classical

Tarisio are accepting bids for a 1731 Stradivari violin on which Heifetz prepared the premieres of the Korngold and Walton concertos and made several famous recordings. Heifetz sold the instrument to colelctor Sam Bloomfield in […]

We have been notified of the death of Peter Strummer, master of 120 roles and a memorable cast member of leading US opera companies. By some mishap he sang only two roles at the Met. […]

The newspaper says officials are asking Congress to wipe out funding for the national broadcasters. Read it here. Did Trump get the idea from Liechtenstein? The post NY Times: Trump aims to scrap $1.1bn for […]

We’re hearing of mass sackings at the declining label. People we’ve tried to contact are no longer there. Among them is the boxed-set reissue specialist Robert Russ at the company’s headquarters in Berlin. Our mole […]

This is the 2025 list of Guggenheim award winners, out today. Three have been selected as ‘notable’ (good word for a composer) – Katherine Balch (pictured), Michael Patrick Dease and Huang Ruo. Full list: Holland […]

Having slashed the executive team last July, the haemmorhaging Nashville Symphony laid off eight more staff on Friday. Amounting to 13% of remaining staff, they are: Director of Analytics Director of Marketing Digital Communications Manager […]

Bessie Smith was a blues and jazz singer of the Harlem Renaissance who is still known as the ‘Empress of the Blues’. Elizabeth ‘Bessie’ Smith was the youngest child of seven, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee […]

We have been informed of the passing of two important players. Bernard Ringeissen, who died on April 4 at the age of 90, was an early champion on record of the music of Charles-Valentin Alkan, […]

The Korean National Symphony Orchestra has named Roberti Abbado as its next artistic director, for three years from January. Abbado, 70, is a nephew of the late La Scala and Berlin chief Claudio Abbado. He […]

Sunday’s annual charity fundraiser by the German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier did not contain a single work by a German or Austrian composer. Very outward looking, especially towards the US. Here’s the rundown: George Enescu […]