Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), the 48th Istanbul Music Festival will present a virtual program between 18 September and 5 October 2020. Curated around this year’s theme, The Enlightened World of Beethoven, the festival concerts filmed at historical venues in Istanbul, Ankara and various cities of Europe will be available for streaming for audiences to enjoy on their screens. Read More →
Cristian Macelaru
(c) Sorin Popa
Appointed in November 2019 as Music Director of the Orchestre National de France, 40-year old Romanian conductor Cristian Macelaru was to take up the job in September 2021. But since Emmanuel Krivine resigned with immediate effect in May, Macelaru finally has been named Music Director from the 2020-21 season. Read More →
In einem offenen Brief hat der Vorstand der Jungen Deutschen Philharmonie auf die gegenwärtige schwierige Situation aufmerksam gemacht. In dem Brief heißt es: « … für viele andere Musikstudierende bilden Praktika und Akademien in Orchestern eine wichtige Schnittstelle zwischen dem Studium an einer Hochschule und dem späteren Berufsleben. Man kommt heutzutage fast nicht mehr umhin, Erfahrungen in einem Profiorchester zu sammeln. Praktika und Akademien sind in unserer persönlichen Entwicklung und als Wegbereiter unserer Laufbahn extrem wichtig. » Read More →
Seriji Ozawa
Photo: CAMI
At the occasion of Seiji Ozawa’s 85th birthday, Boston’s Mayor Martin J. Walsh has issued a proclamation (link) declaring September 1, 2020, ‘Seiji Ozawa Day in the City of Boston’. Read More →
Italian conductor and singer Claudio Cavina died yesterday at the age of 58. He was a specialist of the baroque and Renaissance repertoire. He studied at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Kurt Widmer and René Jacobs. He worked with several ensembles and created in 1995 La Venexiana.
Fabio Luisi
Italian conductor Fabio Luisi, 61, will continue as the DR Symphony Orchestra’s chief conductor until 2026. In addition to his position as chief conductor of the DR Symphony Orchestra since 2017, Luisi is chief conductor of the Zurich Opera, and he is also Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in the United States. Outside of music, his hobbies include perfumery and the production of his own personal line of perfumes.
NFM Wroclaw
With a reduced program of only five concerts and respecting the rules of distancing, the 55th International Festival Wratislavia Cantans will start on 11 September with an Homage to Penderecki. Director Andrzej Kosendiak says: « 2020 brought a new and unknown situation, and it affected everyone. The new world that will emerge after the pandemic will certainly be different. We hope it will be better. Read More →
Salzburg
Die Salzburger Festspiele gingen am Sonntagabend mit einem Konzert der Berliner Philharmoniker zu Ende. Insgesamt wurden in diesem Sommer für 110 Veranstaltungen 76.500 Karten an Gäste aus 39 Ländern verkauft (gegenüber 240.000 beim initial geplanten Festival). Die Einnahmen beliefen sich im Endeffekt auf 8,7 Millionen Euro. Die Platzauslastung lag bei 96 Prozent. Read More →
New York based Columbia Artists Management Inc., one of the leading agencies representing classical music performers, says it is shutting down on August 31. A statement emailed Saturday to their artists says: « It is with a heavy heart that, having endured a prolonged pandemic environment, we must announce that effective August 31, 2020, Columbia Artists Management, Inc. will close its doors. Read More →
In the Infirmary of Milano’s opera house La Scala, a large-scale testing for all the members of the orchestra, choir and corps de ballet was started last Friday. They have to undergo the test before resuming activity inside the theatre. Superintendent Dominique Meyer decided this additional security measure after serological tests showed that many people from the artistic staff have come into contact with the virus in the most acute phase of the pandemic. Read More →
