‘I am here with my musicians’: Maestro Muti joins striking CSO musicians

Usually caught in a neither-nor position straddling the artistic and administrative halves of the organizations, music directors have historically stayed out of labor disputes in major orchestras.

La Scala under fire for proposed funding from Saudi Arabia

Italy's premier opera house is under fire over a proposal to grant a board seat to Saudi Arabia's culture minister with the promise of $16.8 million in new funding

Signifyin’ in Song: How the Sounds of Slavery Changed Music Forever

Music and dance provided an outlet for enslaved people to express their sorrow, though often their cries of pain sounded quite the opposite to slave owners.

9 Living Black Composers You Need To Know

If you’re not familiar with these 9 composers, we’ve got 2 things to say: 1. You’re missing out on a lot of great music. 2. Now’s your chance to catch up! June is African-American Music Appreciation Month, and while you shouldn’t limit your appreciation of music by African-American composers to the month of June, it’s a nice excuse to explore ...

How One Chord Changed the World: “Tristan” at 150

If you’re a music lover, you may have heard of the so-called “Tristan chord” from Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde. Audiences were stunned to hear this infamous harmony when the opera premiered on June 10, 1865 in Munich, Germany. As Tristan turns 150, let’s take a look at what makes the Tristan chord so unique. The “Vorspiel,” or Prelude, to Tristan begins with with a “dissonant” chord. The terms “consonance” ...