Juanjo Mena
(c) Michal Nowak

After having been awarded the Spanish National Music Award on Monday 21 November in Madrid, conductor Juanjo Mena, 51, announced that he will donate the prize money, 30 000 Euros, to music education in Spain. Since 2011 Mena is chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic and a mont ago he was announced as the new Principal Conductor for the Cincinnati May Festival, the longest running choral festival in North America.

Andrea Marcon
(c) Marco Borggreve

Italian harpsichordist, organist and conductor Andrea Marcon (*1963) will be in charge of the artistic direction of the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada for four more years. The Granada Consortium for Music, comprising the City Council of Granada, the Junta de Andalucía and the Provincial Government of Granada, has signed a new contract with the Treviso born musician, going through 2020, and still extendable for two more years. Andrea Marcon took the job in 2012. The Orquesta Ciudad de Granada was created in 1990.

Teatro alla Scala, Milano

Der Aufsichtsrat der Mailänder Scala hat den Intendanten Alexander Pereira, laut italienischen Medienberichten zum Sparen aufgerufen. Der Aufsichtsrat analysierte am Montag den Haushaltsplan für 2017 und stellte fest, die finanzielle Lage des Opernhauses sei nicht zuletzt dank der Unterstützung der von Pereira gewonnenen Privatsponsoren solide. Read More →

Antonio Pappano
Photo: Musacchio & Ianniello

British-Italian conductor Antonio Pappano, 56, has accepted the extension of his contract as Music Director of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome until 2021. This was announced by the superintendent of Santa Cecilia, Michele dall’Ongaro. Pappano, who serves as Music Director of the Royal Opera House in London since 2002, is the chief conductor of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia since 2005. Under his tenure, the Orchestra gained in quality and reputation.

Milos
(c) Lars Borges

Suffering from a « complex and uncompromising movement disorder », classical guitarist Milos Karadaglic, 33, has withdrawn from all concert engagements for at least this whole season. The musician said in a statement that he is hoping to « break the vicious cycle I have found myself in. It is so incredibly hard for me to accept this, but sadly, I have no other choice but to comply. In the next year, while firmly on the quest to fully recover and play again, I am planning to focus my energy on other things that truly matter to me. »

Vivica Genaux
(c) Harry Heleotis

Die amerikanische Sängerin Vivica Genaux, 47,  erhält im Jahr 2017 den Händelpreis in Halle. Das hat die Stiftung Händel-Haus heute bekannt gegeben. Der Mezzosopranistin wird die Auszeichnung im Rahmen ihres Festkonzertes am Pfingstmontag, 5. Juni im Dom zu Halle verliehen. Die aus Alaska stammende Vivica Genaux hat eine enge Bindung zu Händel und zu den Händel-Festspielen in Halle.

Bruno Weil

Der 62-jährige deutsche Dirigent Bruno Weil hat den mit 10.000 Euro dotierten Duisburger Musikpreis erhalten. Der Duisburger Oberbürgermeister Sören Link verlieh die Auszeichnung am gestrigen Sonntag im Duisburger Theater. Weil war von 1994 bis 2002 Generalmusikdirektor der Duisburger Philharmonie. Seit 2015 ist er Professor für Dirigieren an der Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg und als Gastdirigent international tätig.

American Violinist Ida Levin Has Died From Leukaemia, aged 53. This was reported by the Violin Channel. Levin made her professional debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at ten. Since her first performance at Carnegie Hall as soloist with the American Symphony Orchestra, she was an active concert performer and recitalist throughout the world. She taught at the Sander Vegh International Chamber Music Academy in Prague, at the Harvard University and the European Mozart Academy.

The cast of the Broadway musical Hamilton addressed Donald Trumps future Vice-President in a theatre in New York where Pence was booed by the audience on Friday evening. Trump has asked for an apology over the letter read out by a cast member. Read More →

Andris Nelsons

With more free time due to his cancellation in Bayreuth, Andris Nelsons will expand his commitment at Tanglewood next summer, leading ten programs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra over four weeks. He will open the Tanglewood season with Mahler’s Second Symphony on July 7, and lead the traditional closing program of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony August 27. He will also lead the BSO’s first full-length concert performance of Wagner’s Das Rheingold on July 15.