A German discounter with shops in many European countries will sell pianos for the start of the school year in September, French newspaper Capital reported. From the news piece it was not clear whether the pianos will be sold only in France or also in other countries. The piano from the French brand Colmann will cost 449 euros.

Ankush Kumar Bahl
c) Scott Suchman

The Omaha Symphony (Nevada) has announced the appointment of conductor Ankush Kumar Bahl as the next Music Director. Formerly the Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic and the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. as well as Orchestre National de France, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Bahl joins the Omaha Symphony as its Music Director beginning July 2021. He succeeds Maestro Thomas Wilkins, whose 16-year tenure culminates with the orchestra’s 2020-21 centennial season. Read More →

The international release of Dan Brown’s illustrated children’s book Wild Symphony on September 1, 2020 will be accompanied by concerts worldwide, it was announced today. The author of The Da Vinci Code, has a new credential as composer of the orchestral music from his new book. Wild Symphony, Brown’s first work for orchestra, features twenty-one musical portraits drawn from the animal kingdom. Read More →

Washington’s Kennedy Center has announced Tuesday that it will cancel most of its previously announced performances and events through the end of the year. Read More →

Karin Deshayes & Yann Beuron
(c) Palazzetto Bru Zane Gaelle Astier-Perret

French tenor Yann Beuron has announced on his Facebook page that he will end his stage career next year, at the age of 52 and after a career of over 30 years. He explains that he feels it’s time for him and that he intends to « enjoy life differently ». Read More →

The Prosecutor has asked a Moscow court to sentence director Kirill Serebrennikov to six years in prison on embezzlement charges he denies. At a hearing in Moscow, the prosecutor’s office also demanded a fine of 800,000 roubles (€ 10,200), according to an AFP journalist present at the court. Sentences ranging from four to five years in prison were also sought against three of Serebrennikov’s collaborators. Read More →

Following the release of the government’s guidelines for health and safety standards in the performing arts, the Montreal Opera has postponed the production of two large-scale works, La Traviata and Jenufa, each of which involves over 200 artists and other professionals. Read More →

Das zu Bertelsmann gehörende Mailänder Ricordi-Archiv, in dem Schätze aus 200 Jahren italienischer Operngeschichte lagern, kündigt sechs Online-Events an. Read More →

After the scheduled Glyndebourne Festival 2020 at the auditorium was cancelled, the organizer has announced plans to reopen for a series of open-air operas and concerts this summer, allowing audiences to return with social distancing measures in place. Read More →

The young conductor and violinist Christopher Quentin McMullen-Laird died June 18th of an as yet unclear but rapidly progressing medical issue, as his website says. Read More →