Sung by countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, music Ronn Yedidia lyrics Lara St John.

Or something more traditional?

We have been sent this newly accessible domestic shot of the great tenor, taken sometime between 1915 and 1920 and archived on a glass negative in the Bain News Service.

I want that dressing-gown.

Best orchestral performance
BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 3; STRAUSS: HORN CONCERTO NO. 1
Manfred Honeck, conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

NIELSEN: SYMPHONY NO. 3 & SYMPHONY NO. 4
Thomas Dausgaard, conductor (Seattle Symphony)

RUGGLES, STUCKY & HARBISON: ORCHESTRAL WORKS
David Alan Miller, conductor (National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic)

SCHUMANN: SYMPHONIES NOS. 1-4
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)

SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONIES NOS. 4 & 11
Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Best opera:
ADAMS: DOCTOR ATOMIC
John Adams, conductor; Aubrey Allicock, Julia Bullock, Gerald Finley & Brindley Sherratt; Friedemann Engelbrecht, producer (BBC Symphony Orchestra; BBC Singers)

BATES: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS
Michael Christie, conductor; Sasha Cooke, Jessica E. Jones, Edwards Parks, Garrett Sorenson & Wei Wu; Elizabeth Ostrow, producer (The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra)

LULLY: ALCESTE
Christophe Rousset, conductor; Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro & Judith Van Wanroij; Maximilien Ciup, producer (Les Talens Lyriques; Choeur De Chambre De Namur)

STRAUSS, R.: DER ROSENKAVALIER
Sebastian Weigle, conductor; Renée Fleming, Elīna Garanča, Günther Groissböck & Erin Morley; David Frost, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

VERDI: RIGOLETTO
Constantine Orbelian, conductor; Francesco Demuro, Dmitri Hvorostovsky & Nadine Sierra; Vilius Keras & Aleksandra Keriene, producers (Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra; Men Of The Kaunas State Choir

Best choral:
CHESNOKOV: TEACH ME THY STATUTES
Vladimir Gorbik, conductor (Mikhail Davydov & Vladimir Krasov; PaTRAM Institute Male Choir)

KASTALSKY: MEMORY ETERNAL
Steven Fox, conductor (The Clarion Choir)

MCLOSKEY: ZEALOT CANTICLES
Donald Nally, conductor (Doris Hall-Gulati, Rebecca Harris, Arlen Hlusko, Lorenzo Raval & Mandy Wolman; The Crossing)

RACHMANINOV: THE BELLS
Mariss Jansons, conductor; Peter Dijkstra, chorus master (Oleg Dolgov, Alexey Markov & Tatiana Pavlovskaya; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks)

SEVEN WORDS FROM THE CROSS
Matthew Guard, conductor (Skylark)

Best chamber
ANDERSON, LAURIE: LANDFALL
Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet

BEETHOVEN, SHOSTAKOVICH & BACH
The Danish String Quartet

BLUEPRINTING
Aizuri Quartet

STRAVINSKY: THE RITE OF SPRING CONCERTO FOR TWO PIANOS
Leif Ove Andsnes & Marc-André Hamelin

VISIONS AND VARIATIONS
A Far Cry

Best instrumental solo
BARTÓK: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2
Yuja Wang; Simon Rattle, conductor (Berliner Philharmoniker)

BIBER: THE MYSTERY SONATAS
Christina Day Martinson; Martin Pearlman, conductor (Boston Baroque)

BRUCH: SCOTTISH FANTASY, OP. 46; VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 1 IN G MINOR, OP. 26
Joshua Bell (The Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields)

GLASS: THREE PIECES IN THE SHAPE OF A SQUARE
Craig Morris

KERNIS: VIOLIN CONCERTO
James Ehnes; Ludovic Morlot, conductor (Seattle Symphony)

Best vocal solo
ARC
Anthony Roth Costanzo; Jonathan Cohen, conductor (Les Violons Du Roy)

THE HANDEL ALBUM
Philippe Jaroussky; Artaserse, ensemble

MIRAGES
Sabine Devieilhe; François-Xavier Roth, conductor (Alexandre Tharaud; Marianne Crebassa & Jodie Devos; Les Siècles)

SCHUBERT: WINTERREISE
Randall Scarlata; Gilbert Kalish, accompanist

SONGS OF ORPHEUS – MONTEVERDI, CACCINI, D’INDIA & LANDI
Karim Sulayman; Jeannette Sorrell, conductor; Apollo’s Fire, ensembles

Best contemporary
BATES: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS
Mason Bates, composer; Mark Campbell, librettist (Michael Christie, Garrett Sorenson, Wei Wu, Sasha Cooke, Edwards Parks, Jessica E. Jones & Santa Fe Opera Orchestra)

DU YUN: AIR GLOW
Du Yun, composer (International Contemporary Ensemble)

HEGGIE: GREAT SCOTT
Jake Heggie, composer; Terrence McNally, librettist (Patrick Summers, Manuel Palazzo, Mark Hancock, Michael Mayes, Rodell Rosel, Kevin Burdette, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Nathan Gunn, Frederica von Stade, Ailyn Pérez, Joyce DiDonato, Dallas Opera Chorus & Orchestra)

KERNIS: VIOLIN CONCERTO
Aaron Jay Kernis, composer (James Ehnes, Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)

MAZZOLI: VESPERS FOR VIOLIN
Missy Mazzoli, composer (Olivia De Prato)

Best compendium
FUCHS: PIANO CONCERTO ‘SPIRITUALIST’; POEMS OF LIFE; GLACIER; RUSH
JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Tim Handley, producer

GOLD
The King’s Singers; Nigel Short, producer

THE JOHN ADAMS EDITION
Simon Rattle, conductor; Christoph Franke, producer

JOHN WILLIAMS AT THE MOVIES
Jerry Junkin, conductor; Donald J. McKinney, producer

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: PIANO CONCERTO; OBOE CONCERTO; SERENADE TO MUSIC; FLOS CAMPI
Peter Oundjian, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer

Best engineered album
BATES: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS
Mark Donahue & Dirk Sobotka, engineers; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Michael Christie, Garrett Sorenson, Wei Wu, Sasha Cooke, Edwards Parks, Jessica E. Jones & Santa Fe Opera Orchestra)

BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 3; STRAUSS: HORN CONCERTO NO. 1
Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

JOHN WILLIAMS AT THE MOVIES
Keith O. Johnson & Sean Royce Martin, engineers; Keith O. Johnson, mastering engineer (Jerry Junkin & Dallas Winds)

LIQUID MELANCHOLY – CLARINET MUSIC OF JAMES M. STEPHENSON
Bill Maylone & Mary Mazurek, engineers; Bill Maylone, mastering engineer (John Bruce Yeh)

SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONIES NOS. 4 & 11
Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra)

VISIONS AND VARIATIONS
Tom Caulfield, engineer; Jesse Lewis, mastering engineer (A Far Cry)

A loyal reader tells us that Chicago, Philadelphia and Minnesota have never hired a music director who was born in the USA.

An odd fact, but indicative of a need for external validation, perhaps.

Put another way, which US-born conductors would be candidates to fill the current vacancies at Minnesota, Detroit and elsewhere?