News
Klaus Mäkelä named Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director
The Finnish conductor will begin as the orchestra’s music director designate with immediate effect before beginning a five-year contract as music director in September 2027
Wigmore Hall announces plans to become entirely privately funded
In its new season announcement, Wigmore Hall director John Gilhooly revealed that its Director's Fund aims to reach a target of £10 million by 2027, which will allow the venue to continue without the need for public funding
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New research shows surge in mental health concerns among musicians and performing artists since Covid-19
The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine has revealed that its mental health consultations have quadrupled since 2019
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra announces new chief and principal guest conductors
Mark Wigglesworth and Chloé van Soeterstède have been appointed as Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra's new chief conductor and principal guest conductor respectively
Composer James MacMillan receives Ivors Academy Fellowship
MacMillan joins a list of 25 Fellows, including John Rutter, John Adams, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Judith Weir CBE and Sting
RPS Awards celebrate headline-grabbing BBC Singers, the late composer Kaija Saariaho and the first sitarist winner
The RPS Awards – held in Manchester for the first time – celebrate an opera looking at the impact of nuclear power on our world, an opera by the late Kaija Saariaho and an ensemble who nearly faced disbandment last year
Dramatic new changes afoot in the new Radio 3 schedule
Radio 3 has announced a raft of new changes which see some programmes axed, others extended and some moving across from other BBC radio stations
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to lose all funding from Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council will be cutting funds to the cultural sector and the CBSO by 60% this year and 100% in 2025
Amadeus TV adaptation headed to Sky Original, starring White Lotus actor
40 years after the release of the 1984 film Amadeus, a new TV series based on the story of sparring Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri is coming to Sky
The BBC reveals future of the BBC Singers
The BBC has announced that it has secured the future of the vocal ensemble, drawing on support from a third party, The VOCES8 Foundation
Manchester City player Nathan Aké to donate pianos to deprived schools
Six schools in Manchester will receive digital pianos thanks to the efforts of Premier League footballer Nathan Aké and the Playing for Change initiative
Simon Rattle named as Czech Philharmonic's principal guest conductor
The British conductor will take on the role alongside his existing position as chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich
London Chamber Orchestra musicians stage a walkout after several months without pay
The orchestra's management has blamed the delayed payments on disruptions with its bank, an issue which has affected many other organisations, charities and venues recently
Conductor Seiji Ozawa (1935-2024)
The Japanese conductor was best known his role music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for 29 years
Northern Ballet to replace live orchestra with recorded music in upcoming productions
Due to rising inflation and production costs, Northern Ballet has announced that the Northern Ballet Sinfonia will be replaced by recorded music in several of its upcoming touring productions
BBC Radio 3 to launch new digital music station on DAB+ and BBC Sounds
The BBC has announced that it will be launching four new digital music stations with 'extensions' for Radio 1, 2 and 3 combining new and existing material, simultcasts and live content
Iconic Japanese electronic musical instrument to be revived for the first time since the 90s
The Omnichord was a fan favourite back in the 80s and 90s, but this is the first time since 1996 a new model has been released
A piece by John Cage has been played continuously for 23 years – and it's changing chord for the first time in two years
Some have booked their tickets years in advance for the historic moment in which a new note will be added to the six-note chord in this performance that is due to last for 639 years
BBC Singers receive RPS Award nomination after challenging year
Holding its annual awards in Manchester for the first time this year, the Royal Philharmonic Society has released its nominees for 2024.
All The Right Notes podcast: coming soon from BBC Music Magazine
The team from BBC Music Magazine demystify the world of classical music through down-to-earth discussion and lively interviews. Want to know what an orchestral conductor actually does? Or how to write an effective soundtrack? Then this is the podcast for you!
Aigul Akhmetshina: from an isolated village in the Ural Mountains to the Met Opera stage as the youngest ever Carmen
At just 27, Aigul Akhmetshina became the youngest artist ever to take on the role of Bizet's Carmen at both the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera
2024 Oscar nominations for Best Original Score announced, with John Williams breaking his own record for most nominations in history
With 54 nominations to his name, the 90-year-old composer John Williams becomes the highest recipient of Oscar nominations for a living person.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason faces torrent of online abuse after sharing views on Rule, Britannia! on Desert Island Discs
In an interview with Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, the cellist said that the anthem Rule, Britannia 'made people uncomfortable' because of its links to colonialism and slavery