Despite daily threats of war, the Kharkiv Music Fest returned once again this May, transforming underground venues into sanctuaries of sound and solace. As GwaraMedia.com reports, the festival has become a cultural lifeline in a battered city, offering spiritual resistance through music — from subway piano improvisations to stirring performances of Ukrainian composers like Valentyn Bibik and Oleksandr Rodin. Clarinetist Julian Milkis called art “as important as weapons,” and in Kharkiv, classical music is indeed proving to be a force of defiant hope and healing.

Kanneh-Mason photographed at the Barbican, London.

TheGuardian.com reports that Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s quiet refusal to endorse Rule, Britannia! on Desert Island Discs unleashed a wave of racist backlash, exposing the fraught cultural undercurrents still tied to Britain’s classical music traditions. In his new book The Power of Music, he unpacks the storm with disarming honesty, positioning music as both a refuge and a tool for change. Despite the controversy, Kanneh-Mason presses forward with his signature calm and clarity, reshaping classical music’s future through authenticity, inclusivity, and joy.

IGN.com reports that the soundtrack to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has stunned the classical world by topping both the Classical Albums and Classical Crossover charts on Billboard, just weeks after the game’s release. Composed by Lorien Testard—discovered on SoundCloud—the sweeping, cinematic score has captivated millions of listeners beyond the gaming sphere, with standout track Lumière amassing nearly 2 million streams on Spotify and YouTube. The soundtrack’s breakout success underscores a growing appetite for emotionally rich, classically inspired game music in mainstream culture.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 follows an original cast of characters through a fantasy world.