Hugh Wolff

The National Orchestra of Belgium has a new Music Director: American conductor Hugh Wolff will succeed Andrey Boreyko from the season 2017-2018. Hugh Wolff, 62, was chief conductor of the HR Sinfonieorchetser in Frankfurt and music director of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota. In addition to his performing career, Wolff is Director of Orchestras and teaches orchestral conducting at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Estonian conductor Eri Klas died today, 26 February, aged 76. Born in Tallinn, June 7, 1939, he studied at the Tallinn and Leningrad conservatories. Klas’s career began in 1969 at the Bolshoi Theatre, where he conducted for 10 years. He also collaborated with the Estonian National Opera where he was music director from 1975 to 1995. Read More →

Christian Reif

The San Francisco Symphony announced the appointment of Christian Reif (27) as Resident Conductor and Wattis Foundation Music Director of the SFS Youth Orchestra, beginning in September, 2016. Read More →

Dame Felicity Lott

Dame Felicity Lott is honoured with ICMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Remy Franck has met the singer in Paris, and Pizzicato publishes the interview today. You may read it here  (In French).

Following positions as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra (2009-2015), and Chief Conductor of the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck (2005-2008), Serbian conductor Aleksandar Marković (40), has been appointed music director sat Opera North in Leeds, in succession to Richard Farnes.

In Berlin ist am gestrigen Mittwoch das Internationale Liedzentrum Heidelberg gegründet worden. Es entsteht auf Initiative des Musikfestivals ‘Heidelberger Frühling’ und bündelt, intensiviert und internationalisiert alle Aktivitäten rund um das Thema Lied, die seit jeher integraler Bestandteil von Baden-Württembergs größtem Musikfestival sind. Ziel des Liedzentrums ist es, die Aktualität des Liedes ins Bewusstsein von Künstlern, Veranstaltern und Publikum zu rücken und neue Perspektiven zu eröffnen. Read More →

José Carreras
(c) Deutsche José Carreras Leukämie Stiftung

In Berlin will José Carreras am 12. Oktober seine ‘Final World Tour’ starten. « Ich werde im Dezember 70, ich dachte, das sei ein guter Zeitpunkt, um ans Ende zu denken“, sagte der Tenor bei einer Pressekonferenz. Bis 2018 soll die Tour dauern. Nach ca. 48 Jahren Karriere will er sich dann um seine Leukämie-Stiftung kümmern, sich seiner Familie widmen, FC-Barcelona-Fan bleiben und sich in der katalanischen Hauptstadt ein Opernabonnement nehmen.

Der Hindemith-Preis der Stadt Hanau geht 2016 an den Pianisten und Dirigenten Christoph Eschenbach. Eschenbach hat sich in seiner langen Karriere immer wieder mit dem Werk Hindemiths beschäftigt. 2015 nahm er Hindemiths Sinfonie ‘Mathis der Maler’ sowie die ‘Symphonie in Es’ mit dem NDR-Sinfonieorchester auf CD auf.

Chopin's Pleyel N° 11265

A grand piano that actually sat in Frederic Chopin’s living room in Paris was discovered by Alain Kohler, a Swiss physicist. The piano had been restored by Edwin Beunk & Johan Wennink in the Netherlands in 2009. Presently it is privately owned in Germany. This discovery has been confirmed by an expert. Read More →

Gianandrea Noseda
(c) Sussie Ahlburg

The London Symphony Orchestra today announced changes to its line-up of conductors, taking effect from the 2016/17 season. Gianandrea Noseda joins Daniel Harding as Principal Guest Conductor; Michael Tilson Thomas becomes Conductor Laureate; and André Previn becomes Conductor Emeritus.