Perspectives

PERSPECTIVE – A gripping settler saga of the American West by Willa Cather (pictured) was the inspiration for a recent piano quintet by the composer-pianist Stephen Hough, who previews the work's west coast premiere with Gail Wein.

PERSPECTIVE – Chandra Dancy, right, is among several women composers of film scores whose work will be played in a mixed-media event with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival, co-curated and led by Marin Alsop.

BOOK REVIEW – Michael Steinberg (1926-2009) was the straight-shooting, widely read critic for The Boston Globe from 1964-1976. This volume of more than 300 of his reviews and essays is an extraordinary collection of musical commentary.

PERSPECTIVE – In 1926, the classical recordings industry became possible. Replacing a primitive, temperamental recording horn with microphones revealed new depth of sound, allowing us to widen our perspective on the art of making music.

PERSPECTIVE – Augusta Read Thomas is the noted mentor for the DeGaetano Composition Institute, a program for young composers founded by the Orchestra of St Luke’s. She explores the ambitious project in a conversation with host Gail Wein.

BREAKING NEWS – Snider doubled as composer and librettist for her work based on the life of the 12th-century German abbess Hildegard von Bingen. The annual award is conferred by the Music Critics Association of North America.

BREAKING NEWS – The prize is named for, and supported by, William Littler, a longtime writer for the Toronto Star. It is awarded annually by the Music Critics Association of North America for excellence in writing by younger critics.

PERSPECTIVE – O Beautiful Unity by Leigha Amick, right, is among numerous works commissioned from a diverse array of composers, established and emerging, to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

PERSPECTIVE – Gerard McBurney is a composer, arranger, writer, and most recently creative consultant to the San Diego Symphony. He's also music's advocate: "If you tell the right story, they’ll say, ‘Okay, I'll give it a try,' and it can be beautiful."

PERSPECTIVE – Since James Conlon's prodigious service as music director of the Cincinnati May Festival (1979-2016), the event has thrived on single-season directors. This year Grammy-winning soprano Julia Bullock runs the show.

BROOKLYN – The diversity of fresh works at Bang on a Can's Long Play Festival illustrated how minimalism descended from encounters among American composers, jazz musicians, and improvisers in the classical traditions of India.

PERSPECTIVE – The formidable conductor, who died at 81 on April 22, always exuded a childlike enthusiasm and wonder for whatever came his musical way. To some, he was "our Elvis." To me, he was simply Michael. I’m sure that I’m not alone.

PERSPECTIVE – In a chat with Gail Wein, author Sarah Fritz, whose book Madame Composer: The virtuosic genius of Clara Schumann will be out in October, explains her fascination with the 19th-century composer-pianist, already famous at 18.

PERSPECTIVE – The composer of Susannah and Of Mice and Men, a self-effacing artist who died in 2021, will be widely honored in performances. "He wasn't going to toot his own horn, but we kind of are," said the director of the centennial effort.

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.

PERSPECTIVE – In this edition of "Classical Gas," the distinguished composer says her highest honor came when the Library of Congress decided to hold her manuscripts in a dedicated collection, giving her work a permanent home.

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.

PERSPECTIVE – In her new book Opera Wars, Caitlin Vincent takes on issues facing an opera world that she depicts in constant conflict as ego-driven composers, librettists, directors, and singers all endeavor to dominate the stage.

PERSPECTIVE – This year has seen the emergence of new musical leadership in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile. The latter city has also seen the opening of a new concert hall. The end of the season was fascinating in both centers.

PERSPECTIVE – Inspired by Edgard Varèse's paradigm-shifting work for solo flute, Density 21.5, flutist Claire Chase has pushed to the mid-point of a herculean project she calls Density 2036. She dives into the venture with Gail Wein.