VAN Magazine • An independent, online classical music magazine

Under The Mask

The conductor Rebecca Bryant Novak complained about an inappropriate comment by her professor at Eastman. What followed was a bureaucratic nightmare.

by Jeffrey Arlo Brown November 20, 2025November 21, 2025

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The Perception of Possibility

Women conductors take equality into their own hands

by Vipasha Aloukik Pai October 14, 2021February 21, 2022

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A Black Hole

On love and ambition at conservatory

by Jeffrey Arlo Brown July 19, 2017October 13, 2022

Essay

How to Measure Love

Kaija Saariaho’s “L’amour de loin” and the Messiaen myth

by Ty Bouque July 27, 2023September 14, 2023

Interview

Listening, Not Hearing

An interview with Pauline Oliveros

by William Dougherty April 14, 2016December 12, 2022

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Sexual harassment at conservatories

Breaking

Nonsense

On Leon Botstein’s defense of Jeffrey Epstein’s donations

by Olivia Giovetti May 11, 2023February 29, 2024

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Tainted History

Former Juilliard composition students share allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct

by Sammy Sussman December 12, 2022September 18, 2023

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Music’s Perpetually Open Secret

18 years after they were first reported, allegations of sexual harassment at the Butler School of Music have continued

by Sammy Sussman September 26, 2019December 14, 2022

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Inside the Crisis at the Cleveland Institute of Music

With conductor Carlos Kalmar, the conservatory hoped to become a mecca of orchestral training. After allegations of overwork, bullying, and discrimination, some students are now in open revolt.

by Hannah Edgar and Jeffrey Arlo Brown September 21, 2023February 29, 2024

Breaking

Predatory Environments

After a sexual-misconduct investigation, Juilliard fires composition professor Robert Beaser

by Sammy Sussman June 12, 2023June 13, 2023

Breaking

New Lawsuit Raises Allegations of Sexual Abuse at San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Two women say they were assaulted by former professor of violin and chamber music Axel Strauss

by Jeffrey Arlo Brown February 22, 2024March 28, 2024

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Snapshot of the Week

Sunwook Kim with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe

For the first time, pianist Sunwook Kim, who impresses with his sensitivity, brilliance and stylistic confidence, will lead the democratically organised Chamber Orchestra of Europe as a soloist directly from the piano. Following their first successful collaboration in 2022, they will now go on tour together again and present all of Beethoven’s piano concertos in twelve concerts, five concerts each in Europe and South Korea as well as two concerts in the UK, complemented by works by contemporary composers such as Anna Clyne and Helen Grime.

The two concerts in the UK mark the orchestra’s return to the UK stage after almost eight years (they last performed at the Proms in 2017). The Chamber Orchestra of Europe is one of the finest ensembles of its kind. It was founded in 1981 and has its administrative headquarter in London.

The tour closing concert in London takes place on Saturday, 12 April 2025 at the Barbican Centre, London, with Beethoven piano concertos No. 3 and 4 paired with Anna Clyne’s Beethoven-inspired work Stride and Beethoven’s Rondino for winds.

The tour is made possible through the generous support of Hyundai Motor. (Photo © Lukas Zwiessele)

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Video of the Week

Participate to Early Music Day!

On 21 March 2025, music lovers around the globe will unite to celebrate Early Music Day, a vibrant tribute to over a thousand years of musical heritage. This annual event is organised by REMA – the European Early Music Network.

The ambassador of Early Music Day 2025 is Franziska Fleischanderl. A pioneer in the revival of the baroque salterio, she has redefined the instrument’s place in historical performance. Her innovative work, which combines musicology, artistic research and historical interpretation, has earned her international acclaim.

Participate to Early Music Day!