The Opera Festival of Chicago focuses on Italian works which may be somewhat familiar from recordings and broadcasts but rarely get professional productions in the US. They're starting small (two one-acts and a concert), but plan to work up to four operas per year. - Chicago Tribune
“When we made the decision that we couldn’t perform indoors in Music Hall, the hunt was on. Of course, the first obvious choice would be the Zoo,” said artistic director Evans Mirageas. - Cincinnati Business Journal
Timbre morphing, pitch morphing, stretch morphing and squeeze morphing: "Mockingbirds compose their songs much like human composers do, drawing phrases from other birds' melodies that follow these four basic morphing modes." - Wired
It's not easy for the Salzburg Festival, but performers and audience alike feel the reality that "peace doesn’t exist without its antithesis." - The New York Times
Giddens, a singer, taught herself banjo after graduating from Oberlin. She says, "To suck at something is actually painful and we don’t really like that sensation. ... if you just throw yourself into it and are not afraid to fail, then that’s when you can learn things." - Washington Post
Asian and Asian America composers explain the ways they've had an impact on - and been affected by - the sometimes exoticizing world of classical music. - The New York Times
Joshua Kosman: "My reviews over the years have not always reflected the splendor of the Opera Chorus's artistry. … In my defense, most of the time my task is simply to find new words for an old truth... - San Francisco Chronicle
Dozens of musicians in the Pittsburgh area and around the country are either adjusting their careers to include more stable side hustles in the aftermath of the pandemic or hanging up their instruments for good. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Gandhi, who has sung internationally and who comes to Portland from Minnesota Opera, where she has been chief artistic officer, will be one of the few women in the opera world in a top artistic role." - Oregon ArtsWatch
"The BBC Proms will open at full capacity and without social distancing this summer, but attendees will be required to provide proof of their vaccination or COVID status in order to enter London's Royal Albert Hall." - The Guardian
A native of Brody, in western Ukraine, where she grew up in a family of musicians, Oksana Lyniv, 43, has spent the better part of the last two decades in German-speaking Europe. - The New York Times
Interviews with more than 40 Asians and Asian-Americans in the classical world reveal that, in 2021, many still have to put up with astoundingly prejudiced treatment and feel themselves locked out of positions where decisions are made. - The New York Times
"I felt like I was reconnecting with a best friend. I needed the opportunity to play music and have these other musicians in my life. This was a return to a prized passion." - The New York Times
