Mark Swed has been the classical music critic of the Los Angeles Times since 1996. Before that, he was a music critic for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and the Wall Street Journal and has written extensively for international publications. Swed is the author of the book-length text to the best-selling iPad app, “The Orchestra,” and is a former editor of the Musical Quarterly. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist in criticism, honored in 2021 and 2007.
Latest From This Author
Gustavo Dudamel finished his final fall appearances with the L.A. Phil, including performances of massive works as well as with D Smoke at a YOLA street festival and finally at the “Gustavo’s Fiesta” gala
At a time when the art of memorializing has become touchy, Martha Graham Dance Co., along with Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Phil, show us how Leonard Bernstein did it with JFK.
The L.A. Phil conductor opened his farewell season with Ellen Reid’s “Earth Between Oceans,” a joint commission bridging his two orchestral families.
Los Angeles Opera opens James Conlon’s final season as music director with ‘West Side Story’ in Francesca Zambello’s well-traveled production.
Gustavo Dudamel begins his official duties as music director designate by opening the New York Philharmonic’s 2025-26 season in David Geffen Hall
A look at how Terry Riley, on the occasion of his 90th birthday celebration at the Ford, changed music with ‘In C,’ and what he’s up to now in Japan.
Gustavo Dudamel’s last season with the L.A. Phil and 10 other major classical music concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Wallis, BroadStage, the Nimoy and throughout Southern California.
Esa-Pekka Salonen will assume a newly established position as creative director beginning in 2026.
Singer Angélique Kidjo and cellist Yo-Yo Ma explore the intersections between Bach and African music at the Hollywood Bowl in a partnership they’ve long shared.
Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov and British conductor Daniel Harding lead an L.A. Phil Rachmaninoff week with the Russian composer’s Second Piano Concerto and Second Symphony.