Features

Mark MacNamara - September 23, 2014

Faced with a declining budget and faced with dwindling audiences, will the board's decision to fire the music director and bring in fresh blood be the answer for the Vallejo Symphony?

Mark MacNamara - September 22, 2014

Drama ensues at the opening of Marriage of Figaro at Lincoln Center when the New York City Fire Dept. discovered a significant portion of the scenery was found to not be fireproof.

Mark MacNamara - September 16, 2014

Art isn’t easy, and finding an affordable place to live is almost impossible in the Bay Area. So, musicians are starting to move rather than tough it out. What can be done to reverse the trend?

Jeff Kaliss - September 9, 2014

On The Last Southern Gentlemen, Delfeayo Marsalis unites with his father, Ellis, on a project that encompasses his musical upbringing and training, and his view of jazz tradition.

Jim Farber - September 2, 2014

The vocal competition equivalent of the Olympics, also the audition of a lifetime, Operalia in L.A. paraded an all-star roster of young talent in front of scouts from the world’s biggest opera houses. 

Janice Berman - September 2, 2014

Even as its artistic reputation soars, the financially strapped company’s unpredictable ways continue. Can the new season bring new stability?

Mark MacNamara - August 7, 2014

Improvistation on string insturments for children to explore, and a Family Date Nights on Fridays at the Bay Area Children’s Museum — check both out.

Mark MacNamara - August 7, 2014

Is the Metropolitan Opera is headed for a lockout? The employees are demoralized and surprised by this prospect, but bewilderment is something they’re familiar with from the Gelb regime.

Molly Colin - July 29, 2014

For three late-bloomer singers in the Merola Opera Program, emotional maturity and determination substitute for a long apprenticeship.

Mark MacNamara - July 24, 2014

Two weekends of concerts in the open air — it’s what summer is all about.