Marin Alsop
Photo: Grant Leighton

American conductor Marin Alsop, 63, has been named the first-ever chief conductor and curator of the Ravinia Festival, the oldest outdoor music festival in the United States, with a series of outdoor concerts and performances held every summer from June to September. Read More →

Der aus Mainz stammende deutsche Komponist Volker David Kirchner ist gestern im Alter von 77 Jahren verstorben. Nach Angaben des Schott-Verlages verstarb er nach « kurzer, schwerer Krankheit » in Wiesbaden. Read More →

Due to the international situation, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg has postponed a performance by the China National Opera and Dance Drama Theatre initially scheduled for the 11 February. Ther performance will be re-scheduled « at a more suitable time when the audience will be able to attend the performance without experiencing personal anxiety », the Mariinsky says on its website.

The Washington based National Symphony Orchestra has cancelled two concerts in Beijing and one in Shanghai next month following over China’s virus outbreak. Music Director Gianandrea Noseda was initially scheduled to conduct performances in Beijing on March 13 and March 14 followed by a concert in Shanghai on March 17. The orchestra said the decision was made due to U.S. State Department travel restrictions and the cancellation of its scheduled flights.The first part of the tour, with five concerts in Japan from March 6-11, will remain unchanged.

The Calgary based triennial Honens International Piano Competition has opened applications for its 2021 edition, with a jury including Janina Fialkowska (Canada), Michel Béroff (France), Imogen Cooper (UK), Ick-Choo Moon (Korea), and Katherine Chi (Canada).  The application deadline is 30 October, 2020. Read More →

The ten-year Award Ceremony and Gala concert in Seville, on April 30th at 8 pm at the Teatro de la Maestranza, will be one of the richest, most diverse and colourful in the ICMA history, with one of the most impressive line-ups of musicians ever. Read More →

After a short break of the strike at the National Opera house in Paris, the strike resumed on 11 January and is likely not to end soon.The performance of George Balanchine scheduled for this evening, 3 February 2020 is cancelled.

Ari Rasilainen
(c) Lukas Beck

Der Vertrag von Ari Rasilainen (60) als Chefdirigent der Konstanzer Südwestdeutschen Philharmonie wird nicht verlängert. Der jetzige Vertrag des Finnen läuft den Angaben zufolge seit 2016 und endet im August 2021. Das teilte die Stadt Konstanz mit. Read More →

Über 30.000 Besucher wurden bei der Mozartwoche 2020 in Salzburg gezählt, teilte der Veranstalter heute mit. Mit 59 Veranstaltungen über elf Tage an 13 Spielorten bot die Mozartwoche angeblich so viel Mozart wie noch nie in Salzburg rund um den 264. Geburtstag von Wolfgang Amadé. Die Auslastung betrug 91%. Das Festival sei « auch wirtschaftlich die erfolgreichste Mozartwoche seit Bestehen“, so Tobias Debuch, kaufmännischer Geschäftsführer der Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg.

Tomas Hanus
(c) Betina Skovbro

Czech conductor Thomas Hanus has extended his contract with the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff, the organization announced. Hanus has been a music director since the 2016/2017 season, and his contract will now run through the 2025/2026 season. Read More →