Michael Tilson Thomas
Photo: SFS

Michael Tilson Thomas, 74, Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, has withdrawn from all of his scheduled engagements from June 17 to Sept. 3, 2019, in order to undergo heart surgery, the SFS announced. Read More →

Kaoru Oe, Karisa Chiu & Joshua Brown
(c) Remy Franck

Artistic Director Linus Roth announced the names of the three finalists for the International Violin Competition Leopold Mozart in Augsburg: Joshua Brown (USA, *1999), Karisa Chiu (USA, *1999) and Kaoru Oe (Japan, *1994). Read More →

Daniel Barenboim
(c) Peter Adamik

Bis 2027 wird Daniel Barenboim Generalmusikdirektor der Berliner Staatsoper Unter den Linden bleiben, teilte der Dirigent zusammen mit dem Berliner Kultursenator Klaus Lederer am Dienstag mit. Sein derzeitiger Vertrag, der bis 31. Juli 2022 läuft, wurde um weitere fünf Jahre verlängert. Read More →

Following the announced departure of Serge Dorny for Munich, the Opera of Lyon, France, launched a recruitment procedure which led to a series of hearings last month. After examining the projects submitted, the jury decided not to select any of the shortlisted candidates. A new call for applications will be issued soon.

Susanna Mälkki

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Chief Conductor Susanna Mälkki, 50, have signed a new two-year agreement extending her term beyond 2021. The new agreement also includes an option for another two-year extension. Mälkki took over as Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in autumn 2016. Read More →

At this year’s Leopold Mozart Violin Competition in Augsburg, Spanish violinist Julen Zelaia (*1995) won the special prize for the best performance of the commissioned work for solo violin and recording, Soleos, by Polish composer Elzbieta Sikora. Read More →

Gustavo Gimeno
(c) Alfonso Salgueiro

Gerade einmal zehn Tage ist es her, dass man Yuja Wang in der Philharmonie erleben konnte. Bei ihrem letzten Besuch ihrer Residenz hier vor Ort traf sie dann mit den heimischen Größen zusammen,  mit dem Philharmonischen Orchester Luxemburg (OPL) und seinem Chefdirigenten Gistava Gimeno. Wie dieses Zusammentreffen klang, beschreibt Uwe Krusch für Pizzicato. Read More →

After the Russian Ministry of culture initiated a discussion about their plans to stop the import of musical instruments in all the public institutions, musicians as well as organizations spoke out against such a bill. Some say, the Russian instrument industry would not be able to provide enough instruments. Read More →

Der Protest des Personals und der Musiker der Philharmonie in der westrussischen Stadt Kursk war erfolgreich: Der Manager des Philharmonischen Orchesters und der Philharmonie, Alexei Konorev, wurde nach seiner dubiosen Entlassung (Pizzicato berichtete) wieder eingestellt. Die Regionalverwaltung ging damit auf die Argumente der Protestierenden ein.

(c) Remy Franck

Since ancient times, philosophers have sought to cultivate happiness and well-being. Their intuitions about the benefits of shared creative experiences have now been confirmed by pioneering scientific research conducted by University College London (UCL) in partnership with Eric Whitacre and Music Productions. The detailed study, led by UCL Senior Research Fellow and BBC Radio 3 New Generation Thinker Dr Daisy Fancourt, shows how singing in a virtual choir delivers significant psychological benefits. Read More →