Determination characterizes the actions of the doomed NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) in the United States. Director Greg Reinersays in a communication: « The President’s FY 2018 budget proposes the elimination of the NEA. This budget request is a first step in a long process, as Congress begins to draft the FY18 budget over the summer. We continue to accept grant applications for FY 2018 at our usual deadlines and will continue to operate as usual until a new budget is enacted by Congress. If you are planning to apply at the July deadline continue to do so! »

Oper Frankfurt

Die Diskussion um die Sanierung der Frankfurter Bühnen – Oper und Schauspiel, die ja bekanntlich in einem riesigen Gebäude untergebracht sind – hat mit einer neuen Studie Aufwind bekommen. Read More →

The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (taking place May 25-June 10 in Fort Worth, Texas), has announced the six pianists advancing to Final Round. They are: Kenneth Broberg, 23, United States, Rachel Cheung, 25, Hong Kong,Yury Favorin, 30, Russia, Daniel Hsu, 19, United States, Yekwon Sunwoo, 28, South Korea, Georgy Tchaidze, 29, Russia.

Paul Haas

American conductor Paul Haas has been named music director of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, Ontario, Canada. He officially takes over July 1. Paul Haas, a graduate of Yale University and the Juilliard School has previously served as the head of the New York Youth Symphony and is since 2010 Music Director of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas.

The musicians and singers of the opera house in Toulon, Southern France, began a strike on Sunday and refused to play and sing this evening (6/6). The reason is, according to the unions, insufficient salaries and a total lack of negotiation from the city. The strikers also say, they are very worried about the future. The Opera in Toulon suffered a strike already in April 2017.

Marin Alsop
Photo: Grant Leighton

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra musicians have ratified a one-year contract with the management three months before the current one expires. Read More →

Rund 12.400 Besucher aus 42 Nationen sind zu den Pfingstfestspielen 2017 nach Salzburg gekommen. Dies ist ein Besucherplus von über 8% gegenüber dem Vorjahr. Read More →

Victor Julien-Laferrière

French cellist Victor Julien-Laferrière (*1990) has won the 2017 Queen Elisabeth Cello competition! The other prizewinners are:  Yuya Okamoto (Second Prize), Santiago Cañón-Valencia (Third Prize), Aurélien Pascal (Fourth Prize), Ivan Karizna (Fifth Prize), Brannon Cho (Sixth Prize). Read More →

The problem with child Trump and his middle-finger politics is that his deplorable behavior generates followers. It’s spreading out like cancer. Probably relying on POTUS’s opinion that culture is waste, Florida’s Republican Gov. Rick Scott has cut $500,000 in funds to help the Florida Orchestra pay for their new outreach program Beyond the Bay for schools and community orchestras across Florida. Read More →

Marek Janowski

Nachdem die Baden-Badener Pfingstfestspiele mit einem Klavierabend von Andras Schiff und einem Opernrezital mit Diana Damrau und ihrem Mann Nicholas Testé begonnen hatten, folgte Richard Wagners ‘Rheingold’. Es war die letzte von vier Aufführungen mit dem NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester auf seiner Deutschland-Tour. Alain Steffen berichtet. Read More →