Armenian conductor Sergey Smbatyan, 35, has been arrested in his home country together with his father, former Armenian ambassador to Israel Armen Smbatyan, and stands accused of fraud against the state. Read More →

Die diesjährigen Sommerfestspiele in Erl sind beendet. Die Auslastung sei gut gewesen, sagt der Veranstalter: Vier ausverkaufte Abende, über 80% Auslastung bei den Opern und Konzerten und mehr als 14.000 Gäste durften im Sommer begrüßt werden. Read More →

Der Internationale Musikwettbewerb der ARD findet vom 28. August bis 15. September 2023  in den Fächern Harfe, Kontrabass, Klaviertrio und Viola statt. Eingeschrieben sind 41 Harfen, 52 Kontrabässe, 50 Bratschen und 19 Trios. Es sind viele Länder und alle Kontinente vertreten, aber die Asiaten scheinen ganz klar zu dominieren.

The latest Karajan Community Letter focuses on the operetta Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss. Another topic is the Canadian tenor Jon Vickers with whom Karajan worked a lot. Here is the link to this week’s Karajan Read More →

Le Dimore del Quartetto’s innovative European project designed for the new generation of chamber music performers takes a new step. As of today, the MERITA platform is available online. Its main goal is to increase the visibility and mobility of emerging professional European string quartets, thus representing an important step forward for the European music industry. Read More →

The former head of Italy’s public TV broadcaster RAI, Carlo Fuortes, has been named artistic director of the must still be approved by Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano. Read More →

Today, Arts Council England​ (ACE)​ announced a grant of £24 million for the English National Opera​ (ENO)​ for April 2024 to March 2026, and a longer timeframe for the ENO to complete the establishment of a new main base outside the capital. Read More →

As part of the EU co-funded Creative Europe Project Butterfly a call is launched to engage composers who want to be a part of a movement to better understand and highlight the need for greater sustainability in Opera. « We are inviting composers resident in countries participating in the Creative Europe Programme to submit their applications to compose for an original, captivating and ecologically aware opera and participate more widely in an innovative and green project », the organizer says. Read More →

Bayreuth, Festspielhaus

Der Freistaat Bayern will künftig mehr für Geld für die Bayreuther Festspiele geben und zugleich weitere Anteile der Festspiel-GmbH übernehmen. Wie Kunstminister Markus Blume (CSU) mitteilte, soll der Freistaat von 2025 an 37 statt bis dato 29 Prozent der Gesellschafteranteile übernehmen.

Jonathan King

Opera Memphis has announced Jonathan King as Music Director. His contract is starting from August this year. Read More →

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