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 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.
