Alex Ross, one of the most influential classical music critics of his generation, has announced he is stepping down as music critic at the American publication The New Yorker after 30 years in the role.

His decision, announced on his The Rest is Noise website, brings to a close a tenure that saw him become one of the few classical music writers to achieve recognition well beyond the boundaries of the specialist music world.

“Although the musical scene exhilarates me more than ever – contemporary composition is eternally vital – I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome,” Ross wrote, adding that the demands of the role, including extensive travel, had contributed to his decision to step away from regular criticism. He will remain on staff at The New Yorker, continuing to write feature essays, including occasional pieces on music.

Alex Ross. Portrait © Josh Goldstine

Ross, 58, joined The New Yorker in 1996, appointed by then-editor Tina Brown at a time when the magazine’s cultural criticism remained a central part of its identity. Over three decades, he became a defining voice in classical music journalism, combining deep historical knowledge with an accessible style that introduced new audiences to composers, performers and musical movements.

His reputation expanded further with the publication of his acclaimed 2007 book The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century, a sweeping history of 20th-century music that became a landmark work of cultural criticism and brought modern classical music to a broad readership. He is also the author of Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music.

In his farewell, Ross expressed gratitude to The New Yorker’s editors and readers, particularly editor David Remnick, who he credited with giving him “free rein at a time when criticism is withering away”, and Daniel Zalewski, who edited his print work for more than two decades.

“I cannot explain why, back in 1996, Tina Brown hired a callow youth for such an eminent position, but I did my best to justify her gamble,” Ross wrote.

He thanked readers who had followed his “journey from immaturity to superannuation”.

“May the noise be with you,” he concluded.