We have received sad news of the death, from a long illness, of David Ashman, a regular member of the chorus at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera.

His flatmate Christian Brideson sends this account of his life:

David Ashman, 16/06/59 – 07/03/18

Baritone, David Ashman was born in Kent and, after gaining a BA Hons. in Music and German at Southampton University, studied as a member of the Advanced Opera Course at the Royal Academy of Music. He had in the past worked with English National Opera and
had been a regular performer with the Royal Opera House chorus.

His teachers included Ellis Keeler, IIse Wolf and Kenneth Bowen. At the RAM David won several prizes including the Andrew Sykes Award and the Katie Thomas Prize. He had a wide repertoire of opera, oratorio and song ranging from Monteverdi to Penderecki and had a busy singing career in England and in Europe.

David’s operatic appearances included solo roles in Strauss’ ‘Friedenstag’ [Chelsea Opera Group, UK premiere], Rameau’s ‘Les Boreades’ [RAM], Liszt’s ‘Don Sanche’ [German premiere at the 1986 Bayreuth Festival]; he also took the title role in ‘Le Nozze di
Figaro’ at the RAM. David had many concert appearances to his name including ‘St. John Passion’ [Norwich Cathedral], Michael Berkley’s ‘Or Shall We Die’ and Schubert’s ‘Mass in G’ [Amsterdam]. David made his Royal Festival Hall solo debut singing Brahms’ ‘Liebeslieder’ with the RPO, conducted by Antal Dorati.

A celebration of David’s life will take place on Friday 13 April 2018 – 2pm at St Mary’s Church, 61, St, James’s Street, BRIGHTON, BN2 1PR. Bright colours and no flowers. A memorial fund has been set up in David’s memory to set up a prize/bursary in his name at
the Royal Academy of Music.

You may donate here.

Chris Goldscheider, who sued the Royal Opera House over life-altering hearing loss while playing Wagner operas, has won a landmark case in the High Court.

The judge ruled he had suffered ‘acoustic shock’, a condition which the opera house refused to recognise. Mr Goldscheider said he was directly impacted by noise from the brass section until he was forced to retire in 2014.

Mrs Justice Nicola Davies said: ‘Musicians are entitled to the protection of the law, as is any other worker.’

Damages have yet to be assessed. The case will have implications for every opera house on earth.

More here.

Last November, the young American conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, 30, signed on with IMG Artists.

He had just become music director of the Eugene Symphony, in Oregon.

Today, he was named music director of the Santa Rosa Symphony in California.

Not a famous orchestra, but it’s a job. And a commission. Which is all the agency is after.

 

Jean-Philippe Thiebaut, co-principal oboe of the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, has put out an appeal for the return of his instrument, which was stolen at the box-office of one of Europe’s busiest railway stations.

press release, just in:

The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and the Berliner Philharmoniker have signed a contract to continue the Easter Festival. The general manager of the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation, Andrea Zietzschmann, and Festspielhaus general manager Andreas Mölich-Zebhauser have announced that the collaboration will initially be extended until 2022. The foundation boards of the Kulturstiftung Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation unanimously supported this extension.

“The Berliner Philharmoniker are delighted to continue holding the Easter Festival in Baden-Baden for another five years,” says Andrea Zietzschmann. “Not only have we found a home here for our annual opera production but also ideal conditions to present the versatility of the orchestra in chamber music, educational and symphonic concerts with our artistic partners. We thank the team and the supporters of the Festspielhaus for their wonderful cooperation.”

At the next festival in 2019, Kirill Petrenko and Riccardo Muti will conduct the Berliner Philharmoniker’s concerts in Baden-Baden. Robert Wilson will direct a new production of Verdi’s opera “Otello”, with Daniele Gatti conducting. Kirill Petrenko, the new chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker from the autumn of 2019, will direct the Easter Festival’s opera productions from spring 2020.

 

Gavin Bryars’ chamber opera Marilyn Forever opens next month in a Volksoper production at the casino on Schwarzenbergplatz.

It’s a European premiere. (Anyone seen it before? Previous showings have been in Canada and Australia.)

Rebecca Babb-Nelsen plays the windswept role.

Patrick Williams, a Curtis grad who has played with Chicago, Pittsburgh and Fort Worth, was appointed principal flute in the Louisiana Philharmonic last night.

He has been acting principal in New Orleans for past the two seasons.

Istvan Simon, the principal dancer who was suspended two weeks ago when he accused the Semperoper balletmaster of sexual harassment, has been fired after an internal investigation dismissed his claims.

‘The relationship of trust has been broken,’ the company said.