NY Philharmonic — From WNYC
Met Opera stands on a precipice, says Peter Gelb — By Tom Service and Maev Kennedy at the Guardian
Boston’s Odyssey Opera makes debut — By Harlow Robinson at the Boston Globe
Summer music festivals in the East — By Mark Kanny at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Montreal Annoints a New King — By Barbara Jepson at the Wall Street Journal
St. Louis Opera Theatre’s ‘Magic Flute’ is more about dance than singing — By Sarah Bryan Miller at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
May 2014
Philadelphians reach across East-West divide — By David Patrick Stearns at the Philadelpia Inquirer
Critics ‘weigh in’ on critique of body size in opera — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
Maestro Franz Paul Decker passes away at 90 — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Montreal Gazette
Carnegie Hall is Too Damn Big — By Justin Davidson at Wondering Sound
Ludovic Morlot makes waves with the Seattle Symphony — By Steve Smith at the Boston Globe
“Song of Sorrows” (A look at Contemporary Requiems) — By Barbara Jepson at Opera News
San Diego Opera rides again — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Florian Boesch performs ‘Winterreise’ at Carnegie Hall — By James R. Oestreich at the New York Times
Q&A with Canadian composer Christos Hatzis — By Robert Rowat at CBC Music
Christian Tetzlaff and S.F. Symphony devour Bartók concerto — By Jeff Dunn at San Francisco Classical Voice
Atlanta Chamber Players and Sonic Generator end seasons on a high note — By Mark Gresham at ArtsATL
No, classical music isn’t dead — By Colin Eatock at 3 Quarks Daily
Sarah Billinghurst retires from the Met — By Zachary Wolfe at the New York Times
Warmth and precision from the Cleveland Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä — By Daniel Hathaway at Cleveland Classical
Protests greet Moscow Virtuosi in Toronto and Vancouver — By Michael Morreale at CBC Music
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia winds up season with a bang — By David Patrick Stearns at the Philadelphia Inquirer
Alessio Bax tackles a pianistic challenge — By Ken Iisaka at Classical Voice San Francisco
Antonio Pappano interview: ‘This elitist label is tiresome. Opera is so visceral’ — By Fiona Maddox at The Guardian
Baltimore Symphony and Alsop deliver explosive account of Shostakovich’s Twelfth — By Tim Smith at the Baltimore Sun
After double exposure in Met HD roles, Susanna Phillips ready for more in Chicago — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Green Bay Symphony to play one last season — By Paul Srubas at the Green Bay Press Gazette
Lessons learned through the Minnesota Orchestra lockout — By Bill Eddins at Sticks and Drones
Cellphones at a Philadelphia Orchestra concert — By Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
Pianist Eleanor Sokoloff turns 100 this year — By Peter Dobrin at the Philadelphia Inquirer
April 2014
Colorado Symphony and cannabis industry find harmony — By Ray Mark Rinaldi at the Denver Post
Crowdfunding for San Diego Opera off to a strong start — By Mike Boehm at the L.A. Times
Peter Gelb talks about the Met’s challenges — By Gero Schliess at Deutsche Welle
Orchestras in Upstate NY stay nimble — By Zachary Woolfe at the New York Times
American cellist Zuill Bailey talks about his life in classical music — By Ben Finane at Listen
A Conductor, Rehired, Now Must Rebuild — By James Oestreich at the New York Times
Cellist Paul Watkins on his first year with the Emerson Quartet — By Colin Eatock at the Houston Chronicle
China, a classical colossus, ready for BSO tour — By Jeremy Eichler at the Boston Globe
A scorching, go-for-broke performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony — By Andrew Clark at the Financial Times
Austin: Mozart Requiem — Undead — By Andrew Sigler at NewMusicBox
Startup Bets on Millennials and House Parties to Save Classical Music — By Francesca Trianni at Time
Toronto Symphony lands a new CEO — By Martin Knelman at the Toronto Star
Tenor Ben Heppner announces retirement from singing — At CBC News
Jeffrey Kahane to step down from L.A. Chamber Orchestra — By David Ng at the L.A. Times
Architect Frank Gehry to design tribute to Pierre Boulez in Chicago — By Louise Burton at Classicalite
Osmo Vänskä is back as music director of Minnesota Orchestra — By Graydon Royce at the Minnesota StarTribune
Berlin Philharmonic Starts Its Own Record Label — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
Canadian musicians unhappy with U.S. ivory ban — By Brad Wheeler at the Globe and Mail
Could a new plan save the San Diego Opera? — By Paul Kragen at the Union-Tribune
American organist barred from the U.K. — By Alan Travis at the Guardian
Met Opera puts the squeeze on chorus salaries — By Rachel L. Swarns at the New York Times
Bach Passions shine in Montreal — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Gazette
Conductor Osmo Vänskä considers his options — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
John Luther Adams wins 2014 Pulitzer Prize in music — By Frank J. Oteri for New Music Box
MacMillan’s St. Luke Passion has dramatic US Premiere — By Geoffrey Simon at CVNC
Book Review: Evan Baker’s “From the Score to the Stage” — By Rodney Punt at LA Opus
How the South Dakota Orchestra was saved — By Jodi Schwann at the Argus Leader
Cincinnati Opera presents world premiere of ‘Morning Star’ — By Janelle Gelfand at the Cincinnati Enquirer
Composer Oliver Knussen curates a program at the Library of Congress — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Uchida plays Schubert and Beethoven at Carnegie Hall — by James R. Oestreich at the New York Times
Toronto Symphony reveals capacity for metamorphosis — By Lev Bratishenko at the Montreal Gazette
Mark Stryker: MOT’s ‘A View From the Bridge’ has drama, believability — By Mark Stryker at the Detroit Free Press
Father-Daughter team shine in ‘A View From the Bridge’ in Detroit — By Lawrence A. Johnson at Classical Review
Kwasi Enin wins admission to eight Ivy League colleges with his essay ‘A Life in Music’ — By Alex Heigl at People
Contentious labor talks at the Met — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
Baltimore Symphony takes on Czech composers — By Simon Chin at the Washington Post
Portland Baroque Orchestra offers the riches of Germany before Bach — By James McQuillen at the Oregonian
Esa-Pekka Salonen talks on multi-tasking, Northwestern and the CSO — By John Von Rhein at the Chicago Tribune
March 2014
‘Copland and Mexico’ in Austin — By Paul E. Robinson at La Scena Musicale
Rocking the Symphony — By E. Tammy Kim for Al Jazeerah America
Semi-staged Rusalka enchants in Raleigh – By John W. Lambert at CVNC
Songs for lute and voice enchanting in Vancouver — By David Gordon Duke at the Vancouver Sun
Itzhak Perlman abandoned at Toronto airport — By Tristin Hopper at the National Post
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music grads win at Met Opera competition — By Janelle Gelfand at Cincinnati.com
S&R Foundation establishes the base of a classical music empire — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Ravishing pianism of Mitsuko Uchida in Berkeley — By Jerry Kuderna at San Francisco Classical Voice
Charlie Parker’s life inspires new opera — By Culturekiosk Staff at Culturekiosk
Riccardo Muti sets personal seal on Schubert with Chicago Symphony project — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Cleveland Orchestra shines under former director Dohnányi — By Zachary Lewis at the Cleveland Plain Dealer
Osmo Vänskä takes spin at old job in Minneapolis — By James Oestriech at the New York Times
Indianapolis Opera cuts ‘Albert Herring’ — By Dan Human at Indianapolis Business Journal
Noseda, orchestra and cast make a case for the Met’s ‘Andrea Chenier’ — By George Grella at New York Classical Review
Cleveland Chamber Orchestra launches NEOSonicFest — By Mike Telin at Cleveland Classical
Arditti Quartet’s displays nostalgia for complexity — By Benjamin Pesetsky at the Boston Musical Intelligencer
Dudamel and LA Philharmonic cheered in Toronto — by Arthur Kaptainis at the National Post
Eschenbach’s contract with the National Symphony Orchestras is extended through 2016-17 — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
With Hensons‘ departure, Minnesota Orchestra faces many questions beyond Vänskä’s fate — By Doug Grow at the MinnPost
Augusta Read Thomas on Ringing In the New — By Kyle MacMillan at the Wall Street Journal
Classical music’s shocking gender gap — By Michael Morreale at CBC Music
San Diego Opera closes its doors — By David Ng at the Los Angeles Times
What’s really wrong at the Metropolitan Opera — By “La Cieca” at Parterre Box
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra names Jeremy Denk as artistic planner — By Kristin Tillotson at the Star Tribune
Musicologist Joseph Kerman dies — By Joshua Kosman at SFGate
Looking for boldness in a new era at the BSO — By Jeremy Eichler at The Boston Globe
Pianist Richard Goode to play ‘kaleidoscopic’ program in Seattle — By Tom Keogh at the Seattle Times
Our moral expectations of conductors — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Svelte Systems for Spinning Vinyl — By Jesse Will at the Wall Street Journal
Conductor Robert Spano on 12 years in Atlanta (Part 1) — By Mark Gresham at ArtsATL.com
Reiner’s oboist of choice, Ray Still, was virtuoso career model for two who came after — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Yefim Bronfman launches Beethoven series in Boston — By David Wright at Boston Classical Review
Kevin Mallon appointed interim artistic director of Opera Lyra Ottawa— By Peter Robb at the Ottawa Citizen
Violinist Daniel Hope to pay tribute to Joachim in Fort Lauderdale — By David Fleshler at South Florida Classical Review
Taking inspiration from opera visionary Gerard Mortier – By Mark Swed at the Los Angeles Times
A Valentino Not Worth Fighting Over — By Heidi Waleson at the Wall Street Journal
Mandelring Quartet gives flawless presentation — By David Gordon Duke at the Vancouver Sun
Metropolitan Opera seeks pay cuts from unions — By Jennifer Maloney at the Wall Street Journal
Dominic Argento’s revised ‘Valentino’ is a triumph for Minnesota Opera — By Michael Anthony at the Star Tribune
February 2014
Classical radio station WQED in Pittsurgh reduces its staff — By Megan Harris at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Shanghai Quartet plays Bright Sheng and Robert Aldrich — By Charles T. Downey at the Washington Post
Vancouver Symphony focuses on new music — By David Gordon Duke at the Vancouver Sun
Violinist Lara St. John fixes ‘Game of Thrones’ theme — By Jennifer Van Evra at CBC Music
Ives Quartet deconstructs Henry Cowell’s ‘Mosaic’ — By Richard Scheinin at the San Jose Mercury-News
Vladimir Jurowski illuminates Rachmaninoff — By Peter Dobrin at the Philadelphia Inquirer
Stirring ‘St. Matthew Passion’ in Seattle — By Melinda Bargreen at the Seattle Times
How African-Americans changed classical music — By Leonard Slatkin at the Detroit Free Press
North Carolina based composer-physicist Bill Robinson showcased with new works — By Chelsea Huber at CVNC
Why don’t composers win cash prizes when they need them most? — By Ivan Hewitt at the Telegraph
Chicago Lyric Opera’s first ‘Rusalka’ a winner — By John Von Rhein at the Chicago Tribune
Minnesota Orchestra Drama Plays On — by James R. Oestreich at the New York Times
The minor greatness of Benjamin Britten — By Philip Kennicott at the New Republic
Dudamel defends concert in Venezuela on day of protests — By
Prince Igor at the Metropolitan Opera — By Martin Bernheimer at the Financial Times
Memphis Symphony to cease operations — By Brian Wise at WQXR Blog
Osmo Vänskä asks Minnesota Orchestra president Michael Henson to step down – By Marianne Combs at Minnesota Public Radio
World premiere double cello concerto by Giovanni Sollima unveiled at Chicago Symphony — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
That Unmatch’d Form: A new opera explores Ophelia — By Baynard Woods at Baltimore’s City Paper
Boston Symphony Chamber Players celebrate 50 years — By David Weininger at the Boston Globe
Gerard Mortier reflects on NYCO — By Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
Riccardo Muti agrees to Chicago extension, muses on role of CEO — By Lawrence B. Johnson at Chicago On the Aisle
Renee Fleming at the Superbowl — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Montreal Opera gets ‘Porgy and Bess’ right — By Arthur Kaptainis at the Montreal Gazette
Met Opera Reports Falling Attendance — By Michael Cooper at the New York Times
January 2014
Strad violin stolen in Milwaukee — By Ashley Luthern at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A Matter of Interpretation: Cultural Conversation with Alisa Weilerstein — By Barbara Jepson in The Wall Street Journal
New Music at the Classical Grammys — By Tom Huizenga at Deceptive Cadence (NPR Music)
The Classical Grammys — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Charles Wuorinen adapts ‘Brokeback Mountain’ as an opera — By Zachary Woolfe at the New York Times
Violist-composer Brett Dean appears with the St. Louis Symphony — By Sarah Bryan Miller at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s diamond anniversary season will spotlight Fleming, Serjan — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Tugan Sokhiev leads the Philadelphia Orchestra — By David Patrick Stearns at the Philadelphia Inquirer
Osmo Vänskä will be part of Minnesota Orchestra’s abbreviated season — By Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune
Claudio Abbado dies at 80 — By Chris Pasles at the Los Angeles Times
Chamber Music Northwest announces 2014 season — By David Stabler at the Oregonian
American composers neglected by U.S. orchestras — By Scott Cantrell at the Dallas News
Vancouver Symphony launches new music festival — By David Gordon Duke at the Vancouver Sun
Anna Netrebko returns to the Met’s ‘L’Elisir d’Amore’ — By Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
Showing 2020 vision, Lyric Opera reveals plan for new production of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ Cycle — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Washington music presenters reach beyond the concert hall — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
Will Osmo Vänskä return to Minneapolis? — By Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune
Canadian singers to shine in Canadian Opera’s 2014-15 season — By Arthur Kaptainis at the National Post
Detroit Symphony ratifies three-year contract — by Mark Stryker at the Detroit Free Press
Minnesota Orchestra lockout ends with deal — by Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune
Ignat Solzhenitsyn adrift with Toronto Symphony — By Arthur Kaptainis at the National Post
Canadian Border Services seizes violin — By Jason Proctor at CBC News
San Francisco Opera back to full strength — By Janos Gereben at San Francisco Classical Voice
Multi-sensory concerts from BitterSuite — By Lyndsey Winship at the Guardian
Lafayette Opera approaches 20th anniversary — By Anne Midgette at the Washington Post
A Day inMy Life – By character tenor David Cangelosi at DavidCangelosi.com
That Other Musical Minority – Young Conductors — By Leonard Slatkin at the Huffington Post
Opera Hamilton ceases operations — By Leonard Turnevicius at the Hamilton Spectator
Pianist Louis Lortie in Philadelphia — By Peter Dobrin at the Philadelphia Inquirer
American Hollywood Film Orchestra in China — By Julie Makinen at the Los Angeles Times
Conductor on Canadian Opera’s neglect of native works — By Bramwell Tovey at MacLean’s magazine
Tomorrow’s Valhalla: standout operas of recent decades — By Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
Gotham Chamber Opera’s Orphée aux enfers — By Martin Bernheimer at the Financial Times
Debate over Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis — By Jake Anderson at MinnPost
MoMA’s ‘There Will Never Be Silence,’ About John Cage — By Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim at the New York Times
2013
New classical radio station on air in Winnipeg — By Alexandra Paul at Winnipeg Free Press
In search of Van Cliburn — By Prudence Mackintosh at Texas Monthly
Italian opera houses face financial crisis — By Elizabeth Braw at Newsweek
Ten best 2013 performances in Dallas — by Scott Cantrell at the Dallas News
Flutist Clare Chase addresses young musicians — by Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
Bernard Rands work inspired by Beckett poetry renews composer’s time-honored link to CSO — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Margaret Atwood’s libretto has first hearing in Vancouver — By Marsha Lederman at the Globe and Mail
Taylor Swift donates $100,000 to Nashville Symphony — By Allan Kozinn at the New York Times
Minnesota Orchestra musicians announce ten-concert season — By Kristin Tillotson at the Star Tribune
Mohammed Fairouz is a composer of the world — By Jeffrey Fleishman at the Los Angeles Times
Leopold Stokowski in Houston — By Colin Eatock at the Houston Chronicle
Deborah Rutter Named President of Kennedy Center — By Charles T. Downey at Ionarts
L.A. Phil tries something new with Green Umbrella Concert — By Mark Swed at the Los Angeles Times
The best classical music apps — By Charlotte Gardner at Gramophone
Rufus Wainwright Receives Commission From the Canadian Opera Company — by Robert Harris at the Globe and Mail
Bramwell Tovey to Leave Vancouver Symphony in 2018 — by David Gordon Duke at the Vancouver Sun
Del Tredici in Wonderland: DSO premieres ‘Dum Dee Tweedle’ — By Mark Stryker at the Detroit Free Press
Mahlerite Michael Tilson Thomas brings newly sharpened Ninth to Chicago Symphony podium — By Lawrence B. Johnson at Chicago On the Aisle
Love that kills: Mourning Becomes Electra at FGO — By Sebastian Spreng at KnightArts
Conductor Bernard Labadie travels to bridge old, new music — By Colin Eatock at Kansas City Star
The seventh music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra will be its youngest ever — By Peter Robb at Ottawa Citizen
Joyce DiDonato on her crowd-sourced CD — By Elizabeth Davis for Classical-music.com
Zappa’s Bogus Pomp is full of fun for Orchestre symphonique de Montréal — By Arthur Kaptainis at The Gazette
New World Symphony hints at brave new future of classical music — By John von Rhein at the Chicago Tribune
Impressive debut by Avner Dorman with CityMusic Cleveland at Fairmount Church — By Daniel Hathaway at ClevelandClassical.com
Composer Ned Rorem at 90: Still playing — By David Patrick Stearns at The Inquirer
Superb singing and spectacular staging mark Piedmont Opera’s Der fliegende Holländer — By Peter Perret at CVNC
Young Opera Singers: Who will sing Aida? — By “E.H.B.” in The Economist
Ben Heppner looks back on a life of opera — By Richard Ouzounian at the Toronto Star
Seiji Ozawa’s Focus Is on Winning Classical-Music Accolades for Japan — By Hiroko Tabuchi at the New York Times
Chicago Symphony’s MusicNOW focuses on Donnacha Denney, Benedict Mason and Anders Hillborg — By Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
Work for Hire: Piano Man — By Jeremy Denk in The New Yorker
In conductor Susanna Mälkki’s return to Chicago Symphony, her place with the world’s elite is confirmed — By Lawrence B. Johnson at Chicago On the Aisle
Verdi as Icon for Contemporary Composers? — By Marion Lignana Rosenberg at WQXR.org
Bartók’s Monster: Stalking the dead composer through Transylvania — By Jay Kirk at Harper’s Magazine
A Plucky Opera’s Poignant Death Rattle: Tracing City Opera’s Missteps and Triumphs — By Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times
‘Eugene Onegin’: Lively Protests, Dull Production — By Heidi Waleson at The Wall Street Journal
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts opens Fort Worth’s Cliburn at the Modern series — By Gregory Sullivan Isaacs at Theater Jones
Plácido Domingo & Jonas Kaufmann: Ser o no ser (Plácido Domingo & Jonas Kaufmann: To be or not to be) — By Sebastian Spreng at Miami Clásica
As Good as It Gets: The Reopening of Duke University’s Baldwin Auditorium — By Jeffrey Rosman at CVNC.org