2025 was a year in which Chinese classical music found itself moving simultaneously outward and inward: expanding its international presence while confronting geopolitical, institutional, and structural realities at home. From orchestras touring abroad and Chinese musicians winning major international competitions,

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is often introduced as a miracle. He was a divine child, and a celestial genius, like a marble statue with a powdered wig. But the moment you actually listen to his music, the statue starts to grin.

For one reason or another, I have not written nearly enough about Sir Simon Rattle. For a conductor who has shaped the sound of orchestral life in Europe for half a century, this silence is conspicuous. On the occasion of

Franz Liszt, the 19th-century Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist, is celebrated for his dazzling piano compositions, which combine technical brilliance, emotional depth, and innovative forms. His works have ever since captivated audiences with their virtuosic demands and expressive range. For

Sometimes listeners claim that music – and classical music in particular – is above politics. Unfortunately for these people, history proves them wrong. Many of the greatest composers in classical music history were deeply engaged with politics, and their political

The two world wars forever altered the lives of everyone who fought in them…including the great composers. Some found creative inspiration amidst the violence, while others had their careers or even lives cut short by it. But these eight composers

Over the course of his career, bassist and conductor Serge Koussevitzky advocated for hundreds of new works, commissioned some of the most famous of them, helped launch a legendary summer music festival, taught a large percentage of the next generation

I was back in Europe. I was back in Russia. I was back in Japan. I was back in Thailand. The year 2025 marked my return to a life I had grown accustomed to before 2020: being a jetsetter, listening