It’s that time of year where “best of,” “year in review,” and “top 10 lists” begin to make an appearance. This last week, Columbia University was included in The New York Times’ review of the most influential and best classical music and opera performances of 2025.
We’re proud to share that three of the top 10 performances are represented by distinguished Columbia faculty members from the School of the Arts and Department of Music:
- Georg Friedrich Haas, MacDowell Professor of Music, wrote “11,000 Strings,” a “sensational” spectacle of 50 microtuned pianos and 25 instrumentalists, which premiered at the Park Avenue Armory this fall. As Barone writes, “the sound was stunning, a testament to the power of music on an immense scale.”
- David Henry Hwang, professor of theatre, wrote the libretto for “The Monkey King,” which premiered at the San Francisco Opera last month. “It was a special case of opera firing on all cylinders,” Barone wrote.
- George Lewis,Edwin H. Case Professor of Music, adapted the W.E.B. Du Bois story “The Comet” to opera, and in its premiere run of performances at Lincoln Center, it was paired with Claudio Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazion di Poppea,” in what Barone calls “a wise and moving statement to make about the power of opera itself.”
Read the full list of the top classical performances of the year and give a standing ovation to these Columbians.
