The National Youth Orchestra of Iraq announced today that they had to cancel their US tour scheduled for this August. The press release says: « Instability in Iraq has made it impossible for orchestra members to complete the visa process that would allow them to travel, though thankfully all NYOI musicians are currently safe. We’re all looking forward to continuing our partnership with Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra in the future, and we encourage everyone to stay up to date with the orchestra by connecting on Facebook and Twitter. »

Dennis Russell Davies
Photo: SOB

So früh wie nie zuvor, schon ab 22. Juni, beglückt Young Euro Classic in diesem Jahr sein Publikum: Am kommenden Sonntag geht das populäre Festival der besten Jugendorchester der Welt in seine 15. Saison. Mit fünf großen Symphoniekonzerten innerhalb einer Woche in der Philharmonie Berlin. Den Auftakt (Sonntag, 22.6, 20 Uhr) macht das französische nationale Jugendorchester unter Dennis Russell Davies. Read More →

Peter Gelb
(c) Lacombe /Metropolitan Opera

In a presentation to the Board of directors of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, American Federation of Musicians, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Committee speak about an « argument for the survival of the Met other than what you have heard from Peter Gelb ». They say: « (…) over the past several months we have been forced to ask ourselves: how can any manager of any operation can justify a nearly 50% increase in the budget without realizing a significant return on that investment? That is unjustifiable financial stewardship. Read More →

Am Wochenende ist in der armenischen Hauptstadt Yerevan der 10. Internationale Aram Khachaturian Wettbewerb zu Ende gegangen. Ausgetragen wird er seit 2003 im jährlichen Wechsel in den Fächern Klavier, Violine und Violoncello. Diesmal standen die Pianisten im Wettstreit. Dazu reisten 18 junge Musikerinnen und Musiker aus 10 Ländern nach Yerevan, um sich – nach erfolgter Vorauswahl – einer neunköpfigen international besetzen Jury vorzustellen, die sich aus Klavierprofessoren, Medienvertretern und Konzertveranstaltern zusammensetzte, darunter auch ICMA-Juryitglied Martin Hoffmeister (MDR Figaro). Read More →

Tonight’s inauguration show of this year’s festival in Marseille, France – a ballet performance by the Vertigo Dance Company, has been cancelled. The group of part-time workers (Intermittents) has gone on strike, as do so many ‘Intermittents’ since weeks. Facing the threat of more cancellations, French festival leaders have written a letter to President Hollande and to the government to ask them not so sign the new agreement which is the cause of the strikes and protest rallies.

Zhanbo Zheng

Zhanbo Zheng, aged 17, is the winner of the 2014 Primrose International Viola Competition in Los Angeles. Second prize was awarded to Manuel Vioque-Judd (France) and third prize to Cong Wu (China). A student at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, Zhanbo Zheng already won first prize at the ‘Villa de Llanes’ International Competition in 2010.

Since weeks, groups of ‘Intermittents du Spectacle’ (part-time employees) continue to occupy French theaters and opera houses in order to express their anger about new salary regulations. Today, 200 ‘intermittents’ occupied the construction site of the new Philharmonic Hall in Paris. There banners ask for their rights and a speaker condemned the pharaonic hall project decided under Sarkozy.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the ‘lille piano(s) festival’ offered over 60 hours of music in 3 days, played by 60 musicians (among them 45 pianists) in 13 different locations. The success was gorgeous: 15.500 people attended the concerts. Some concerts are still available as streaming on http://www.youtube.com/user/ONLille.

Die deutsche Kulturstaatsministerin Monika Grütters hat das von der Deutschen Orchestervereinigung (DOV) geförderte Projekt ‘Auf den Flügeln der Musik – Konzerte für Menschen mit Demenz’ – mit dem BKM*-Preis für Kulturelle Bildung 2014 ausgezeichnet. Dieser Preis ist mit 20.000 Euro dotiert und geht an die Trägervereinigung des Projekts, das Institut für Bildung und Kultur in Remscheid. An dem Projekt beteiligt waren u.a. das WDR-Sinfonieorchester und die Duisburger Philharmoniker. Read More →

Jun Märkl

The Basque National Orchestra has appointed the German conductor Jun Märkl as its Music Advisor for the 2014/2015 Season. Märkl will hold great prominence in the coming concert season and carry out the functions of a principal conductor. Märkl has been working on the musical axes for development in the coming months and now turns to preparation of the concerts. Read More →