The pianist they slaughtered on October 7
Yuval Buyum, 21, was a dedicated pianist who played classical music, jazz and his own compositions. He was murdered in cold blood at noon, a year ago today, in Kfar Aza by armed Hamas invaders. […]
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Bayreuth plans Nazi documentation centre
The town of Bayreuth is planning a Nazi documentation centre. It will be housed in the former mansion of the British antisemitic polemicist Houston Stewart Chamberlain, a significant influence on Richard Wagner and Adolf Hitler. […]
All shall have prizes: Portugal, Korea
Portuguese mezzo Cláudia Ribas (pictured) has won the 57th International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands. Second was UK mezzo Annabel Kennedy. Min Gyu Song from South Korea is the winner of the 13th edition […]
France’s ‘sad clown’ commissioned his own concerto
The death of the iconic French actor Michel Blanc, aged 72, is being mourned in the highest corridors of power. President Macron said: ‘He made us cry with laughter, and moved us to tears.’ Prime […]
BBC names Young Musician semi-finalists
A televised selection process that raised concerns about the competence of two judges has yielded an unremarkable pack of six semis: English/ Swedish violinist Maya Broman Crawford-Phillips (17), currently studying at the Yehudi Menuhin School […]
Another Putin job for Valery Gergiev
The head of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres and of Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Competition has been appointed president of a new L. N. Tolstoy International Peace Prize. Not the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s the Russian-aggression model. […]
Exclusive: Minnesota Orchestra selects musicians on racial grounds
We have received a message from the orchestra to applicants, making it clear that their racial and ethnic identity will be taken into consideration when selecting those who are suitable to play in the orchestra. […]
There is nothing more stressful, demoralizing, and soul-sucking than an orchestral audition
Dear Alma, I flew to Europe for a concertmaster audition at a major international orchestra. Half a dozen of us waited our turn. To my astonishment, two were called forward and left. We were told […]
Maestro wins $190k for wrongful dismissal
The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra has been ordered to pay €168,431.96 to its former artistic director and principal conductor Brian Schembri. Schembri was fired seven years ago after a disagreement with the orchestra management. He had […]
How Lise Davidsen became opera’s most important star
From my monthly essay in The Critic: Stars have been falling out of opera like apples in late summer. Jonas Kaufmann, a serial drop-out, now has a second career as a festival manager. Anna Netrebko […]
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