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 →

Die Staatsoper Stuttgart wird nun dennoch Humperdincks Märchenoper ‘Hänsel und Gretel’ nicht, wie geplant, am 22. Oktober aufführen. Entgegen früheren Plänen, die Inszenierung nach Angaben des in Moskau unter Hausarrest stehenden russischen Regisseurs Kirill Serebrennikov aufzuführen, wird das Projekt jetzt auf Eis gelegt – bis es von Serebrennikov selbst vollendet werden kann. Read More →

Dmitri Hvorostovsky
(c) Pavel Antonov

Baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, 54, who is being treated for a brain tumour, has been forced to cancel his recital at the Tchaikovsky Hall of the Moscow Conservatory on September 26. Earlier this month the singer cancelled a concert in Bucharest set for September 22. Currently the singer’s website does not mention any other upcoming concert.

Eckart Preu

Eckart Preu will leave the Spokane Symphony at the end of the 2018-19 season to dedicate more time to his new role as music director of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra in California and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Read More →

Monserrat Caballé

In midst of independence attempts in Catalonia, the King of Spain wants to give a noble title to Montserrat Caballé. According to the Spanish press, Felipe VI, is willing make the crown more present in Catalonia. The iconic singer would be a good example to show this national strength.

Georgian tenor Zurab Sotkilava died on Monday at the age of 80. Sotkilava sang at State Opera House of Georgia, at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. His career continued at the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre from 1964, with performing career accompanied by teaching work at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory from 1975.

Marin Alsop
Photo: Grant Leighton

Marin Alsop, Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, is the recipient of the 2017 Ditson Conductor’s Award for the advancement of American music, Columbia University has announced. Read More →

Die deutsche Kulturstaatsministerin Monika Grütters hat heute bekannt gegeben, dass im Rahmen des neuen Programms ‘Exzellente Orchesterlandschaft Deutschland’ bundesweit viele Orchester gefördert werden. Das teilte das Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung mit. Read More →

The 20-year old Cosima Soulez-Larivière won First Prize at the Bartók World Competition in the category violin. Out of the 44 registered contestants, three were shortlisted for the Grand Final, the French-Dutch Cosima Soulez-Larivière, the Japanese Takagi Ririko and the Hungarian Ágnes Langer. The young musicians were judged in all rounds by the international jury headed by the violinist Salvatore Accardo. Second Prize was won by Takagi Ririko, while Ágnes Langer came third.

The University of Oregon fired British conductor Matthew Halls, Artistic Director of the Oregon Bach Festival, over a racist joke. The news went throughout the world. Now, American media report that the University pays the sacked musician $90,000 if he remains silent about the cause of the dismissal. Indeed, it looks like if the joke was not the real cause why Halls had to leave, a mere two months after his contract was extended, with an increased salary. Read More →