Maryland Lyric Opera, one of the Washington area’s opera companies, will be closing its doors. Founder and artistic director, Brad Clark, has announcedon the website: « I have made the difficult decision to end the operations of Maryland Lyric Opera, effective immediately. (…) Read More →

Mit einem dritten Interviewband führt der Luxemburger Musikpublizist Alain Steffen sein Projekt fort, die Situation und die Entwicklung der klassischen Musik, ihrer Komponisten und ihrer Interpreten am Anfang des 21. Jahrhunderts durch Gespräche zu dokumentieren. Read More →

Die Lüneburger Symphoniker haben in nur dreieinhalb Monaten bereits über 10.000 Unterschriften für ihren Erhalt gesammelt. Hansestadt und Landkreis Lüneburg prüfen gegenwärtig die Verkleinerung oder gar Auflösung des Orchesters und Abwicklung des Musiktheaters. Read More →

Julian Rachlin
(c) Ashley Klassen

Violinist and conductor Julian Rachlin was in Israel last week to start his tenure as Music Director of the Jerusalem Symphony. On his social media pages he gives an account of the tragic events in Israel and how they affected him. Read More →

The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (KWS) announced it was filing for bankruptcy and ceasing operations. This will end the 78-year history of the third largest orchestra in Ontario, Canada. The 52 musicians were taken aback by the announcement, especially since a new contract had been ratified this past summer with a pay increase of 3 percent.

Der Dirigent Daniel Barenboim sagte über die Entwicklung in Israel: « Der Angriff der Hamas auf die israelische Zivilbevölkerung ist ein ungeheuerliches Verbrechen, das ich auf das Schärfste verurteile ». Read More →

Daniel Cohen

Daniel Cohen bleibt Generalmusikdirektor des Staatstheaters Darmstadt. Wie die hessische Kunst- und Kulturministerin Angela Dorn und Darmstadts Oberbürgermeister Hanno Benz am Mittwoch bekanntgaben, hat der israelische Dirigent seinen Vertrag um weitere drei Jahre bis Sommer 2027 verlängert. Er ist seit Oktober 2018 Gauf diesem Posten. Read More →

Maurizio Pollini
(c) Cosimo Filippini

Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini, 81, has cancelled a recital scheduled at the Philharmonie in Paris on 16 October. He was meant to play Nono, Schönberg and Chopin. Due to ongoing health problems the concert has been cancelled without a replacement date.

The Franco-Argentine opera director Jorge Lavelli died in Paris Monday morning. He was born in Buenos Aires in 1932, with parents of Italian origin. He arrived in France in 1960 as a recipient of a scholarship from the National Fund for the Arts in his country to follow courses at the Charles Dullin school and the Jacques Lecoq school. He spent almost his entire career there and became a naturalized French in 1977. Read More →

The Jury of the Finnish Wihuri Sibelius Prize, worth 150,000 Euros, has chosen French composer Tristan Murail, 76, as its next recipient. The statement says: « Born in Le Havre, France, in 1947, Tristan Murail is a significant figure in contemporary classical music. He has created a unique musical language that combines compositional rigour with a deep and broad understanding of the traditions of art music. In his works, Murail utilizes computer-assisted sound synthesis and analysis, making him one of the pioneers of spectral music. » Read More →