reviews

BIG – designs for Hamburg State Opera, renders by Yanis Amasri (images: BIG) Hamburg State Opera is on the move, or at least plans to be. The architecture studio BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has unveiled […]

The Sixteen has announced a new strand to its Learning & Participation programme which seeks to support young singers in finding a pathway into choral music. The Sixteen Ignite features a new Academy, an extension […]

Agnes Baltsa, Lifetime Achievement Award winner International Opera Awards 2025 – (Photo: GNO/Simopoulos) ‘Tis the season for awards. Hot on the heels of the Ivors Classical Awards [see my article] comes the International Opera Awards […]

Thibaut Garcia, Continuing the legacy of the brilliant and pioneering British classical guitarist, Julian Bream, the equally brilliant French-born classical guitarist, Thibaut Garcia, joins forces with the award-winning ensemble, Quatuor Arod, to perform the world […]

Janácek: The Makropulos Case – Act 2: Heather Engebretson, Susan Bickley, Jenry Waddington, Sean Panikkar, Ausrine Stundyte – Royal Opera (Photo: Camilla Greenwell/Royal Opera) Leoš Janáček: The Makropulos Case; Ausrine Stundyte, Heather Engebretson, Sean Panikkar, […]

James Blades The percussionist James Blades (1901-1999) had a career that not only spanned much of the century but also moved from circus drummer and accompanist to silent movies at the Wisbech Hippodrome, to the […]

Lawrence Brownlee Tenor Lawrence Brownlee is on of the premier bel canto tenors around at the moment. And he’s rightly busy, his season included a last-minute step-in as Elvino in Bellini’s La sonnambula at the […]

The London Mozart Players (Photo: Kaupo Kickkas) On Friday 21 November 2025, violinist Fenella Humphreys, the London Mozart Players and conductor Jonathan Bloxham will give the premiere of the Violin Concerto by Stephen McNeff at […]