Second only to the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Grand Finals in importance, the Houston Grand Opera's 24th Eleanor McCollum Competition winners were announced Thursday night following its annual concert of arias.

Opera company managers must decide how to balance the wishes of audiences with the larger goal of moving the artform forward. Those two priorities are not always in sync, writes Fred Plotkin.

A company in Germany has created a violin using a laser printer that's designed to be ergonomically and acoustically comparable to a traditional. Watch it in action.

Camilla Williams, believed to be the first African-American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company, has died. She was 92.

Philip Glass's 75th birthday is being marked by premieres, album releases and tribute concerts. The occasion prompts us to ask: Who is your favorite minimalist?

"When outstanding singers appear in unfamiliar works, many current operagoers won’t buy tickets," observes Fred Plotkin. "This is a serious problem."

Operavore Olivia Giovetti has devised a fail-proof flowchart to Philip Glass's recorded operas in honor of the composer's 75th birthday.

To keep your musical spirits up, here are five recent albums of Latin American classical works that are sure to transport you to a warmer, sunnier place.

The Philharmonic and the union representing its 106 musicians agreed Sunday to a new two-year contract that will preserve its health insurance and pension plan.

The final installment in the Met's new production of Wagner's Ring cycle opened on Friday. Operavore blogger Olivia Giovetti questions the production's longevity despite its technical pomp and circumstance.

With The Artist leading the pack for Oscar nominations, Operavore blogger Olivia Giovetti takes a look at the longstanding ties between opera and silent film.

Today is the 256th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But who remembers his sister, Nannerl, who was an aspiring musician who lived in her brother's shadow?

Paavo Berglund, one of Finland's most prominent conductors, has died at age 82.

As part of its 2012-13 season, Carnegie will present a month-long festival of Latin music that will feature performances by Gustavo Dudamel, Gilberto Gil and others.

The fallout from bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff's sudden retirement from the concert stage is beginning to be felt around the classical music business.

As Anna Bolena returns to the Met next month, blogger Olivia Giovetti considers its pivotal mad scene and names ten others that have made their mark on the history of opera.

Chicago violin shop owner Chunyee Lu is suing an anonymous commenter who posted negative reviews of his shop on consumer sites like Yelp.com, Citysearch.com, and Kudzu.com.

"China was always just a myth to me, a patchwork of anecdotes, news reports, and a weird middle-name given to me at birth," writes our correspondent. "And now, it was about to become real."

It is one thing to be a famous, historical figure and quite another to be that person's relative. Inevitably, their own destinies are affected by their association with their famous relations.

John Williams leads the Academy Award contenders for Best Original Score, with two nominations: for his work on "The Adventures of Tintin" and "War Horse."