There was a time when the toughest ticket to procure on the Minnesota Orchestra’s schedule was the annual Sommerfest opera finale. A one-night-only affair, it often involved top-flight soloists and ...

If you think of the classical music season as running from September to May, you’re missing out on some fine opportunities to enjoy spectacular sounds in the more casual settings that summer affords.

Classical concert lore is full of great pinch-hitting stories. For example, stardom found a young Leonard Bernstein when he stepped in for conductor Bruno Walter on short notice, and teenage pianist ...