Unprecedented in my multi-decade experience of Handel Messiah concerts, the Dallas Bach Society audience last month started applauding after every aria and chorus. Two weeks later, there was applause ...

If you’ve ever attended a classical concert, you’ve probably experienced that awkward, hesitant half-clapping that sometimes occurs at the end of a symphonic movement: The music stops, the hall falls ...

A column on applause etiquette at classical music concerts — “Audiences, please hold your applause” (Jan. 14 Arts & Life section) — drew a fair bit of reader response. All agreed with the column’s ...

A great classic opera, a cast of strong and impassioned singers and players, beautifully designed sets. It would be hard to find a more compelling trifecta of talent than Seattle Opera displays in the ...