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With former members including Haydn and Schubert, the Vienna Boys Choir traces its origins to 1498, making it one of the most venerable choral organisations in the world.

Jan Lisiecki, this season’s Spotlight Artist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, delves into the significance of Beethoven’s five piano concertos, which he leads from the keyboard in a thrilling two-night marathon. 

The American cellist talks about her close collaborations with composers, which this season includes a new cello concerto from Richard Blackford with the Czech Philharmonic, as well as Thomas Larcher and Gabriela Ortiz.

This February, Regents Opera stages Wagner’s complete Ring cycle at London’s York Hall. Soprano Catharine Woodward talks about embodying one of the most iconic characters in all opera: Brünnhilde.

The young Ukrainian pianist talks about winning the Honens International Piano Competition, his love for Ukrainian music, and being part of the Classeek Ambassador programme.

Ahead of a performance at London’s Sinfonia Smith Square, pianist Cristian Sandrin talks about commissioning three new variations from composers Farhad Poupel, Louise Drewett and Philip Dutton, and his aim to create a new view of Bach’s music.

The English conductor talks about his bond with the storied Swiss orchestra he has helmed since 2017, and how they plan to recreate the danger of Stravinsky’s famous ballet.

Some of the most familiar Christmas carols have melodies derived from folksong – which might have been lost altogether if not preserved in the early 20th century.

Barbara Hannigan talks about her relationship with Boulez, on singing Pli selon pli, and returning to the London Symphony Orchestra to conduct two programmes this season.

Pablo Larraín talks about his new film Maria, starring Angelina Jolie, which charts the final days of iconic diva Maria Callas.

Lynne Charles tells us why she has become passionate about teaching and why the mix of contemporary and classical choreography requires an urgent rethink of training and injury prevention.

A tribute to a much-loved and highly respected principal of the Mariinsky Ballet, who died at the tragically early age of 39.

Entering his second season in post, the young American Chief Conductor of the RSPO talks about how he got the job, Bruckner, Mozart, MacMillan and more.

Buffetted from symphonies, opera and ballet to West End musicals, film scoring sessions, and maybe even Glastonbury, the life of the freelance musician can be as chaotic as it is thrilling.

Composer Debbie Wiseman talks about returning to Wolf Hall and the world of the Tudors, for the BBC’s adaptation of the conclusion to Hilary Mantel’s story of Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII, The Mirror and the Light.

Sir Matthew Bourne talks about his passion for storytelling in dance, and his own personal journey with his radical gender-flipped Swan Lake.

The US Early Music ensemble Les Délices are embarking on a new season of concerts streaming online. Director Debra Nagy talks about the season, and her particular fascination with the music of Guillaume de Machaut.

Deutsche Grammophon’s STAGE+ has assembled a comprehensive archive of Karajan’s recordings, concert films and opera performances – which did much to define the sound of classical music in the 20th century.

Kornilios Viktor Michailidis is awarded 1st prize in this year’s competition, which gathered 18 talented young conductors from around the world in the Japanese capital.

Anton Bruckner, nicknamed “Tonerl”, spent his childhood in rural Ansfelden, Upper Austria. Tracking his life from there to Sankt Florian and Vienna, Bruckner would leave a lasting impression on musicians and listeners alike.

The British composer and conductor talks about his 30-year career in China, and his latest stage work created in collaboration with children’s writer Hong Ying.

The director of Collegium 1704 talks about Zelenka, the greatest Czech Baroque composer, and his uniquely bold and distinctive approach composition – which still has the capacity to shock and overwhelm today.

Ahead of a performance Kabalevsky’s Second Cello Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the British cellist talks about one of his longstanding cello heroes, Daniil Shafran, who premiered the work.

The eclectic London venue’s new artistic director discusses her plans for the future, finding new audiences and rooting music in a sense of place.

The 2024–25 season features new productions of Turandot, Maria Stuarda, Macbeth and La Bayadère, as well as a host of titles in rep from Hungary and elsewhere.

Director Fabrice Murgia talks about Seasons, a new production for La Cité Bleue using music and film, creating portraits of imaginary residents of La Cité universitaire in Geneva.

Giuseppe Verdi was more than just an opera composer. He became a political figurehead. Our playlist includes nine of his most famous operas and his Requiem, described as “an opera in ecclesiastical garb”. 

The South African soprano talks about her breakthrough at the Neue Stimmen Competition, which led to membership of the company at Frankfurt Opera.

Kazushi Ono, Artistic Director at Tokyo’s foremost opera house, introduces this year’s bel canto-infused season – and explains his vision for the house’s distinctive Theatergeist.

In its ninth season, the Swiss city of Lugano sees a host of major soloists and ensembles congregate in its idyllic corner of Ticino, in the LAC’s world-class acoustic.

Since 2020, the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY) have been running BRAND New, a series of unusual performance projects joining together young musicians from across the world.

One of the longest-running choral organisations in the UK, director Stephen Doughty talks about how the RSNO Chorus now boasts a panoply of other community choruses under its umbrella.

Ahead of a packed new season in the alpine Andermatt, founder and conductor of the Swiss Orchestra talks a remarkable fusion of Swiss folk music, romantic and 20th-century classics, and popular song.

Arielle Smith talks frankly about expectations, levelling the playing field, her passion for the art form and the importance of music as a starting point.

Gustav Holst is famous for his astrological orchestral suite The Planets, but there’s more to discover in his eclectic catalogue, particularly inspired by his interests in travel and Hindu literature. 

With so many talented young artists appearing in this season, editor Mark Pullinger selects ten we’re particularly excited to follow this year.

One of the standout contemporary music festivals anywhere in the world, Ultima Oslo is a model for musical meetings across boundaries, and radical open-mindedness.

The Swiss-Argentinian conductor tells about his projects in the general and artistic direction of La Cité Bleue, the Geneva institution which has just re-opened after renovations.

The Russian pianist talks about his recent triumph at the Classic Piano International Competition in Dubai – and how his opposition to the war in Ukraine has changed his musical life.

A raft of new full-length narrative ballets is set to premiere in the 2024–25 season: we preview some of the most significant.

In a new recital at LAC Lugano, the Italian pianist pairs two reclusive composers, Brahms and Ravel, as unlikely companions. She talks about how musicians are artisans and storytellers.

Who's afraid of Arnold Schoenberg? His music was met with great hostility from critics and audiences, but his revolutionary “serial” method became the foundation for musical modernism in the 20th century.

Barcelona’s dazzling modernista concert venue sees guest soloists and orchestras from across the world appear in this year’s season, with highlights almost too many to mention.

Kazuki Yamada’s infectious ebullience has rubbed off in a major way on the Birmingham orchestra, and this season they tackle a fleet of big symphonies: Bruckner’s, Mahler’s and Beethoven’s Ninths.

The American tenor talks about taking on Britten’s most archetypical tragic, flawed character, in a new production premiering at Dutch National Opera.

Johannes Brahms was a big supporter of Antonín Dvořák and justly so, for the Czech master, who made it big in America, composed music full of bucolic good humour and Romantic richness. 

The Bulgarian capital is truly at the meeting point of world cultures, and the Sofia Philharmonic offers a heady mix of the world’s best classical soloists, as well as homegrown talent.

Migros, one of Switzerland’s largest retailers, has been running a classical music concert series for more than 70 years, with low ticket prices designed to make music widely accessible.

“Cathedrals in sound” or “symphonic boa constrictors”? Bruckner composed eleven symphonies, but how many make our top ten playlist? 

We preview nine major new operas on stage this season in Europe, from composers including Unsuk Chin, Rebecca Saunders, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Philip Venables and Toshio Hosokawa.