Kansas City Symphony announced that, to date, the so called Masterpiece Campaign has raised nearly $52 million thanks to many generous donors. This comes close to the goal of the largest endowment campaign in the orchestra’s history. Read More →

Joana Carneiro
(c) Dave Weiland

Berkeley Symphony, Berkeley, California, announced that Music Director Joana Carneiro has withdrawn from the concert on Thursday, January 26 at Zellerbach Hall. Carneiro is pregnant and is under doctor’s advice not to conduct or travel. She will be replaced by Christian Reif. Read More →

Die Bechstein Pianofortefabrik startet eine neue Reihe im Konzerthaus Berlin: Alexej Gorlatch eröffnet am Freitag, 31. März 2017, um 20 Uhr mit einem Chopin-Recital die neue Serie der Bechstein Klavierabende. Ihm folgen am 21. April 2017 der chinesische Virtuose Haiou Zhang und am 23. Juni 2017 die koreanische Pianistin Yejin Gil. Read More →

Georges Prêtre

French conductor Georges Prêtre, 92, died on Wednesday in Navès, France. He was what one could a Grand Seigneur de la Baguette. Read More →

Die Musikwelt blickt nach Norddeutschland: Am 11. Januar eröffnet das NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester musikalisch den großen Konzertsaal in Hamburgs neuem Wahrzeichen. Viele Fernseh-und Radiosender übertragen die Feierlichkeiten. Read More →

Created as a print magazine in 1991, Pizzicato slowly started the transformation into an online magazine in 2013.When in December 2013 the last print edition was published, the Internet activity was brought to full speed. Since then we have published 7500 articles which are online today and freely accessible. Among those 7500 articles we count 2.250 audio reviews and 280 video reviews. Read More →

Christian Thielemann
(c) Deutsche Grammophon

The German Bild-Zeitung reports today that the negotiations for a new contract with chief conductor Christian Thielemann in Dresden have stalled. Thielemann is at the helm of the Semperoper and the Staatskapelle since 2012.

The British cultural manager Ruth Mackenzie, 59, has been named at the helm of the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. She is the successor of Jean-Luc Choplin. Mackenzie is artistic director of the Holland Festival. She was formerly General manager of Scottish Opera.

Jiri Behlolavek

Der tschechische Dirigent Jiri Belohlavek (70) hat seinen seit 2012 laufenden Vertrag als Chefdirigent der Tschechischen Philharmonie für die nächsten sechs Jahre verlängert, teilte das Orchester am Montag mit. In den Jahren 1990–92 war er bereits als Nachfolger von Václav Neumann Chefdirigent des Orchesters, das er verließ, um das ‘Prague Philharmonia’ zu gründen.

Jonas Kaufmann
Photo: Mathias Bothor

Just one week after the Elbphilharmonie Opening in Hamburg, which he cancelled, Jonas Kaufmann is scheduled to sing Lohengrin at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. Between 18 and 30 January he should sing the role five times. Will it be his comeback after half a year of cancelling due to bleeding vocal chords?