The Associated Press

A tenor from New Orleans has won the prestigious Beverly Sills Award that signals a star in the works.

About 1,400 people attended a memorial service for Cliburn, who died Wednesday at 78 after fighting bone cancer.

German conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch, acclaimed for his musical brilliance and unpretentious leadership of the Bavarian State Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra, has died. He was 89.

Most people consume their music while on the go these days - in cars, while jogging, in between smartphone calls or while working at a desk. Thousands of our favorite songs are just a playlist away.

A fire-blowing stilt-walker with the Lyric Opera of Chicago who suffered second-degree burns during a dress rehearsal was released from the hospital Thursday.

MOSCOW (AP) —

The artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet said he knows who ordered an acid attack that left him with severe burns to his eyes and face but won't say, voicing hope that investigators will soon name the perpetrator.

The Afghan Youth Orchestra is to begin a 12-day U.S. tour that includes concerts at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and the New England Conservatory in Boston.

BERLIN (AP) —

Simon Rattle will leave his post as chief conductor and artistic director of the Berlin Philharmonic when his contract ends in 2018, he said Thursday.

MOSCOW (AP) —

Russian opera diva Galina Vishnevskaya, who conquered audiences all over the world with her rich soprano, has died. Vishenvskaya, widow of famed cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, was 86.

Rivera originated some of theater's most memorable roles, including Anita in 1957's "West Side Story," and is currently starring in the ensemble musical "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood."

WASHINGTON (AP) —

The chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts is stepping down after three years on the job.

Kelli O'Hara will be taking a break from singing Gershwin songs on Broadway early next year - to sing Rodgers & Hammerstein tunes with the The New York Philharmonic.

The lights went up again on Broadway Wednesday for the first time since superstorm Sandy hit New York, as entertainers headed back to work in a city still wracked by power-outages and a suspended subway system.

German composer Hans Werner Henze, whose prolific and wide-ranging work included a wealth of operas and 10 symphonies, died Saturday.

Istanbul (AP) —

A top Turkish pianist and composer appeared in court on Thursday to defend himself against charges of offending Muslims and insulting Islam in comments he made on Twitter.

New York (AP) —

An opera-loving philanthropist convicted in New York of a multimillion-dollar fraud has been freed on bail to await the outcome of his appeal.

 Israel's president has recognized Indian-born conductor Zubin Mehta for his contributions to Israeli society.

James Levine plans to return to the podium at the Metropolitan Opera in May following a two-year absence, conducting from a wheelchair following a fall last year that left him partially paralyzed.

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is canceling a fifth week of concerts as contract negotiations with the musicians union remain deadlocked.

Across the country, symphony and chamber orchestra executives have cited flat ticket sales and slumping private support as they seek major pay concessions from musicians.