The conductor and administrator Christian Lorenz has been named artistic director of Beethoven 250, the year-long national Beethoven bash in 2020.

Lorenz, 54, a former head of the orchestra academy at the Schleswig-Holstein festival, went on to run the International Bachakademie Stuttgart for Helmut Rilling before setting up his own management firm.

He starts work on January 1. The Beethoven Year has been allocated a federal budget of 27 million Euros.

Eugene Shepherd, concertmaster of the Santa Rosa Symphony for 33 years, was the regular tennis partner of the cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, originator of the Peanuts strip.

Schulz often engaged his characters in classical music discussions. Guess where he got the ideas?

 

 

Eugene Shepherd has died in Santa Rosa at the ripe old age of 96.

The tenth anniversary of the death of the great cellist and the ninetieth of his birth in March-April 2017 will be marked in Moscow by the dedication of a square in his name, close to the House of Composers.

The square, at the junction of Yeliseyev and Bryusov streets, already features a bust of the greatly beloved master.

 

 

The Dutch violinist-entrepreneur has cancelled Christmas-week concerts in Nottingham, London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow after a long-serving musician in his orchestra suffered a heart attack. The musician remains in hospital in a critical condition.

André Rieu Productions has posted:

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Following the postponement of his Nottingham show on Saturday it is with great regret that André Rieu is forced to postpone the remaining shows on his UK Arena tour as well. A musician, who has been with the Orchestra for more than 20 years, suffered a severe heart attack on Saturday. Unfortunately his condition remains critical.

A statement from André Rieu:

 

“It is with deep regret that I have decided to also postpone my concerts in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. This should have been the most wonderful time of the year, and we were looking forward to bringing joy and happiness to all of you, our beloved audience. But many of my orchestra members have been with me for more than 25 years. We are a family. We are deeply saddened by this tragic event and it is impossible for us to continue our tour as planned. Thank you all so much for your understanding in this difficult moment. Our hearts and thoughts are now with our colleague and his family.”

New rescheduled dates will be announced asap. Customers are advised to retain their ticket for the rescheduled show as all tickets will remain valid for the new dates.

In the unfortunate event that customers are unable to attend the rescheduled date, full refunds will be available from point of sale.

UPDATE: In praise of André Rieu

UPDATE: How André Rieu handled a very human crisis

Job specs:

The Finnish National Opera and Ballet in Helsinki is looking for a new General Director. The current General Director, Päivi Kärkkäinen, will retire in spring 2018, and her replacement will be expected to take up the post at the beginning of 2018. The recruitment process will begin in January 2017.

Applicants are expected to be have management experience, vision and an appreciation of culture. The principal duties of the General Director will include implementing strategy, achieving a solid funding base, securing the operational potential of the FNOB and identifying future opportunities. The General Director of the FNOB is also a major opinion leader in the field of Finnish culture. The General Director is responsible for overall management of the entire organisation; the Artistic Directors of the Opera and the Ballet report to him or her.

“The FNOB is in excellent shape artistically, financially and administratively. Päivi Kärkkäinen has done a great job in reforming and leading the company, and her contribution to the wonderful state the FNOB is in today is exceptionally remarkable,” says Leena Niemistö, chairman of the Board of Directors. Päivi Kärkkäinen took up her post nine years ago, in December 2007.

The BBC Singers choral manager Rob Johnston has shared sad news of the death of his father, David Johnston, at the age of 85.

A widely-engaged performer, David started out in the Glyndebourne chorus in the mid-1960s and went on to make several recordings.

Our condolences to the family.

These are musicians of the Paris-based Orchestre Les Siècles, with their conductor Francois-Xavier Roth, playing with and for children at the Armand Trousseau hospital.

Take ten minutes out and watch this short film. It is helping to save young lives.

The address for donations is: Association CHLOE, Hôpital Trousseau, 26, avenue Arnold Netter, 75012 Paris

Pre-production news from a British film on the fascinating life of Margery Booth, an English opera singer who stayed loyal to her roots in Nazi Germany:

Stephen Fry is down to play Hermann Goering.

Lesley Garrett will cover the singing voice of Wigan-born Margery Booth.

More here.

 

A correspondent reports:

The collapse of the Brazilian economy and government has led to savage cuts in culture. Four big orchestras are facing shutdown. The Orchestra Sinfonica Brasileira (OSB, pictured) has not paid musician salaries or soloist fees since August.

Three more orchestras – the Banda Sinfonica, the jazz sinfonica and the orchestra do teatro san pedro have been told they will close next year. Hundreds of musicians will be out of work.

You can sign a petition to save three of the orchestras here.

The OSB is conducting a separate campaign.

The Hungarian-British pianist will play Beethoven’s first concerto with an Arab-Jewish orchestra in Nazareth’s annual Christmas concert. Also on the programme: Mendelssohn’s Reformation.

That’s about as inter-faith as it gets.

 

The incoming US head of state tweeted today:

China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters — rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act

Why waste time at school learning how to spell?

Think of all the teachers he may sack.

Tonight’s concert by the Johann Strauss Orchestra in Nottingham has been called off after a musician suffered a severe heart attack this morning.

The players was rushed to hospital where is condition is said to be critical.

Andre Rieu Productions has issued the following statement: It is with great regret that André Rieu has to postpone tonight’s Nottingham concert due to a member of the Johann Strauss Orchestra having a heart attack this morning.

‘We are deeply saddened and thank you for your understanding in this difficult moment.

‘Our heartfelt feelings are with their colleague and his family.’

UPDATE: Andre Rieu calls off rest of UK tour.

UPDATE2: In praise of André Rieu.