Ilan Volkov
(c) Astrid Ackermann

The Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov, 45, will be the new permanent guest conductor of the Brussels Philharmonic as of the 2022/23 season. Together with the orchestra, Volkov is supposed to further deepen and develop the trajectory of contemporary music, with a clear focus on both performance and research. Read More →

Lahav Shani
(c) Philharmonie Luxembourg

In der Philharmonie Luxembourg war das Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra mit einem durch und durch klassisch aufgebauten Programm, also Ouvertüre, Solokonzert und Symphonie, zu Gast. Was dieses Konzert trotz dieser konventionellen Gestaltung an Reizen zu bieten hatte, erlebte Uwe Krusch. Read More →

Russian pianist Yulia Turkina, died las Friday at the age of 101, Russian media reported. Born in Moscow on September 2, 1921 she studied at the Moscow Conservatory. Concert performances as part of a piano duet with her sister began when she was a student. She made a career as soloist too. Since 1954, Turkina has been a teacher at the Moscow Conservatory.

Elim Chan

According to the press kit delivered by La Maestra Competition in Paris, worldwide there are 62 women working as Music Directors or Chief Conductors in permanent professional orchestras, which corresponds to 7.9% out of 778 orchestras surveyed. This compares to 46 (5.9%) and 32 (4.3%) in 2019 and 2018 respectively for a grand total of 744 orchestras, the document says. Read More →

Philharmonie de Paris
(c) Remy Franck

The second edition of the women conductors competition La Maestra is to take place from 3 to 6 March 2022 at the Philharmonie de Paris which organizes this event together with the Paris Mozart Orchestra. In total, 202 candidates of 48 nationalities from 5 continents registered, with a quite high average age of 35. Whilst some of the 2020 candidates tried again this year, 132 women conductors applied for the first time. Read More →

Russian conductor Valery Gergiev cancelled his participation in tonight’s concert of the Vienna Philharmonic at the Wiener Konzerthaus « due to health reasons. » He is replaced by Franz Welser-Möst.

Adam Fischer
Nikolaj Lund

Dirigent Adam Fischer, Chefdirigent der Düsseldorfer Symphoniker und Gewinner des Lifetime Achievement Award 2022 der ICMA (International Classical Music Awards) zeichnet seit 2016 jedes Jahr eine Person oder Organisation aus, die sich in besonderem Maße für die Menschenrechte einsetzt. Read More →

Music Hall, Cincinnati

Cincinnati Opera announced that it has been awarded a $1.3 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The money will provide funding to commission new operas celebrating the Black American experience. Read More →

Members of the Queensland Symphony recorded a work fragment of young Australian pianist Kyan Pennell, 12, who tragically was killed in an accident on 31 January.  The piece is now online on YouTube. Read More →

The latest Karajan Community Letter focuses on the the Second Symphony by Brahms in various Karajan recordings. There is also an interview with Paavo Järvi about conducting. Read More →