The first-ever annual Young Artist Opera and Oratorio Competition will take place in July 2018 at the Apollo Theatre on the Island of Syros, Greece. It will be part of the Festival of the Aegean, MidAmerica Productions and MidAm International of New York announced. The competition is open to singers of all voice types between the ages of 22 and 32. The island of Syros is part of the Cyclades. Located 144 km southeast of Athens it has only 25,000 inhabitants. Information is available here.

A previously unknown work of Dmitri Shostakovich has been found in the personal archives of the Russian violist Vadim Borisovsky (1900-1972), stored in the Russian State Archives in Moscow. The piece is an Impromptu, and the authenticity of the manuscript has been confirmed, the Archives say. Read More →

Michael Stern

The children of late violinist Isaac Stern, Michael, David and Shira are suing the former executor of their father’s estate, according to an article published by Newsweek. Read More →

Due to the earthquake of September 19, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City has cancelled all performances until further notice « as a sign of solidarity and for the safety of our visitors. »

Das Trier Theater hat den Arbeitsvertrag mit Operndirektorin Katharina John einem ‘reporter’-Bericht nach vorzeitig aufgelöst. Vor dem Bühnenschiedsgericht in Frankfurt soll sich die Stadt mit John auf eine Abfindung von rund 30.000 Euro geeinigt haben. Read More →

Teatro Monumental

The Board of Directors of the Spanish broadcasting corporation RTVE has approved the proposed lease of the Teatro Monumental de Madrid, for a period of up to ten years. This big theatre, a former cinema built in 1923, is located in the centre of the Spanish capital. Since 1970 it is the home of the RTVE Symphonic Orchestra and Choir. The owner of the hall promised to immediately start the appropriate works of improvement to comply with the needs of the symphonic-choral formation.

Kent Nagano
(c) Benjamin Ealovega

Kent Naganos Projekt Richard Wagners ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’ zusammen mit ‘Concerto Köln’ in historisch informierter Aufführungspraxis vorzustellen, beginnt am 29. September mit einem Symposium in der Universität zu Köln. Read More →

YuMi
(c) ABB

A few weeks ago, Pizzicato reported that the Lucca Philharmonic was to play under the baton of YuMi, a humanoid robot manufactured by ABB, a Swiss company specializing in new technologies. The concert took place in Pisa, Italy, and featured Andrea Bocelli and the soprano Maria Luigia Borsi. Read More →

Eine Gruppe von mehr als achtzig Intendanten verschiedenster deutschsprachiger Theater bekennt sich drei Tage vor der deutschen Bundestagswahl über eine Anzeige in einer großen deutschen Zeitung zu einem offen politischen Diskurs und betont damit den gesellschaftlichen Stellenwert der Theater und Orchester der Bundesrepublik. Read More →

Houston Grand Opera - Wortham Center

Hurricane Harvey forced the Houston Symphony to cancel the first two weeks of its season and since the underground parking garage that serves Jones Hall for the Performing Arts is still not accessible, the orchestra had to move to the Stude Concert Hall in Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music for last week’s concerts and will return there for the next two programs. Read More →