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Kobaken and friends: Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi returns to Suntory Hall

Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi conducts the Japan Philharmonic © Atsushi Yamaguchi

Kobaken and friends: Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi returns to Suntory Hall

By Nahoko Gotoh, 23 October 2026

Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi – or ‘Kobaken’ – is one of Japan’s most beloved conductors. This autumn he makes a remarkable 500th appearance at Suntory Hall with the Japan Philharmonic, reprising his first ever concert at Tokyo’s prestigious venue.

23 Oct 2026

By Nahoko Gotoh

Emotional density: Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony

By Bachtrack, 22 October 2026

Frank Hammarin, horn player with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, talks about experiencing of Bruckner’s orchestral epic from within, and its emotional and acoustic power.

22 Oct 2026

Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony: Emotional density

Keeping the magic: Will Tuckett’s new Snowman

Will Tuckett, choreographer and director, and Eleanor Copping, dancer, rehearsing The Snowman © Johan Persson

Keeping the magic: Will Tuckett’s new Snowman

By Deborah Weiss, 13 October 2026

The British choreographer and dancer talks about his new production of Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman, and the challenges and rewards of creating a show for both children and adults.

13 Oct 2026

Beethoven’s Eroica: The revolution in tones

The revolution in tones: Beethoven’s Eroica

By Bachtrack, 9 October 2026

Ahead of the orchestra’s Beethoven Cycle in 2027, the Bamberg Symphony’s principal horn Christoph Eß talks about his personal relationship with Beethoven’s most revolutionary symphony, a work that would alter music forever.

9 Oct 2026

Running a competition like clockwork: Inside the Concours de Genève

Didier Schnorhk © Courtesy of Concours de Genève

Running a competition like clockwork: Inside the Concours de Genève

By Elena Luporini, 7 October 2026

Having led the Concours de Genève for more than a quarter of its history, Didier Schnorhk teases the upcoming 80th edition with a look to the past and future of the contest, and music management à la suisse.

7 Oct 2026

By Elena Luporini

Mario Brunello © Elvira Megías | Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical

From first principles: Mario Brunello plays Schumann on period cello

By Charlotte Gardner, 6 October 2026

One of the world’s leading Baroque cellists talks about diving into Schumann’s lyrical Cello Concerto, which he performs at Paris’ La Seine Musicale for the first time this November.

6 Oct 2026

From first principles: Mario Brunello plays Schumann on period cello

By Charlotte Gardner

Choirs of Orfeó Català at the Palau de la Música Catalana © Antoni Bofill | Palau de la Música Catalana

Voices of Catalonia: Xavier Puig takes the Orfeó Català centre stage

By Katia de Miguel, 2 October 2026

Ahead of a European tour with Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic, we chat with the Orfeó Català artistic director about his relationship with one of Spain’s foremost choral institutions.

2 Oct 2026

Voices of Catalonia: Xavier Puig takes the Orfeó Català centre stage

By Katia de Miguel

Things left unsaid: Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir on Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande

By Bachtrack, 30 September 2026

Debussy’s only complete opera, Pélleas et Mélisande is a strikingly original piece of music drama. Icelandic mezzo-soprano Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir talks about taking on the role of Mélisande for the first time, and what makes this opera so special.

30 Sept 2026

Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande: Things left unsaid

Mourning and transition: Andrew Yee’s Trans Requiem

Mourning and transition: Andrew Yee’s Trans Requiem

By Kurt Gottschalk, 29 September 2026

Composer and cellist Andrew Yee talks about her landmark choral and orchestral work Trans Requiem, written explicitly for transgender singers, and performing with Attacca Quartet, Caroline Shaw and inti figgis-vizueta.

29 Sept 2026

By Kurt Gottschalk

Elisabet Strid as Brünnhilde in Siegfried at Covent Garden © Monika Rittershaus

Interview with the Valkyrie: Elisabet Strid on singing Wagner

By Elena Luporini, 28 September 2026

Swedish soprano Elisabet Strid reflects on Wagner’s heroines, in anticipation of Vincent Huguet’s new production of Siegfried for the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

28 Sept 2026

Interview with the Valkyrie: Elisabet Strid on singing Wagner

By Elena Luporini

Fortissimo! Behzod Abduraimov plays Rachmaninov in Prague

By Frank Kuznik, 25 September 2026

The Uzbek pianist reunites with Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic to perform Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, a piece fast becoming Abduraimov’s signature work.

25 Sept 2026

Fortissimo! Behzod Abduraimov plays Rachmaninov in Prague

By Frank Kuznik

Always searching for the new: Bartłomiej Nizioł on the Wieniawski Competition

By Elena Luporini, 24 September 2026

From first prize winner in 1991 to President of the Jury in its upcoming edition in October, Nizioł has followed the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition for decades. He reveals what this bond has meant to him and how he has evolved in parallel.

24 Sept 2026

Always searching for the new: Bartłomiej Nizioł

By Elena Luporini

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence, artistic director and compère of Ballet Nights © Deborah Jaffe

Ballet Nights’ Jamiel Devernay-Laurence: a man without an off button

By Deborah Weiss, 21 September 2026

Former Scottish Ballet soloist turned producer and entrepreneur Jamiel Devernay-Laurence talks candidly about the risks and joys of putting on new and alternative productions.

21 Sept 2026

Ballet Nights’ Jamiel Devernay-Laurence: a man without an off button

New kids on the block: Chromatica Orchestra

Chromatica Orchestra © Monika Jakubowska

New kids on the block: Chromatica Orchestra

By Lawrence Dunn, 18 September 2026

With a remit explicitly aimed at supporting young professionals, Chromatica Orchestra have just appointed their first Principal Conductor. Oliver Cope talks about his plans for London’s newest, youngest orchestra.

18 Sept 2026

Why Swan Lake still thrills: BRB’s Céline Gittens

Tyrone Singleton as Siegfried and Céline Gittens as Odette in Swan Lake © Bill Cooper

BRB’s Céline Gittens on why Swan Lake still thrills in all its many guises

By Deborah Weiss, 17 September 2026

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Céline Gittens tells us why Swan Lake still holds such an important place in the dancing canon for both audiences and performers.

17 Sept 2026

Weaver of souls: Jae Man Joo on his new ballet Auguries of Innocence

Weaver of souls: Jae Man Joo on his new ballet Auguries of Innocence

By Carla Escoda, 16 September 2026

In his new work for English National Ballet, the South Korean choreographer has taken influence from a classic of English literature: William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence – a parable of environmental destruction and yearning for a more humane world.

16 Sept 2026

By Carla Escoda

Impertinence! Making Baroque music the Latin American way

By Lawrence Dunn, 15 September 2026

In the midst of a devastating year for the country, young Venezuelan violinist Pablo Agudo López talks about finding crucial links between European Baroque music and the traditional music of Latin America.

15 Sept 2026

Impertinence! Making Baroque music the Latin American way

Silent cinema, spoken in dance: Chaplin’s City Lights as a new ballet

Charlie Chaplin in City Lights © Roy Export S.A.S.

Silent cinema, spoken in dance: Chaplin’s City Lights as a new ballet

By Daniel Pratt, 14 September 2026

This autumn, British choreographer Alistair Marriott is collaborating with National Ballet of Japan on a new full-length narrative ballet, adapted from Charlie Chaplin’s timeless silent film City Lights. With a score taken from Chaplin’s own compositions, we discover what it takes to create a new ballet on this scale.

14 Sept 2026

By Daniel Pratt

Edward Gardner conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra © Mark Allan

Trust the process: Edward Gardner on finding his element with the LPO

By Peter Quantrill, 11 September 2026

The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Conductor talks about returning to Britten’s War Requiem to launch the 2026–27 season, conducting opera, Sibelius and Schumann, and trusting in music to communicate its message.

11 Sept 2026

Trust the process: Edward Gardner on finding his element with the LPO

By Peter Quantrill

Alain Perroux in Geneva: the return of a native

By David Karlin, 9 September 2026

The new General Director of Grand Théâtre de Genève discusses his plans for the upcoming season, reviving lesser-known pieces, and how audiences are thirsty for new experiences.

9 Sept 2026

Alain Perroux in Geneva: the return of a native

By David Karlin

Young singers of Les Arts Florissants © Julien Gazeau

Generation upon generation: Paul Agnew on the mission of Les Arts Florissants

By Elodie Olson-Coons, 8 September 2026

For 20 years, Baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants has been cultivating the next generation of singers with its Le Jardin de Voix programme. Director Paul Agnew talks about this mission, his love for early Baroque and Monteverdi’s secrets.

8 Sept 2026

Generation upon generation: Paul Agnew on Les Arts Florissants

By Elodie Olson-Coons

Storm and stress: Amanda Forsythe on Georg Philipp Telemann’s Ino

By Bachtrack, 31 August 2026

Capturing the vogue for Sturm and Drang, Telemann’s dramatic cantata Ino was one of the composer’s last works in a prolific career. Soprano Amanda Forsythe talks about returning to the UK to sing this rare and exciting work with the Academy of Ancient Music.

31 Aug 2026

Telemann’s Ino: Storm and stress

Survival and resistance: Cuba’s Malpaso Dance

Malpaso Dance Company in rehearsal in Havana © Christopher Duggan

Survival and resistance: Cuba’s Malpaso Dance and The Essence of Us

By Leigh Donlan, 25 August 2026

When the US government made it impossible for Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company to perform in New York City, the company refused to bow down, creating a new documentary in Havana with choreographer Pedro Ruiz on their deep creative resilience.

25 Aug 2026

By Leigh Donlan

From Susanna to the Contessa… and back again: Louise Alder on singing Mozart

By Mark Pullinger, 24 July 2026

Soprano Louise Alder reflects on her experiences singing both Susanna and the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro and exploring other Mozart roles.

24 Jul 2026

From Susanna to the Contessa… and back again: Louise Alder on Mozart

By Mark Pullinger

Honour and credit: Rudolf Buchbinder on 20 years of Grafenegg

By Chanda VanderHart, 17 July 2026

Ahead of the Grafenegg Festival’s 20th edition this year, artistic director Rudolf Buchbinder talks about Grafenegg’s new hall that carries his name, and why he is more nervous in performance than ever.

17 Jul 2026

Honour and credit: Rudolf Buchbinder on 20 years of Grafenegg

By Chanda VanderHart

Family secrets: Mark-Anthony Turnage returns to Festen

By Eleanor Knight, 10 July 2026

Ahead of a new orchestral suite from Festen presented at the BBC Proms this month, Mark-Anthony Turnage talks about returning to this opera of secrets and revelations, and discovering things about his own family too.

10 Jul 2026

Family secrets: Mark-Anthony Turnage returns to Festen

By Eleanor Knight

No final thoughts: Marc-André Hamelin

By Cameron Kelsall, 7 July 2026

The Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer talks about returning to an old friend: Brahms, whose Second Piano Concerto and Horn Trio he performs in several concerts with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

7 Jul 2026

No final thoughts: Marc-André Hamelin

By Cameron Kelsall

Nicky Spence in Peter Grimes © Dafydd Owen

The singing actor: Nicky Spence

By Kevin W Ng, 30 June 2026

This year celebrated Scottish tenor Nicky Spence returns to the BBC Proms to perform in Oberon – and at the Last Night. But how does he feel about all the flag-waving?

30 Jun 2026

The singing actor: Nicky Spence

By Kevin W Ng

Sabrina Lenzi and Kevin O’Hare in Sir Frederick Ashton’s Birthday Offering © Bill Cooper, 1995

Backwards bourrées: reviving Sir Frederick Ashton’s Birthday Offering

By Bachtrack, 17 June 2026

Christopher Carr talks about the challenges of resetting Ashton’s Birthday Offering for a new generation, and how grateful he is to have notation to refer to the original choreography.

17 Jun 2026

Ashton’s Birthday Offering: Backwards bourrées

Breaking free: Liam Francis makes a new company

Liam Francis in Kim Brandstrup’s Life is a Dream for Rambert © Johan Persson

Breaking free: Liam Francis makes a new company

By Deborah Weiss, 15 June 2026

Liam Francis talks openly about creating a new dance company, finding his choreographic voice, successes and insecurities, and a circuitous route to securing a life in dance.

15 Jun 2026

The crisis facing US classical music: Douglas McLennan

President Trump at the Kennedy Center © Daniel Torok | The White House

The crisis facing US classical music: Douglas McLennan

By Bachtrack, 9 June 2026

Longtime music journalist and founder of ArtsJournal talks about the multiple crises facing orchestras and arts organisations in the United States, amid the damage wrought by the second Trump administration.

9 Jun 2026

Heartbreak in real time: Corinne Winters on Jenůfa

Corinne Winters as Jenůfa © RBO | Camilla Greenwell

Heartbreak in real time: Corinne Winters on Jenůfa

By Bachtrack, 8 June 2026

The leading US soprano talks about her experiences singing one of opera’s most devastating roles, which she takes to Brno this autumn.

8 Jun 2026

A lonely profession? Hong Kong International Conducting Competition

Young conductors join the jury on the competition’s custom tram in 2023 © HK Sinfonietta Ltd

A lonely profession? Christoph Poppen on the Hong Kong Conducting Competition

By Rudolph Tang, 5 June 2026

Christoph Poppen, new jury co-chair of the Hong Kong International Conducting Competition, argues that the competition valuable because it allows young conductors to meet one another, in what is an otherwise lonely profession.

5 Jun 2026

By Rudolph Tang

Collegium Musicum Riga perform Lully’s Acis et Galatée © Nauris Veiss

Historical garb: Early music in Latvia and the Baltics

By Bachtrack, 4 June 2026

With a penchant for Baroque music in historical livery, Collegium Musicum Riga are part of a small but distinctive Early music scene in Latvia, initiating collaborations with others across the Baltic states.

4 Jun 2026

Historical garb: Early music in Latvia and the Baltics

Ambassadors for chamber music: Quatuor Ébène

Quatuor Ébène (l-r): Yuya Okamoto, Gabriel Le Magadure, Marie Chilemme, Pierre Colombet © Julien Mignot

Ambassadors for chamber music: Quatuor Ébène

By Charlotte Gardner, 2 June 2026

Ahead of the 2026 ARD International Music Competition, Quatuor Ébène’s Pierre Colombet and Gabriel Le Magadure talk about the competition’s transformative effect on their career, performing Beethoven around the world, and advocating for chamber music.

2 Jun 2026

By Charlotte Gardner

Giulio Prandi conducts Coro e Orchestra Ghislieri © Bertrand Pichene

Mongrel sensibilities: Early music in Italy

By Lawrence Dunn, 28 May 2026

Giulio Prandi, conductor of Coro e Orchestra Ghislieri, and violinist and concertmaster Gabriele Pro talk about crossing borders, adopting shared sensibilities, and the challenges facing historically informed musicians in Italy today.

28 May 2026

Mongrel sensibilities: Early music in Italy

Labyrinths of life: Erkki-Sven Tüür

Labyrinths of life: Erkki-Sven Tüür on a sense of place

By Simon Cummings, 27 May 2026

Erkki-Sven Tüür talks about making sanctuary on Hiiumaa, a wild island to Estonia’s west, and his interest in writing concertos, seen “through the eyes of someone who observes the world very closely”.

27 May 2026

By Simon Cummings

Nathan Henninger © Viktor Szende | NateChet Music

New romance: the music of Nathan Henninger

By Bachtrack, 26 May 2026

The Toronto-born composer talks about new work Romanza for piano and orchestra, theatricality in music, taking influences from psychology, and the effect on his music of working for the United Nations.

26 May 2026

New romance: the music of Nathan Henninger

The Green Table: Before the war came

Marion Tait as the Mother, Joseph Cipolla as Death, Karen Waldie as the Woman in The Green Table © Leslie E Spatt 1992

Before the war came: why The Green Table is urgent today

By Bachtrack, 20 May 2026

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Jonathan Payn talks about The Green Table by Kurt Jooss, first performed in Paris in 1932 – and how choreography can respond to political collapse and the threat of war.

20 May 2026

Diversity and recovery: Early music in Croatia

Harbourside performance at Festival Kvarner, Opatija © Festival Kvarner

Diversity and recovery: Early music in Croatia

By Lawrence Dunn, 13 May 2026

A group of younger Croatian musicians, including new ensemble Gli Schiavoni, are determined to recover the historical music of Croatia, despite a devastating series of earthquakes and armed conflicts.

13 May 2026

Kith and kin: Brett Dean and family prepare Of One Blood

Brett Dean, Lotte Betts-Dean and Heather Betts © Roman Job

Kith and kin: Brett Dean and family prepare Of One Blood

By Lawrence Dunn, 1 May 2026

Brett Dean, Heather Betts and Lotte Betts-Dean sit down to discuss their work on Of One Blood, a new opera dramatising the lives of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots – affairs of the family all round.

1 May 2026

Attuned to the times: Anastasia Kobekina in Prague

Anastasia Kobekina © Nicolas Hudak | Sony Music Entertainment

Attuned to the times: Anastasia Kobekina in Prague

By Charlotte Gardner, 30 April 2026

Ahead of a return to Prague to perform with the Czech Philharmonic, Anastasia Kobekina talks about Bryce Dessner’s new cello concerto, Trembling Earth, her love for Dvořák, and exploring new instruments.

30 Apr 2026

By Charlotte Gardner

Juilliard rehearsing Wayne McGregor's Augmented © Jessica Wright

Rambert School, Juilliard School, Wayne McGregor: triple threat!

By Deborah Weiss, 29 April 2026

Amanda Britton, Artistic Director of Rambert School, talks about an exchange and collaboration between the Rambert School and Juilliard to create a new work by Wayne McGregor, a unique project.

29 Apr 2026

Rambert School, Juilliard School, McGregor: triple threat!