Dallas Opera has called back its former artistic director Ian Derrer to be its new CEO.

Derrer, 43, is presently head of Kentucky Opera.

He succeeds Keith Cerny, who left abruptly in December.

It was announced today in Stockholm that Karina Canellakis will conduct at the Nobel prize ceremony in December and Lisa Batiashvili (pictured) will be the soloist. Canellakis is American, Batiashvili Georgian.

 

The Russians won’t be pleased.

You remember the trouble they went to in order to find him a suitable conductor?

So Radu Lupu rehearsed last night and this morning with Cristian Macelaru and the Gewandhaus Orchestra through a nasty cold.

Then he decided to cancel.

Martin Helmchen is being whisked in.

The Chicago Symphony has announced that a forthcoming US tour by the National Symphony of Cuba with soloist Esperanza Spalding has been called off because the players are having trouble getting visas.

So many officials have been withdrawn from the US embassy in Havana that visa requests are not getting processed.

She has just posted this clip from Covent Garden.

Amazing vocal colours.

😱🗡⚰💉😈

A post shared by @ anna_netrebko_yusi_tiago on

The Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France has named Park Ji-yoon on Tuesday as its new concertmaster.

She is presently concertmaster of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire.

 

Piotr Beczala is among the first to sign a petition calling on the Bavarian State Opera not to scrap Otto Schenk’s 1972 Rosenkavalier production, which had its final performances last month.

Almost 1,000 have signed. You can add your name here.

 

The next conductor of the Czech Radio symphony orchestra will be the Alexander Liebreich.

The former head of the Munich chamber orchestra was previously with the Polish Radio orchestra in Katowice.

 

 

 

The conductor, who underwent shoulder surgery at the end of last year, is not yet fit to return.

His Vienna Philharmonic tour of northern Europe this month and next is being taken over by Daniel Harding, outgoing chief of the Orchestre de Paris, and Andres Orozco-Estrada, incoming head of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

We wish Zubin better.

 

press release:

Southbank Centre today announces (B)old, a brand new festival celebrating age and creativity, supported by The Baring Foundation. Championing new and established artists aged 65 years and over, (B)old features a week of vibrant programming from Monday 14 – Sunday 20 May 2018 taking place across Southbank Centre’s 17 acre site including the newly reopened Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room.

(B)old explores and challenges cultural perspectives of age and the role it plays in arts and society, as well as the impact of creating and experiencing art at a later age. The new festival offers something for all ages and showcases work from artists across dance, music, theatre, visual art and literature. The programme features free events and activities, and an array of engaging workshops, talks and debates bringing the idea of ‘age’ into discussion.

 Jude Kelly, Artistic Director of Southbank Centre said(B)old is just that, a bold new festival showcasing the work of older artists, and celebrating age as a powerful force in arts and culture. We’re looking forward to exploring and challenging cultural perceptions of growing older – both in the arts and in modern society.

Artists include: Germaine Acogny, Richard Alston, Alfred Brendel, Cheryl Campbell, Lavinia Co-op, Christopher Green, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Judith Kerr OBE, Zandra Rhodes, Nawal El Saadawi, Valda Setterfield.

As someone who is over 65, I find this ghettoisation of old age both gruesome and patronising.

Your views?

Han Zhongjie has died in Biejing, aged 97.

He once said: ‘How I wish I could have pursued my music career in an environment that was free of political interference.’

In 1980 he conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra, one of many thaws that followed Seiji Ozawa’s 1978 China tour.

Han went on to tour the Central Philharmonic in various countries and to teach two generations of Chinese conductors.

Full life story here.

 

 

From the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra:

With regret, Sheku Kanneh-Mason is unable to perform with LACO in May due to a scheduling conflict. 

This should have been his LA debut.