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.

Duo Rosa

Luxembourgish-Belgian Duo Rosa (soprano Stephany Ortega and pianist Léna Kollmeier) launches today a CD with the title ‘Return’ published by the label Et’cetera. For Ortega, born in the Dominican Republic, this CD is a journey from Luxembourg back to her roots. Read More →

Jonas Kaufmann
Photo: Mathias Bothor

After his almost three-month long pause due to vocal problems, German tenor Jonas Kaufmann was due to restart his career in Gütersloh on November 13. He cancelled the recital and he has cancelled now another one, foreseen for next week, 22 November,  at the Teatro Real in Madrid.

The New York Philharmonic has awarded the $200,000 Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music to the Dutch composer Louis Andriessen. The orchestra will commission a new orchestral work by Andriessen to be premiered during the 2018–2019 season, led by Jaap van Zweden in his first season as Music Director.

The Scottish independent record label Linn Records is partnering with Belgium-based Outhere Music. The collaboration is to allow both  brands to  explore further opportunities from a wider roster of musicians. Additionally, Outhere Music will re-launch www.linnrecords.com in 2017, allowing consumers to access and explore even more high quality music from Outhere Music’s catalogue, all through a new cutting-edge download service.

Niklas Benjamin Hoffmann

The German Niklas Benjamin Hoffmann, 26, has won the Donatella Flick conducting competition in London. A student of Nicolas Pasquet at the Franz Liszt University of Music, Weimar, Hoffmann is chief conductor of the Academic orchestra in Göttingen.

In 2017, the Queen Elisabeth competition is holding for the first time in its history a competition devoted to cellists. It will take place from 8 May – 3 June 2017. Applications are now open, application deadline is fixed at 11 January 2017. Candidates must be born after 31 December 1986. Read More →

Petra Müllejans, die seit über zwei Jahrzehnten das FBO künstlerisch geleitet hat, legt diese Aufgabe zum Ende der Spielzeit 2016/17 nieder. Sie bleibt weiterhin festes Mitglied des Ensembles. Read More →