Thomaskirche, Leipzig
(c) Remy Franck

This weekend, at the very beginning of Leipzig’s millennium, the Jury of the International Classical Music Awards is meeting in the Bach city, at the invitation of the Bach Archiv and the city of Leipzig. The Jury will held a General Assembly at the Bach Archiv, visit the main musical sites of the city as well as the Blüthner factory. The Jury members also will attend several concerts, among them one by the Gewandhaus Orchestra which will host the Award Ceremony and Gala Concert in 2017.

A man holding a sign criticizing the policies of President Putin climbed onto the stage at the Metropolitan Opera on Thursday night when the singers, among them Putin follower Anna Netrebko took their curtain call at the end of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Iolanta’. The protester was escorted off the stage and subsequently arrested.

Das vergangene Jahr war für den Berliner Klavierbauer Carl Bechstein sehr erfolgreich. Im Konzern betrug der Umsatz in 2014 insgesamt 33 Mio. EUR, davon rund 25 Mio. EUR allein in der C. Bechstein AG in Deutschland. Das bedeutet eine Steigerung um gut 8 % zum Vorjahr für die AG wie für den Konzern. Insgesamt wurden ca. 4000 Klaviere und Flügel abgesetzt. Der Konzern beschäftigt 350 Mitarbeiter. Read More →

Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Photo: Marco Borggreve

The Philadelphia Orchestra today announced that Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin extends his tenure with the Orchestra through the 2021-22 season, his first contract renewal since beginning his tenure as the Orchestra’s eighth music director in September 2012. Simultaneously, the Board of Directors of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association has renewed Chairman Richard B. Worley and President and CEO Allison Vulgamore, ensuring that the collective mission and vision established by the leadership triumvirate will continue to steward The Philadelphia Orchestra’s artistic growth and financial stability.

The Philadelphia Orchestra announced today a remarkable gift from the Miller-Worley Foundation of $10 million. The lead gift, given by Leslie Anne Miller and Richard Worley through their foundation, will floor the Orchestra’s Comprehensive Campaign.

Der 52-jährige deutsche Schlagzeuger Peter Sadlo bekommt den mit 15 000 Euro dotierten Frankfurter Musikpreis 2015. Das Kuratorium würdigte Sadlo als musikalischen Allrounder, der durch sein künstlerisches Schaffen und sein internationales Renommee zu einem Botschafter kultureller Vielfalt geworden ist.

Murray Perahia
Photo: Felix Broede

The Israeli Wolf Foundation announced that American soprano Jessye Norman (69) is one of the recipients of the Wolf Prize in Music 2015. The Foundation says that Norman is “not only an outstanding personality in the world of music but has done a great deal to encourage young people to seek a career as singers as well as musicians in general. She has had a profound influence on many students of all races and genders, which has greatly improved their status as well as their lives. Besides her musical activity (…) she has been involved in very important social activities such as fighting for health related causes.” Read More →

Der 59-jährige Dirigent Israel Yinon starb gestern Abend kurz nach einem Konzert im KKL Luzern. Yinon war während der ‘Alpensinfonie’ von Richard Strauss vor den Musikern der Jungen Philharmonie Zentralschweiz zusammengebrochen. Für den Dirigenten kam jede Hilfe zu spät. Das abgebrochene Konzert stand unter dem Motto ‘Heile Alpenwelt’. Read More →

Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Photo: Marco Borggreve

Their 2015 Tour of Europe brings the Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin to audiences in 10 cities over three weeks. The tour is set to begin in Luxembourg on May 21. Other concerts will take place in Dortmund, Cologne, Dresden, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Lyon, Amsterdam and London, where the tour will end on June 6. Pianists Emanuel Ax & Jan Lisiecki , as well as violinist Lisa Batiashvili join the Orchestra as soloists. After a first European tour in 1949 the Orchestra has crossed the globe on a regular basis. It last visited Europe in 2011.

Nora Braun

Die Luxemburger Cellistin Nora Braun (18) spielt am 22. Februar in einem Konzert des WDR Symphonieorchesters in der Kölner Philharmonie den Cellopart im Doppelkonzert von Johannes Brahms. Beteiligt ist sie an diesem Konzert als ehemalige Schülerin des ‘Pre-College Cologne’. Read More →

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