John Eliot Gardiner
(c) Alfonso Salgueiro

After violently punching one of his singers (William Thomas) on Tuesday evening at the Festival Berlioz at La Côte-Saint-André after the performance of Les Troyens, John Eliot Gardiner has withdrawn from the upcoming tour, leaving the direction to Dinis Sousa, assistant conductor of the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras. Read More →

A statement has been released by the Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition in Katowice announcing the decision to remove Russian music from the competition program. Read More →

Russia media reported that Russian conductor Yuri Mikhailenko participated in the international  Kodaly Conducting Competition in Debrecen, Hungary. « Yuri Mikhailenko, who has been successfully leading the Stavropol Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra for several years, will undoubtedly represent the Russian conducting school, which is known throughout the world. », the newspaper said and added: « Here is another vivid example of the fact that Russian culture will not be canceled by any sanctions. » Read More →

The Kodaly Philharmonic
© Peter Biri Photo

The second edition of the Kodály Conducting Competition is currently taking place in Debrecen, Hungary’s second largest city, with the Kodaly Philharmonic and the Kodaly Choir. The jury announced yesterday evening the 12 candidates having been admitted to the second round. This jury, chaired by Jorma Panula includes Janos Acs, Peter Broadbent, Remy Franck, Zsolt Hamar, Oksana Madarash and Imre Kollar. Read More →

Georges Bizets Oper Carmen im Steinbruch St. Margarethen erreichte eine Auslastung von 80% und zog insgesamt knapp 90.000 Besucher an, teilte der Veranstalter mit. Im kommenden Jahr wird Aida aufgeführt.

NFM Wroclaw Phiharmonic
(c) Karol Sokolowski

The video of the ICMA Gala Concert played by the NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero and featuring many winning artists from the 2023 panel is continuous successful on the YouTube channel of Deutsche Welle. More than half a million people saw it since April 21. Enthusiastic comments come from all over the world. Read More →

Philadelphia Orchestra musicians have authorized a strike if negotiations don’t progress soon, the union representatives say. Read More →

Vier Aufführungen von Tristan und Isolde, Der Fliegende Holländer, Parsifal und  Tannhäuser standen vom 13.-16. August auf dem Programm von Pizzicato-Mitarbeiter Alain Steffen in Bayreuth. Hier seine Eindrücke. Read More →

Moritzburg Festival
(c) Oliver Killig

Vom 4.-bis 290. August fand die 31. Ausgabe des von Jan Vogler geleiteten Moritzburg Festivals statt. Michael Oehme berichtet. Read More →

American composer Gloria Coates died yesterday in Munich at the age of  89. She composed symphonic music, chamber music and vocal compositions. Read More →