Susan Brodie

A scene from Sarah Kirkland Snider’s ‘Hildegard’ BREAKING NEWS — Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Hildegard, based on the life of the 12th-century German abbess Hildegard von Bingen, is the winner of the 2026 Award for Best New Opera conferred by the Music Critics Association of North America. The honor, which recognizes both musical and theatrical excellence, is given annually to an operatic world premiere presented in North America during the previous calendar year.

Isabel Leonard as Frida and Carlos Álvarez as Diego in Gabriela Lena Frank’s ‘El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego’ at the Metropolitan Opera (Photos by Marty Sohl / Met Opera) NEW YORK — When the failing widower Diego Rivera visits Frida Kahlo’s tomb to pray for one last day with her on earth, Catrina, the trickster guardian of the underworld, makes it happen.

Composer Ellen Reid took bows after the New York Philharmonic’s performance of her new work, ‘Earth Between Oceans,’ conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. (Photo by Brandon Patoc) NEW YORK — Gustavo Dudamel returned to David Geffen Hall for his next-to-last series of subscription concerts before the 2026-27 season, when he officially assumes his new position as music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic.