CARDIFF, United Kingdom (AFP) ― Michael Jackson’s three children helped 40,000 fans honor the late pop legend Saturday as the “Michael Forever” show in Wales overcame a troubled build up to end on a high note. There had been doubts over whether the tribute show would go ahead after months of controversy, but the presence of Prince, 14, Paris, 13, and nine-year-old Blanket along with a star line-...

VIENNA (AFP) ― Philippe Jordan, the youthful conductor of the Paris Opera, will also head the Vienna Symphony Orchestra from the 2014-2015 season, officials said on Wednesday. Jordan, a 36-year-old Swiss, will replace Italian Fabio Luisi at the helm of Vienna’s second-most prestigious ensemble, officials said during a press conference at Vienna’s city hall. Luisi’s contract with the Vienna hous...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Grammy award-winning soul diva Adele has been forced to cancel a planned U.S. tour for a second time due to a hemorrhage in her vocal chord, promoters for the British singer said Tuesday. The “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You” songstress had been set to launch almost a month of 10 sold-out U.S. dates on Oct. 7 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, rescheduled after she bowe...

ALEXANDRIA, Louisiana (AP) -- A chance to perform in St. Petersburg, Russia and at Carnegie Hall is bringing 27 pianists from 13 countries to compete in Alexandria. The Louisiana International Piano Competition is also a chance for central Louisiana residents to meet and hear musicians from around the world, president David Holcombe told The Town Talk (http://bit.ly/rpNzv4). Countries represente...

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- In Washington, the operatic drama is taking place offstage. Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has slammed a Washington Post music critic who said he had “sabotaged” a recent performance of “Tosca” with his conducting, calling her comments “unconscionable” and unleashing a war of words. The 70-year-old Grammy winner in September conducted several performances of the Puccini work ...

[Herald Interview] Coloratura soprano shares her belief in power of music to help those in need The concert schedule of Grammy-winning South Korean soprano Sumi Jo is extremely tight. Successfully finishing the “Hyundai Capital Invitational Sumi Jo Park Concert” at an outdoor stage in Olympic Park in Seoul last Saturday, she had to fly on Tuesday morning for another concert in Busan, and anoth...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Tony Bennett made music history Wednesday when he topped the Billboard album chart for the first time in his 60-year career ― and became the oldest living act ever to do so. Bennett, 85, a 15-time Grammy winner who plays London and Copenhagen next week, reached the summit with “Duets II” featuring collaborations with 17 other stars including Lady Gaga, Michael Buble and the l...