In partnership with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Soulful Symphony today announced its 2008?2009 season at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.) and the Music Center at Strathmore (North Bethesda, Md.). With fresh, new programs, the season will spotlight rich and diverse African?American vocal traditions, as well as the talents of the Soulful Symphony Chorus and special guest soloists.

In an initiative intended to attract diverse audience bases, Seattle Opera is launching LGBT Nights, designed especially for Seattle's Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender community.

The Minnesota Orchestra and Music Director Osmo Vanska will take the stage at the Lake Harriet Band Shell this September – due to a new sponsorship from Target to make the concert possible. Vanska will lead the Orchestra in this outdoor performance on Sunday, September 14, 3 pm, at the Lake Harriet Band Shell, as previously scheduled.

Mayor Michael Nutter announced today that the critically acclaimed poet, actress, director, and cultural icon Dr. Maya Angelou and the distinguished television pioneer, producer, activist, and visionary Norman Lear will receive the 2008 Marian Anderson Award. The Awards will be conferred at a Gala Tribute Concert produced in partnership with The Philadelphia Orchestra on Monday, November 17, 2008, at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Eight singers from around the world will compete in Seattle Opera's Second International Wagner Competition on Saturday, August 16. The first competition held in 2006 was dubbed "Wagnerian Idol", reflecting the audience-vote component to the competition. Seattle Opera is internationally well-known for its focus on the works of Richard Wagner, including the company's signature performances of Der Ring des Nibelungen. The company's next complete Ring cycle will be performed in August 2009.

Charismatic Scottish Chamber Orchestra Principal Maximiliano Martin takes centre stage with a performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto as part of the four-concert Autumn Classics tour across Central Scotland and Fife between 3-6 September 2008.

The Minnesota Orchestra opens its 106th season of subscription concerts—its sixth under Music Director Osmo Vanska—with Minnesota-born guitarist Sharon Isbin headlining a program of works from or inspired by Spanish-speaking countries. Isbin performs one of the most popular concert pieces ever written for her instrument, Joaquin Rodrigo's soulful Concierto de Aranjuez.

Sunday August 17th at 7 pm, Troy Mayors Concerts, Inc. will present its 16th Annual Mayors Concert at Prouty Plaza in the Public Square of Downtown Troy, Ohio. The Dayton Philharmonic Concert Band and Summer Chorus has performed this concert, since the concert's inception 16 years ago.

“Music is life, and like life, inextinguishable.” Nielsen’s personal motto is the overriding theme of his fourth and most popular symphony, which depicts an inextinguishable human spirit in the face of conflict, and uses the orchestra to great dramatic effect. Lan Shui will lead the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in this work on August 30.

Many celebrated composers have been inspired by the sea -- think Mendelssohn's Hebrides overture, Debussy's La Mer and Benjamin Britten's Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, to name a few.

Prominent homegrown composer Professor Ho Chee Kong and outstanding young pianist Abigail Sin will star in the Keppel Corporation’s 40th Anniversary Concert at the Esplanade on 19 August 2008. The one-night only performance by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Resident Conductor Lim Yau.

Inaugural Festival Features Two Weeks of Outstanding Guest Artists and Unique Concerts

With the support of Target, The Phoenix Symphony presents its inaugural Target World Music Festival around the Valley September 11-21. The Festival features a stunning roster of world-renowned guest artists including Celtic fiddler Natalie MacMaster, Chinese pipa sensation Wu Man and the Kronos Quartet.