Against the ostinato of a still-fragile economy, the board of the 111-year-old Philadelphia Orchestra voted to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Saturday.

With two free concerts this weekend, the Detroit Symphony brought to an end a bitter six-month strike that resulted in the cancellation of dozens of performances, the departure of some key musicians and an at times vicious public relations campaign.

Six months after a musician work stoppage shut down the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, bargainers for the musicians and symphony management have reached a tentative deal.

Dino Anagnost, a conductor who served as music director of The Little Orchestra Society since 1979, died in Manhattan on Thursday after a long illness.

Two longstanding advocacy organizations for American music are set to merge later this year — an increasingly common move in the classical music business.

The anniversary of the Triangle Fire -- the worst workplace disaster in New York until 9/11 -- is being commemorated by a remarkable array of events, including a free commemorative concert at the Society for Ethical Culture.

In Venezuela, a national program called El Sistema provides music education for some 300,000 at-risk youth. Increasingly, like-minded programs are sprouting up across the United States, with one project taking root in New York City.

Japan has no George Clooney or Angelina Jolie and the country is known more for its affluence than neediness. It does, however, have a longstanding cultural link to the West, through classical music. Several benefit concerts are in the works in New York.

Faced with aftershocks, transportation gridlock and canceled rehearsals following the massive earthquake and tsunami, members of Bach Collegium Japan boarded a flight to the U.S. on Sunday.

Members of the BBC Philharmonic, caught up in the Japanese earthquake, have described it as "scary stuff." Ninety members of the orchestra were in their tour bus traveling when the earthquake struck. Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and conductor Daniel Harding are also safe in the aftermath.

After 37 years on the road, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s has a permanent home base in which it can rehearse, record and manage its administrative affairs, with the opening of the DiMenna Center for Classical Music on Manhattan’s West Side.

The New York Philharmonic has been digitizing its vast archives, and recently unveiled its first installment online. It includes some telling glimpses into the orchestra's rough-and-tumble history. Check out these eight surprise entries.

The musicians of the New York Philharmonic will wear blue wristbands during performances this weekend to show their support for their striking colleagues in Detroit, according to The American Federation of Musicians.

James Levine, suffering from debilitating back problems, will step down from his post as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra on September 1. He will continue serving as music director of the Metropolitan Opera.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra said on Tuesday that James Levine, its music director, will miss the remainder of the orchestra's season as a result of the back problems that have plagued him for months.

Striking musicians with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra say they'll return to work without a contract. Cellist and spokesman Haden McKay says the issues will be worked out through binding arbitration, after a contentious, nearly five-month strike.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's synth-heavy, non-orchestral soundtrack for "The Social Network" was awarded Best Original Score at the 83rd annual Academy Awards. The duo also won the Golden Globe this year for their work on the film.

The 23-year-old Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti performs live in the WQXR Cafe, and explains why mental toughness is the key to mastering the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.

“The King’s Speech,” which won four Oscars on Sunday, punctuates a pivotal scene with a famous classical work – Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. Yet its very prominence has fueled a growing online debate about the intent of the film's creators.

The Detroit Symphony has suspended the remainder of its performance season after striking musicians rejected the latest contract offer on Saturday. No further meetings with management have been scheduled.