Baltimore mourns first woman player
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has announced the death of Joan Champie, the first woman to be admitted to its ranks. Champie, who was 92, played second oboe from 1955 to 1962. She had a struggle […]
classical
Musicians Union attacks BBC for shrinking Strictly
The MU has launched a campaign to resintate the full band that played on Strictly Come Dancing before distancing measures were introduced during Covid. A mini-band continues to be used to accompany the dancers in […]
Moscow replaces conductor who fled
The Russian Ministry of Culture has finally named an artistic director for the Moscow State Academic Symphony Orchestra, which has been headless for more than two years. Ivan Niforchin (pictured), 29, replaces Pavel Kogan who […]
Cellist flits from one boutique to the next
The Belgian cellist Camille Thomas has left Liu Kotow Management in Hannover, which she joined five years ago. Thomas, 35, is now with Eleanor Ripman and Keynote Artists in London. She has a DG record […]
Aussie Jews respond to Melbourne Symphony climbdown
Message from the Australian Jewish Association in response to the MSO’s apology to the anti-Israel activist pianist Jayson Gillham: If the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra wants to engage in anti-Israel activism, why on earth would Jewish […]
This airline won’t board violas
Message from Florian Peelman, professor at the Hanns Eisler Academy in Berlin: I was denied boarding today on a Brussels Airlines flight from Brussels to Bilbao due to my viola case exceeding the baggage allowance […]
Dear Alma, A festival excluded me. Now they want me to jump in
Dear Alma, A summer festival that I have been a part of for a number of years has had a change in artistic leadership. I was a loyal performer, and was surprised that I was […]
Racing to Reims in a Rossini Formula-1
Il viaggio a Reims was Rossini’s last Italian opera and the first he wrote in France for its Paris premiere in 1825 as part of the festivities for the coronation of Charles X. Conceived for the […]
Next BBC Lebrecht Interview: The opera outsider they could not suppress
One woman has created more opera companies in Britain than anyone since Georg Frideric Handel. Her name is Wasfi Kani and the white male establishment has done everything to put her down. In our conversation […]
Orchestra caves in to piano activist
The press release below reports the rare capitulation of a professional symphony orchestra to the political bias of a solo pianist. It would be helpful if the MSO were to amplify the ‘safety concerns’ that […]
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