The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) and the Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ) have announced their signing of a collective agreement binding the Orchestra and its musicians for five years since October 27, 2023. Read More →

The young Korean conductor Deun Lee was awarded First Prize at the International Competition of the Plovdiv Opera, which took place at the Boris Christoff State Opera in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The competition took place already in September, but the news came only today, a month late. Read More →

Der Erste Preis des 77. Concours de Genève, der gestern Abend in der Victoria Hall in Genf stattfand, wurde an das Novo Quartett verliehen. Das Novo Quartett wurde 2018 in Kopenhagen gegründet. Das Quartett, das derzeit in Wien und Kopenhagen lebt, besteht aus den Geigern Kaya Kato Møller und Nikolai Vasili Nedergaard, dem Bratschisten Daniel Śledziński und der Cellistin Signe Ebstrup Bitsch. Read More →

Musical Bridges Around the World (MBAW), a nonprofit multicultural arts and social impact organization based in San Antonio, Texas, announces the Gurwitz International Piano Competition which will take place in San Antonio from January 26 through February 4, 2024. Read More →

Der ukrainische Pianist Pavel Gililov wird als sehr einfühlsamer Interpret beschrieben, eine Eigenschaft, die er ganz offensichtlich seinen Meisterschülern für ihr Konzert im Rathaussaal in Vaduz mit auf den Weg gegeben hatte. Guy Engels berichtet. Read More →

Simon Zhu
(c) Kaupo Kikkas

22-year-old violinist Simon Zhu is the winner of the 2023 Premio Paganini Competition at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. The Premio Paganini is worth €30,000. Zhu will also be invited to perform at an impressive list of concerts. Additionally, he will be offered the opportunity to play the Cannone, a Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ which Paganini gave to his hometown and which is now kept in Palazzo Tursi, seat of the Municipality of Genoa. Read More →

Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Photo: Marco Borggreve

Als Rachmaninov sich entschloss, seine Klavierkonzerte und seine Paganini-Rhapsodie einzuspielen, wählte er jedes Mal das Philadelphia Orchestra aus. Seither gilt das amerikanische Orchester als Rachmaninov-Spezialist. Heute steht Yannick Nézet-Séguin am Pult dieses Orchesters und dirigiert auf der Europa-Tournee unter dem Titel Best of Rachmaninov gleich fünf Rachmaninov-Werke. Alain Steffen hat sich für Pizzicato die beiden ausverkauften Konzerte angehört. Read More →

The 5th edition of the European Choir Games & Grand Prix of Nations is set to unfold from October 28 to November 5, 2023 in Norrköping, Sweden. The city welcomes 63 choirs and more than 2000 participants from 25 countries and regions. It’s promising to be a fascinating blend of cultures, music genres, and languages, all converging in the universal language of music. Read More →

The latest Karajan Community Letter focuses on Karajan conducting Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. He conducted it only once in his career for a recording. No live performances at all. Having already recorded the Fledermaus twice, Karajan assembled Elizabeth Harwood, René Kollo, Teresa Stratas and Werner Hollweg and recorded The Merry Widow in November 1972. Read More →

Michael Tilson Thomas
© Brigitte Lacombe

The city of San Francisco council has decided to name a central street after conductor Michael Tilson Thomas in recognition of the outstanding musical service he gave the city over the course of his 25-year tenure as the Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. Read More →