Q & A: Music Director Peter Whelan on His Vision for Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale & the 2026-27 Season ‘The Power of Music’

The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale recently announced its 2026-27 season, the first with Peter Whelan as its new Music Director. For Whelan, what distinguishes Philharmonia Baroque from the outset is its energy. He describes the ensemble as a group of “musical time-travelers” who bring a visceral, theatrical charge to every performance, and speaks warmly of the Bay Area audience’s {…}

Jun 26, 2025

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale Names Next Music Director

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale has announced that Peter Whelan will be its next music director. Whelan will program the 2026-27 season and formally take over the role in July 2026 for a three-year term that ends in 2028-29. In his new role, he will lead most of the organization’s annual programming, including subscription concerts and signature initiatives. Whelan made {…}

May 10, 2024

Irish National Opera 2023-24 Review: L’Olimpiade

(Photo: Ros Kavanagh) Intricate and convoluted plots are not exactly rare in operas of the 17th and 18th centuries. Usually revolving around mistaken identities, complex love triangles, misunderstandings and deliberate deceptions that precipitate extreme emotions, their narratives career forward, plunging the protagonists into life-threatening and life-changing situations in which the gods, heroes and mythical characters often play their part. Vivaldi’s {…}

Jul 17, 2022

Q & A: Soprano Kelli-Ann Masterson On Making An Opera Career In Ireland

(Photo: Patrick Browne) Opera in Ireland has recently been going through a boom time. Whereas only a few years ago, Irish singers were being forced to look abroad to establish a career, owing to the lack of opportunities at home, now, with the emergence of Opera Collective Ireland, the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, and, most significantly, Irish National Opera, along {…}