The New York Times Appoints New Music Critic

The New York Times' long-standing music critic Anthony Tommasini stepped down from the post in November 2021. Zachary Woolfe, who has been The Times's Classical Music Editor for the last seven years, has stepped in as his replacement.

Woolfe first began working for the paper as a freelancer in 2011 and became its Classical Music Editor in 2015. Rachel Saltz, who is currently The Times's Dance Editor, has added the Classical Music Editor position to her portfolio.

During his tenure, Woolfe introduced a number of new columns, including his popular "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love..." which prompts a range of industry figures to share a five-minute clip of music that is meaningful to them in one way or another.

A graduate of Princeton University, he previously served as the opera critic of the New York Observer.

Originally from Long Island, Woolfe's reach as a critic is thoroughly international. As well as having reviewed concerts in New York, he has also provided coverage of European festivals at Salzburg, Bayreuth, Aix-en-Provence, and Glyndebourne. At home in America, opera has been a particular focus.

"The past seven years as classical music editor have been wonderful, but I’m thrilled and honored to return to focusing on my writing, to push myself and our coverage in new directions and try to meet the standard of a distinguished tradition of critics," Woolfe said.

"Zack’s ability to demystify classical music and to explore the many ways in which it enriches and intersects with our lives is well known to readers of The Times, where he has been writing reviews, features and essays for more than a decade," said NYT's Gilbert Cruz and Sia Michel.

"We can’t wait to see how Zack writes the next chapters, and we think readers — including the passionate fans who follow classical music closely and general readers who are interested in learning more about it — will be in for a treat," they concluded.