“(My) Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony,” wrote the 89-year-old composer. “Therefore, I feel an obligation to withdraw this Symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership.” - The Washington Post (Yahoo!)
The Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition, founded in 1999, was held eight times, most recently in 2022. News of its retirement comes just a few days after the announcement of the inaugural Cliburn International Competition for Conductors, to be held in June 2028 in Houston. - The Violin Channel
The renowned countertenor/impresario, who took the helm of the admired-but-struggling company in 2024, has added two years to his contract, which now ends after the 2028-29 season. The company has also extended the contract of music director Corrado Rovaris through May 2029. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Joshua Sutherland is "the bridge between the music industry and the NFL,” he says - and he’s also in charge of promoting women’s and men’s flag football for the 2028 Olympics. - Boston Globe
“‘You don’t get to Cowboy Carter without Candi Staton,’ the musician and podcast host Rissi Palmer said, referring to the Beyoncé album. ‘She was seamlessly Southern and soulful in a way that, historically, kept her from being celebrated as a ‘country’ artist.’” - The New York Times
“Fleming and the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday evening. The center’s website said that she had withdrawn from two May concerts with the orchestra ‘due to a scheduling conflict.’” - The New York Times
More than 100 donors contributed to the campaign, with recent significant gifts from the Perot family, the Hamon Foundation, the Vansickle Family Foundation, Cece and Ford Lacy, an anonymous donor and the TDO board, trustees and honorary directors. - Dallas Morning News
“The company’s recent successes include two Grammy nominations; press attention for the hiring of music director James Gaffigan; announcements of bold new works; and critical acclaim by critics, audiences, and the music ‘industry.’” Asked what her “secret sauce” is, Khori Dastoor replied, “There is no such thing.” - San Francisco Classical Voice
“The first Cliburn International Competition for Conductors will take place in 2028 in Houston. … The competition will be hosted in partnership with the Houston Symphony and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.” Marin Alsop will chair the jury. - KERA (Dallas)
In execution, this theory works very simply: Don’t change the music; change the way you deliver it. Do the opposite of what institutions are doing when they offer radically shortened operas or watered-down symphonies. - The New York Times
La Scala closed 2025 with record ticket sales of over €40 million (+7.3% compared to 2024). Added to this is the record revenue of the La Scala Theatre Museum, which reached €3.4 million. - Gramilano
Extracting the endowment after 15 years of operating under the auspices of the Kennedy Center will take more work—and a lot of lawyers. “It is rightly ours,” Francesca Zambello says of the endowment, declining to comment further on the negotiations. “We have a very large legal team.” - Washingtonian
Carrie Cracknell’s staging has Escamillo (here a rodeo star rather than a bullfighter) enter to the “Toreador Song” in a Jaguar convertible followed by three trucks. As part of the Met’s money-saving measures, the Jaguar and two trucks have been removed, saving $300,000 but infuriating Cracknell and the designers. - AP
