The US composer/conductor explains how he came to fuse Bach, Beethoven, cowboy songs, gospel and blues in his oratorio about the murder of gay student Matthew Shepard, being staged as part of Mardi Gras.

Artistic Director Chris Howlett explains how the six-concert 3MBS Beethoven Marathon will show the softer side of the famously irascible composer.

Australian composer and artist Julian Day discusses his showcase for the Adelaide Biennial, an immersive work informed by the Barossa Valley’s Lutheran church organs.

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s new Chief Conductor tells Angus McPherson about growing up in Bergen, swapping the concertmaster’s chair for the podium, and his connection with the music of Brahms.

Sometimes quiet has a louder impact, says James Tawadros, who has carved a unique career path playing the req, or Egyptian tambourine, a percussion instrument that requires both sensitivity and sensibility.

The Australian String Quartet's Project Ludwig will see the audience call the shots.

Ben Wilkie spends a day at the inaugural Bendigo Chamber Music Festival – and is mightily impressed by the programming and musicianship.

Mozart’s Requiem is a cornerstone of the classical canon, a powerful mass for the dead written by the composer on his deathbed. Ahead of its premiere at the Adelaide Festival, Justine Nguyen learns how Romeo Castellucci has staged it as a celebration of life instead.

We speak to the students honing their skills in China's elite orchestral training program.

The composer tells us about her response to Beethoven’s Ninth, which premieres at the MSO’s Season Opening Gala.

British director Phelim McDermott has been obsessed with Philip Glass’s music since the early 1980s. He talks to Jo Litson about meeting the legendary composer, directing his operas, and the dream in a flotation tank which led to their first direct collaboration.

A trio of choreographers each using the same Beethoven music proves dazzling.