Calming The ‘Ca-cough-ony’

Yesong Sophie Lee, just 12 years old has won the biennial 2016 Menuhin competition, held in London last month. It was the centenary of the competition whose Laureates include Australians Ray Chen, Susie Park and Grace Clifford, Germany’s Julia Fisher and Russia’s Alina Ibragimova. Charlotte Smith in The Strad asks whether competitions are defined more…

Last night, the English National Opera premiered a new production of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde Conducted by the ENO’s ex-music director Edward Gardner, designed by the artist Anish Kapoor and direction by Daniel Kramer – the company’s artistic director elect, the cast included Australian tenor Stuart Skelton as Tristan. Will it be the troubled ENO’s saving grace?…

Until yesterday, Michael Kaiser was the President of the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts. After 29 years spent running 5 arts institutions he has sat at his last board meeting and writes that he will “breathe a sigh of relief” when he leaves the board room for the last time. Read his…