Mehta was first appointed in 2009 and had sole oversight of the artistic vision and programming of Koerner Hall from its initial launch. During his tenure, the hall has hosted 1,500 concerts, including 130 world premieres and 83 RCM commissions as part of the 21C Music series.

Programming themes have included tributes to Oscar Peterson; explorations of jazz; a global music series spotlighting traditions from over 70 countries including India, Cuba, Italy, Portugal, and from across Africa and the Middle East; and Quiet Please, There’s a Lady on Stage, a celebration of female performers.

Mehta also founded KUNÉ, Canada’s Global Orchestra, in 2017, with the goal of reflecting the diversity of Toronto’s music community. The orchestra has become known for its inventive programming and dynamic performances.

In 2025, Mehta received the King Charles Coronation Medal. He has been on the inaugural Toronto Music Advisory Committee, advisor to the National Arts Centre, the National Creation Fund, the Banff Centre, co-chair of the International Society of Performing Arts Congress in Toronto, and a juror and committee member for the Juno Awards.

"My 17 years at The Royal Conservatory have been defined by collaboration, trust and a shared belief in the power of music and performance," Mehta said. "I am deeply thankful to my colleagues past and present across the RCM for their partnership, inspiration and friendship, to my friends in venues across North America, to our funders, and especially to the artists and audiences who brought Koerner Hall to life."

"My deep appreciation to Michael Koerner and Dr. Peter Simon whose vision led to the construction of the hall and to the trust they bestowed upon me to realize that vision. These experiences will remain with me always. You will see me enjoying concerts in the hall for many more years to come."

"Mervon brought an extraordinary combination of attributes to the position: an understanding of the primacy of artistic excellence; a grasp of the financial aspects of a large entity; the ability to manage the day-to-day complexities of a unique operation; and a rare gift to engage the many communities of our city," said Peter Simon, President Emeritus of RCM.

"As a result, millions of people in our region had the opportunity to be inspired by the world’s greatest artists, performing music of every genre in an acoustically perfect and intimate venue. My sincere thanks and admiration go to Mervon."

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The descriptions of the instruments are as follows:

• An Amati Magenot cello (1920), in a burgundy hard canvas case (brand Riboni)
• A classical cello bow by Meauchand from 177
• A baroque cello bow by Tartini
• A b-flat clarinet in boxwood with 5 keys at 430Hz (a Lotz copy by Agnès Guéroult from 2020), in a blue patterned fabric case, placed inside a beige backpack

The ensemble has reported the incident to police and they are investigating. In addition, the group is calling on the public to come forward if they have any information that may be of use to the police.

Witnesses should contact direction@cercledelharmonie.com or deal directly with the police department of the 13th arrondissement of Paris.

"Beyond material value, these instruments represent irreplaceable working tools for the artists concerned," the ensemble wrote on social media. 

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The Foundation has recently announced that it will change its name: it will now be known as the Sasakawa Music Foundation. It has also appointed a new President, Tamio Kano, who will join current Managing Directors Reiko Ishikawa and Yosuke Ishikawa in the running of the organization.

"Under the new name, we will continue to build upon our long-standing instrument loan project...and endeavor to further contribute to the promotion and advancement of musical culture as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation," Kano wrote in a statement.

The instruments owned by the Foundation are some of the best on offer. Recently, the organization loaned the 1714 "Dolphin" Stradivarius to VC Artist Timothy Chooi.  Widely regarded as one of the three best surviving Stradivarius violins, the instrument spent decades in the hands of Jascha Heifetz.

"The Nippon Music Foundation is an extraordinary organization — incredibly generous, mission-focused, and deeply dedicated to ensuring these masterpieces are heard in concert halls rather than locked away," Chooi said upon receiving the loan.

The Foundation's collection comprises 21 string instruments in total (15 Stradivarius violins, 1 viola, 3 cellos, and 2 Guarneri del Gesù violins).

You can read a comprehensive description and history of all the instruments owned by the Foundation (in English and Japanese) here.

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The full list of classical award-winners is as follows:

Best Orchestral Performance: Awarded to the conductor and the orchestra:

"Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie" — Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons, conductor

Best Opera Recording: Awarded to the conductor, album producer(s), and principal soloists, and to the composer and librettist of a world premiere opera recording only (where applicable)

"Heggie: Intelligence" — Houston Grand Opera, Gene Scheer (librettist), Kwamé Ryan (conductor), Jamie Barton, J'Nai Bridges, and Janai Brugger (cast), Blanton Alspaugh (producer)

Best Choral Performance: Awarded to the conductor, and to the choral director and/or chorus master where applicable, and to the choral organization/ensemble

"Ortiz: Yanga" — Los Angeles Philharmonic & Tambuco Percussion Ensemble, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Gustavo Dudamel (conductor), Grant Gershon (chorus master)

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: Awarded to the ensemble and conductor

"Dennehy: Land of Winter" — Alan Pierson, Alarm Will Sound

Best Classical Instrumental Solo: Awarded to the instrumental soloist(s) and to the conductor

"Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos" — Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Andris Nelsons (conductor), Boston Symphony Orchestra

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album: Awarded to vocalist(s) and collaborative artist(s) (e.g. pianists, conductors)

"Telemann: Ino - Opera Arias For Soprano" — Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, Amanda Forsythe (soloist), Robert Mealy, Paul O'Dette, and Stephen Stubbs (conductors)

Best Classical Compendium: Awarded to the artist(s) and to the album producer(s) and engineer(s) of over 50% playing time of the album, and to the composer and librettist (if applicable) with over 50% playing time of a world premiere recording only

"Ortiz: Yanga" — Gustavo Dudamel (conductor), Dmitriy Lipay (producer)

Best Contemporary Classical Composition: A composer's award for a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the eligibility year

"Ortiz: Dzonot" — Alisa Weilerstein (cello), Gustavo Dudamel (conductor), Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gabriela Ortiz (composer)

Best Engineered Album, Classical: An engineer's award (artists' names in italics)

"Cerrone: Don't Look Down" — Mike Tierney (engineer), Alan Silverman (mastering engineer), Sandbox Percussion

Producer Of The Year, Classical: a producer's award

Elaine Martone

For the full list of GRAMMY winners, click here.

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Mehta has previously had a strong presence in the Israeli performing scene. He was Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra from 1981 to 2020, and presently serves as its Music Director Emeritus.

In the interview, he highlighted his work with Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which unites players from across the Middle East, as an example of young musicians from these countries working alongside one another harmoniously.

When asked whether it was possible to separate music from politics, Mehta replied "well I can't, I never have."

"I cancelled all my engagements in Israel this year, because of my objection to Mr Netanyahu's way of treating the whole Palestinian issue," he added. I hope that finishes...I hope he is outvoted by the next election."

"Many of my colleagues do [take a stance on political issues], and many turn a blind eye. I can't agree with them."

One of the most eminent conductors working today, Mehta had worked with some of the world's top orchestras — including the Vienna, Berlin, and Israel Philharmonics — before his 25th birthday.

In the 1960s and 1970s, he held music directorships at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1978, Mehta bagged the top job at the New York Philharmonic and still holds the distinction of being its longest-serving conductor, with a tenure of thirteen years.

PC: Teatro alla Scala

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The concert was performed on instruments crafted by the prison's inmates during violin-making workshops, and each instrument was made of wood taken from shipwrecked boats carrying migrants and refugees. The inmates have also used this wood elsewhere in the prison to make items such as flowerpots.

The concert was part of the Ravenna Festival's "Ways of Friendship" project, which was founded in 1997 and uses music as a sign of hope, dialogue, and fraternity in places marked by conflict or social difficulty.

The program featured Vivaldi's Concerto in A major for strings and harpsichord, alongside works by Verdi, including the overture to Nabucco and the "Ave Maria" from Otello with soprano Rosa Feola.

The final item of the concert was a set of readings of poems and testimonies written by the prisoners. The choir then sang the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" from Verdi's Nabucco, and they were joined by some of the inmates, many of whom were moved to tears.

"Music is conceived in many different parts, musical lines, which wind at the same time, playing different lines from each other but which tend to compliment each other, not to contradict themselves continuously," Muti said. "It is the dialogue of different parts that tend to the harmony of us all...the concept of society and politics should imitate this."

"Of course prison is a closed place, difficult, but even here you can find yourself — especially through art," he added. "I felt much more emotion, creativity and deeper spirituality here than outside."

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In 2023, Matsuoka was the winner of the Szymanowski Competition, where she also received a number of special prizes. She is the recipient of the Matsukata Hall Music Award, the ABC Newcomer Concert Best Music Award, the 2nd Prize at the 5th Soji Angel Violin Competition, and the Aoyama Music Award Newcomer Prize in 2018.

In 2019, she reached the finals of the Queen Elisabeth Competition. She has also won the Jury Encouragement Prize at the Sendai International Competition, First Prize and the Commissioned Work Prize at the International Music Competitions VŠMU, and the Special Prize at the tenth Fritz Kreisler International Competition.

In addition, she has made solo appearances with the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Osaka Symphony Orchestra, the Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra, and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Matsuoka is a graduate of the Special Performance Course at Souai University's Faculty of Music and the University's Department of Music. Her teachers have included Machie Oguri, Michael Frischenschlager, and Peter Schuhmayer, and she has studied chamber music with Stefan Mendl and Johannes Meissl.

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The competition comprises one pre-selection round, in which competitors submit recordings that will be judged blind. There will then be between one and two live rounds that will take place in Hong Kong, at the Hong Kong City Hall and Tsuen Wan Town Hall.

The competition is divided into five different age categories: 0-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-17, and 18-23. There are also two chamber music categories, for ages 0-12 and 13-23. Cash prizes are available for all categories, and the senior individual category offers $3000 to its winner, as well as a PIRASTRO Violin Perpetual Set Mittel and rosin, and an App-Voucher from G. Henle Verlag etc. The full list of prizes is available here.

Repertoire requirements for the pre-selection round differ by category, and you can read the full requirements here. Recordings for the pre-selection round must be received on or before February 9, 2026. The results of the pre-selection will be announced on February 16, 2026.

In 2026, the jury will comprise Kirill Troussov (Chair), Feng Jia, Florian Leonhard, Huang Yi,Kara Nam, Qian Zhou, Robin Wilson, Savva Fatkulin, Sergei Dogadin, Sha Xiaocai, Sunny Lee and Takashu Shumizu.

You can find out more about the HKIYMC on the competition website.

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The Iranian conductor Paniz Faryousefi has made history as the first woman to conduct the Tehran Symphony Orchestra.

Faryousefi will lead the orchestra's Land of Simurgh concerts, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday at Vahdat Hall. The music on the program was by the Iranian composers Aftab Darvishi and Golfam Khayam, as well as works by Robert Schumann, Jean Sibelius, and Aram Khachaturian.

IranWire reported that Faryousefi was grateful to the Rudaki Foundation and the orchestra’s artistic council for selecting her, and she described her appointment as a sign of confidence and support for women in Iran’s classical music scene.

She added that after three rehearsals, the orchestra played in a fluid and cohesive manner, with the players demonstrating "professionalism and empathy."

A graduate of the Tehran Music Conservatory and the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, Faryousefi is concertmaster with the Tehran Philharmonic Orchestra. She is also the founder and leader of the Novak String Quartet, and has appeared as an invited guest violinist with the New York Philharmonic.

"Art belongs to humanity, not to men and women," Faryousefi said. "The presence of a female conductor in Iran may still seem a bit unusual, but music is our common language, and this issue doesn’t matter between me and the orchestra members."

"I hope my experience can pave the way for other enthusiasts in the field of orchestral conducting."

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The British opera and theater director Katie Mitchell has announced that she has decided to retire from the opera industry, largely because of its pervasive sexism and misogyny.

In an interview with The Times, Mitchell stated that "across the 30 or so operas [she has] directed, I have never had a working process free of sexism."

She was careful to emphasize that the day-to-day sexism she is referring to is distinct from sexual harassment.

"The sexism can sometimes be mild (like being asked daily by a répétiteur, ‘Are you a happy girl now?’) or it can be intense, like being screamed at for an artistic choice that someone does not like," Mitchell said. "I know this would not be the case if I were male. On one occasion, I even had furniture thrown at me."

Mitchell also noted that the field of opera has been comparatively slow to come to terms with the sexism inherent in its content, adding that in the theater world, the vast majority of operatic libretti simply would not be staged.

Her final opera will be Janáček’s The Makropulos Case, which will have its season at the Royal Opera House in November 2025.

Mitchell is a former Associate Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, and the Royal Court and is a resident director at the Schaubuhne Berlin and the Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg. Previously she was resident director at the Aix-en-Provence Festival and in 2015, the Stadsschouwburg Theatre in Amsterdam presented a retrospective of her work. She has won numerous awards for her directing, as well as an OBE.

When asked what would induce her to change her mind, Mitchell said "a systemic revolution. Very simply, I would like to be certain that I’m safe at work."

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Apple Music Classical has announced that it will partner with Genshin Impact, an open-world action video game that was first released in 2020.

The new partnership will make available a multi-language track-by-track commentary for the Genshin Impact soundtrack, which is now available exclusively on Apple Music Classical. This includes commentary voiced by the original voice actors from the game, including that of the beloved character Aether [Paimon in Chinese].

The partnership will also mark the fifth anniversary of Genshin Impact on September 28, 2025, by offering a limited-time free membership of the streaming service to Genshin Impact players. 

In total, Apple Music and Apple Music Classical now offer more than 1,400 tracks from the Genshin Impact game, and Apple Music Classical now features classical crossover soundtracks from the game as well. 

Boasting the world's largest classical music catalog, Apple Music Classical also offers the highest quality audio out of any streaming service.

Its major point of difference is its search engine, which has been designed especially for classical music. Users can search by composer, work, conductor, orchestra, instrument, or opus number.

"Apple Music Classical is delighted to engage with the world of gaming and the brilliant music that is loved by audiences around the world," said Anjali Malhotra, Global Director for Apple Music Classical. "To have the original voice-actors of Genshin Impact record the track-by-track commentaries for the first time ever is incredibly exciting as it will bring these vivid and wondrous soundtracks to a new global audience, giving fans something new to enjoy."

"It has been a great pleasure collaborating with Apple Music Classical to introduce the Genshin Impact soundtracks to the classical music world, enhanced by the track-by-track commentary feature that allows us to share our creative process with fans and listeners," said Fish Ling, VP of Global Business Development at HoYoverse.

"The music of Genshin Impact draws inspiration from diverse musical traditions, and we hold deep respect for the classical heritage. Thanks to the courtesy of Apple Music Classical, we are excited to invite our players and fans to explore the rich world of classical music!"

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The brand-new Schwarzman Center for the Humanities has recently opened at the University of Oxford. The Center will house at least nine faculties across the Humanities Division, and has a number of specialist music spaces, including the 500-seat Sohmen Concert Hall.

The center is the university's largest single building project, and was funded by a £150 million donation from Blackstone CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman. In 2019, Oxford described the donation as being the largest single gift that the university has received since the Renaissance.

The Center also features a black box experimental performance space, dance studio and cinema, an exhibition hall, and rehearsal rooms. In addition, the libraries of all the associated faculties have been conglomerated into one singular Bodleian Humanities Library.

The Center will also play host to a cultural program, which in its first year is set to include a collaboration with the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, a "creation myth for the age of AI" presented by Headlong Theatre, which is a collaboration between the American street dancer Lil Buck and UK hip-hop dance company ZooNation, and BBC broadcaster Samira Ahmed chairing a series of conversations.

"As one of the world’s top universities for the Humanities, we attract the very best researchers and teachers in its subject areas," said Professor Irene Tracey, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford. "To support their ambition for world-leading excellence and collaboration within and across subject boundaries, with artists or scientists, we need places like the new Schwarzman Center."

"Its state-of-the-art facilities, reaching out deep into the international cultural community, enables us all to come together in a new dialogue in one extraordinary building befitting of this great and historic University and City."

"This extraordinary investment by Stephen A. Schwarzman represents an enormous vote of confidence in the humanities," said Lord Hague of Richmond, the Chancellor of Oxford. "The launch of the Schwarzman Center comes at a time when the perspectives of humanities experts have never been more important in confronting the big challenges facing the world, including AI, human rights and the environment."

"The benefits of bringing together outstanding students and researchers from so many disciplines in a state-of-the-art building will be felt for generations to come."

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The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and its musicians, represented by the Local 40-543 of the American Federation of Musicians, have agreed on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement, which the orchestra describes as "the most financially ambitious contract in more than a decade."

Over the next three years, from September 15, 2025, the musicians will receive steady increases in annual pay, totaling 12% over the course of the contract. The minimum annual salary will therefore rise from $92,811 in year one to $101,350 by year three.

The benefit package remains competitive and includes 11 weeks of paid vacation, at least 30 days of sick leave, employer-paid pension contributions, and comprehensive medical and dental coverage.

There have also been significant adjustments to the audition and tenure processes. All applicants will now be invited to live auditions (i.e., resumes will not be screened), and trial weeks have been eliminated in favor of blind auditions.

In addition, internal auditions have been swapped for automatic advancement to the first round of national auditions, and all auditions are now fully screened — even in the final round.

"This agreement reflects our deep appreciation for the artistry and dedication of our incredible musicians," said Mark Hanson, president and CEO of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. "Just as we are honored to recognize their value with meaningful pay increases, we are deeply grateful to our musician colleagues for embracing important CBA changes that position us to expand audiences and strengthen revenue. Together, we can ensure the BSO remains a cultural cornerstone for generations to come."

"The musicians of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra have a deep and abiding commitment to our devoted audiences, not only in Baltimore, but across our entire state of Maryland," said Jeremy Buckler, chair of the Players’ Committee.

"This new contract empowers us to build on our legacy of world-class artistry, community, and economic impact, while enabling us to attract and retain the next generation of musicians. We look forward to moving ahead with the management and Board in this new era to create even broader access to the benefits of symphonic music for current and future generations."

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The British auction house Dominic Winter Auctioneers has announced the sale of a violin previously owned by Albert Einstein. The instrument was made in 1894 by the Munich luthier Anton Zunterer, and the auction house estimates that it could sell for as much as £300,000.

This violin is believed to be the first that Einstein purchased, and he would have played it throughout his late teens and early adulthood, which is the time when he was first developing his theory of relativity. He published landmark papers relating to the theory in 1905 and 1915.

The violin is being sold as part of a collection of items that Einstein passed on to his friend and colleague Max von Laue in 1932, when he left Germany for the USA to escape persecution by the Nazis. The other items in the collection include his bicycle saddle, as well as a copy of a philosophy book on Descartes and Spinoza from 1843.

Von Laue passed the collection on to Margarete Hommrich in 1952, and it has been in her family ever since; Hommrich's great-great-granddaughter has brought the items to auction.

Einstein referred to all his violins by the nickname "Lina" (supposedly an affectionate shortening of the word "violin"), and this instrument has the phrase engraved on the back panel.

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A demonstration group gathered outside London's Royal Opera House (ROH) on September 7, 2025, to protest a planned appearance by the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko in the 2025/26 season.

The ROH has invited Netrebko to sing the title role in Tosca (September-October) and the lead role in Turandot (December-February), and she has also been offered a solo recital on the Royal Opera House's main stage with pianist Pavel Nebolsin.

Protester Thomas Brayford posted an image of the demonstration and summarized the group's views.

Yesterday we protested outside the @rbo_org against Anna Netrebko’s Tosca. Her ties to Putin & separatists legitimise Russia’s war. Welcoming her here erases Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol. We cannot turn away. Join us Thurs 11 Sept, 18:30. ✊🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/3WMFMZT3hd

— This Fella Thomas - Ї (@ThomasBrayford) September 8, 2025

The ROH's decision to program Netrebko has proved controversial: recently, some British Members of Parliament, as well as Sergiy Kyslytsya (first deputy foreign minister of Ukraine), Andriy Kurkov (author, PEN Ukraine), and Helen Clark (former prime minister of New Zealand), signed an open letter urging the ROH to rescind its invitation.

Of late, the Royal Ballet and Opera have also received public critique for their treatment of the issues surrounding conflict in Israel-Palestine. The protest follows a recent incident in which RBO Director of Opera Oliver Mears was filmed attempting to snatch a Palestinian flag displayed by cast member Daniel Perry during the curtain call for a performance of Verdi's Il trovatore.

The RBO also recently pulled out of its planned 2026 production run of Tosca at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, after almost 200 of the company's staff members signed an open letter that was critical of its stance on Gaza.

"Will we allow Putin to use art as a curtain to hide his crimes?" wrote Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK. "Will we allow his closest allies to stand on the world's stages as if nothing has happened?"

"Netrebko has become one of the key symbols of this war. She was, and remains, a cultural instrument legitimizing killings in Ukraine. Her voice was meant to show that Russia is civilized, modern, worthy of applause. At the same time, that voice silenced the bombings of Grozny, Aleppo, Mariupol, Chernihiv, Kyiv."

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