Polish harpsichord player Elzbieta Chojnacka died on 28 May in Paris at the age of 77. She was born in 1939 in Warsaw and studied in her native city as well as in Paris. In 1968 she won the international Vercelli competition, settled in Paris and began an international career. Read More →

A so-called techno event, Audio Obscura, at Amsterdam’s classical temple Concertgebouw ended prematurely Thursday night, because the ceiling above the stage became unstable. According to the Concertgebouw’s management, the ceiling consists of quadrants that are framed with stucco. One of those has come loose and some gravel was falling down. It will be investigated whether the loud music and penetrating bass sounds were responsible for the deterioration.

Alexander Liebreich
(c) Sammy Hart

An ungewöhnlichem Ort, auf der 1750 Meter hoch am Wank, dem Panoramaberg von Garmisch-Partenkirchen gelegenen Sonnenalm, besiegelten die 1. Bürgermeisterin Sigrid Meierhofer und Alexander Liebreich die Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem Richard-Strauss-Festival und seinem neuen Künstlerischen Leiter. Read More →

Cecilia Bartoli als Ariodante
(c) Monika Rittershaus

Bei den Salzburger Pfingstfestspielen 2017 tritt Cecilia Bartoli zum ersten Mal in einer Hosenrolle, dem nordischen Helden Ariodante auf. Und trägt dabei einen Bart. Inszeniert wird Händels Oper von Christof Loy, über den Bartoli sagt, er sei « ein Magier, der die Seelenräume der Charaktere auf die Bühne zu übersetzen und mit seiner sanften und niemals plakativen Art zu fesseln weiß ». Read More →

Janna Hymes

New York-born conductor Janna Hymes has been appointed as Music Director of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra near Indianapolis. She begins her duties as conductor of the 2017-18 season July 1 and has her debut performance on October 14 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts. Read More →

Thomas Sondergard

Danish conductor Thomas Søndergard, 47, will succeed the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s current music director, Peter Oundjian, from September 2018, the RNSO announced. He is already Principal Guest Conductor since 2011. He is Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBCNOW) until the end of its 2017/18 season.

Thierry Fischer
(c) Marco Borggreve

The Utah Symphony announced an extension of Thierry Fischer’s contract as Music Director through the 2021-22 season. The agreement extends the current contract, which was signed to expire in 2019. Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer (56) is in this position since 2011. Read More →

The Cincinnati World Piano Competition has stooped its activities, Cincinatti.com reports. The competition failed to raise enough money to continue to exist. The legal dissolution of the organization will be complete by June. The competition was founded in 1956.

Markus Poschner
(c) Steffen Jänicke

Der Dirigent Markus Poschner, der wegen eines Autounfalls mehrere Termine in Bremen absagen musste, kann auch ein Konzert mit seinem Orchester in Lugano, dem Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, am 1. Juni nicht dirigieren. Er wird durch den usbekischen Dirigenten Aziz Shokhakimov ersetzt. Wie das Orchester mitteilt, soll Poschner aber für das nächste Konzert am 12. Juni wieder dirigieren.

Herbert von Karajan
(c) Siegfried Lauterwasser / DG

Die Orchester-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker heißt ab sofort Karajan-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker. Peter Riegelbauer, Geschäftsführer der Karajan-Akademie und Kontrabassist der Berliner Philharmoniker, erklärt dazu: « Die Umbenennung ist eine Würdigung der Verdienste Herbert von Karajans, mit dessen Person die langjährige Erfolgsgeschichte der Akademie untrennbar verbunden ist. » Read More →