Artists
Maria Callas: the voice that redefined opera
Her voice may have divided audiences, but the Greek soprano Maria Callas never failed to compel with powerfully vivid performances. Michael Tanner explores the life and career of arguably the greatest opera singer ever
Ada Lovelace: the visionary who imagined computers composing music two centuries ahead of her time
The 19th-century mathematician and musician Ada Lovelace was the first to spot computers’ creative potential. David De Roure tells her intriguing story and explores her legacy
The black icon, the First Lady, and the concert that changed America
When Marian Anderson took to the stage in 1939 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, she had the full support of the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who had taken up her cause after Anderson was rejected from a concert hall because of a racist policy
Van Cliburn: the American pianist who triumphed in Russia at the Cold War's chilliest moment
American pianist Van Cliburn caused a major shock in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War, when he won the Tchaikovsky competition in 1958
How do you find the right teacher at music college?
Cellist Seth Parker Woods shares his wisdom on how to choose the best music teacher
Otto Klemperer: he fled the Nazis, suffered mental illness - and was one of the great conductors
For many, conductor Otto Klemperer will be remembered as the steady and reliable champion of classic repertoire, but in his youth the German was a dashing advocate of the new, writes Andrew Green
The conductors' orchestra: meet the all-star orchestra made up of the world’s great conductors
Jeremy Pound puts together an ensemble made up of leading maestros playing their own instruments, from virtuoso violinists to school-level trombonists
Best jazz band leaders: 11 ensemble leaders who changed the sound of big band jazz
For over 100 years jazz music has captured the imagination of the public, with jazz bands becoming household names. Here, we name the best jazz band leaders responsible for defining, influencing and shaping the genre into what it is today.
Why did the FBI keep a file on him? And more fascinating facts from Leonard Bernstein's eventful life
From West Side Story to the Berlin Wall, here is a short guide to the main events in the remarkable life of Leonard Bernstein
Neville Marriner: the conductor who turned millions on to Mozart
2024 marks 100 years since the birth of Sir Neville Marriner, legendary founder and director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Michael White speaks to those who knew him best
Best virtuosos: seven of the most astoundingly talented musicians we'd love to have seen live
The BBC Music Magazine team chooses the virtuosos from history they would love to have seen perform
Matteo Bocelli - meet the globe-conquering classical crossover star
The classical crossover star Matteo Bocelli has stepped out from behind the shadow of a very famous father
Dinu Lipatti: an awesomely talented pianist we lost far too soon
When Dinu Lipatti died at just 33, the world lost a pianist at the height of his powers. Roger Nichols recalls the Romanian’s extraordinary musicianship
There are 15 types of conductor. Which of these have you spotted?
Studying great maestros past and present, Jeremy Pound gives a spotters’ guide to character types regularly seen on the podium
Best cellists: the 21 greatest cello players of all time, from Boccherini to Capuçon via Casals and du Pré
From Pablo Casals to Jacqueline du Pré, we celebrate some of the greatest cellists of the past 300 years
11 of the best contraltos of all time
Are these the best contraltos of all time? We pay our respects to the women from the lower reaches
Violinist Vilde Frang on squaring up to epic works and coping with imposter syndrome
The Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang is always drawn to a challenge – and, as she tells Ariane Todes, making difficult choices has helped her to grow as a musician
Giuditta Pasta: the legendary Italian soprano who blazed a trail a century before Maria Callas
A century before Maria Callas caught the world’s attention, there was another singer wielding immense power both on and off stage, Giuditta Pasta. George Hall tells the story of the Italian soprano
'My uncle tormented me too much': what drove Beethoven's nephew to attempt suicide?
In 1826 Beethoven’s tormented nephew pulled the trigger on himself
Pavarotti: a guide to the life and times of the world's most famous opera singer
Luciano Pavarotti was one of classical music's biggest stars. We remember the tenor who famously ‘couldn’t act for toffee’, but brought opera to an audience of millions
Glenn Gould: remembering an idiosyncratic icon of the piano
Glenn Gould was one of the most celebrated and talked-about pianists of the 20th century, thanks to his groundbreaking interpretations of JS Bach and idiosyncratic personality. Humphrey Burton, who knew him, remembers an extraordinary artist
Santtu-Matias Rouvali: the Finnish conductor on the best and worst performances of his career so far
Ethan Loch: the blind pianist with an astonishing synaesthetic sense of hearing
Born without sight, pianist Ethan Loch has developed a finely tuned – and synaesthetic – sense of hearing, as he reveals to Claire Jackson
Henry VIII: a brutal and tyrannical king, but did he write any good music?
When he wasn't beheading people or vandalising monasteries, Henry VIII was remarkably skilled as a composer and performer, as David Skinner explains