Mark Swed Retired From Los Angeles Times
The veteran chief classical music critic concluded his tenure after three decades of coverage.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Classical
Mark Swed has officially retired from his long-standing position as the Chief Classical Music Critic at the Los Angeles Times. He served in the role since 1996, becoming a highly influential voice in the local and national arts scene.
Why it matters
Swed's departure marks the end of an era for a newspaper that has seen only four chief music critics over the last 101 years. His tenure helped define the publication's authority and reach within the world of classical music criticism.
Swed was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2007 and 2021, and he received the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award in 1994. Throughout his career, he edited the twentieth-century classical music section of The Musical Quarterly from 1992 to 2000.
The players
Mark Swed
He is a long-serving music critic who defined classical music coverage for the Los Angeles Times for three decades.
Martin Bernheimer
He was the predecessor to Mark Swed and served as the chief music critic for the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
This major daily newspaper is the primary publication for the city of Los Angeles and surrounding regions.
The details
Succeeding Martin Bernheimer, Swed solidified his reputation through decades of rigorous analysis and reporting on the classical music landscape. His career at the Los Angeles Times spanned nearly thirty years, during which he remained a consistent figure in city arts coverage.
Timeline
Mark Swed began editing for The Musical Quarterly in 1992.
He received the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award in 1994.
Swed joined the Los Angeles Times in 1996.
His editorial role at The Musical Quarterly concluded in 2000.
Swed retired from the Los Angeles Times in September 2026.
Industry Dynamics
The transition reflects a larger shift in arts journalism where long-tenured critics are increasingly rare in modern media cycles. By maintaining only four critics over a century, the publication mirrors the historical stability of major metropolitan arts desks.
Readers can expect changes to the critical voice and perspective represented in upcoming classical music reviews. The publication has yet to name a successor, which may impact the continuity of coverage for local performances.
The takeaway
The departure of a long-term critic provides an opportunity for audiences to explore diverse new perspectives in classical music coverage. Readers should look for potential shifts in the scope and focus of upcoming reviews as the newspaper transitions to a new era.
Further reading
For more on the local arts scene, visit the Classical section.
