As medici.tv’s Chief Content Officer I spend a lot of time thinking about classical music—and a lot of time on the internet. Here’s my selection of the top five news items you need to see this week if you want to stay in the know.
Jennifer Higdon on writing “accessible” music (NPR)
Jennifer Higdon is one of classical music’s most successful living composers: she’s won countless awards (including a Pulitzer and several Grammys) and her music is programmed regularly around the world. She sat down with NPR to discuss, among other things, her commitment to writing “accessible music”—a descriptor that many in the classical world may look down upon but Higdon is thrilled to own. It’s a fascinating discussion about how contemporary classical music is perceived, what it’s like to compose in the twenty-first century, and how something easy to listen to can be very hard to play.
Christopher Rountree conduct Jennifer Higdon’s Viola Concerto with Roberto Díaz.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason on navigating “a volcano of racism” (The Guardian)
In an in-depth interview with The Guardian, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason talked through several recurring themes in his forthcoming autobiography, including notably his experience often being the only Black musician in the classroom or concert hall: “It could cut both ways… at times, it made him ‘very determined to therefore be on that stage’; at other times it made him feel that he wasn’t sure he could.” With impressive maturity, Kanneh-Mason also recounts the explosion of criticism and “racial bile” he received in 2023 after politely suggesting that “Rule, Britannia”—a song rooted in British Imperialism and the slave trade—be removed from BBC Proms programming (traditionally, if features prominently in the final night).
Avant garde director Pierre Audi passed away (The Guardian)
The opera world has lost one of its most impassioned innovators. At the helm of numerous prestigious institutions including the Dutch National Opera and the Aix-en-Provence Festival, director Pierre Audi “relished the charting of unknown territory, passionately believing that art forms, not least that of opera, need to be constantly renovated and challenged.”
Opéra de Paris launches an innovative virtual reality tour (Radio Classique — in French)
If you’ve ever daydreamed about being the protagonist of your very own opera, make your way to Paris’s iconic Palais Garnier, where a new virtual reality tour is setting up shop. In addition to exploring the historic building freely and learning about its history, visitors can immerse themselves in scenes from some of the operatic repertoire’s most celebrated pieces like Puccini’s Tosca or Bizet’s Carmen. The pilot exhibit runs through the end of the summer.
Haik Kazazyan wins the Classic Violin Olympus International Competition (The Strad)
The final round of the 2025 Classic Violin Olympus International Competition came to a close in Dubai this week and 42-year-old Armenian violinist Haik Kazazyan took home top prize—and €200,000. Unlike many other competitions in the classical sphere, Classic Violin Olympus does not impose an age restriction on its candidates: this year’s finalists ranged in age from 17 to 48. You can watch the final round—including Kazazyan’s winning concerto performance—in full on medici.tv now.
