Kenneth A. Jacobs, 69, former head of University of Tennessee’s School of Music’s composition program, and his wife Melinda Howes Jacobs, 59, were found dead in their Townsend home on Saturday.

Around 12:30 pm sheriff’s deputies and Townsend Police responded to a residence on Kelly Ridge Circle in regards to a welfare check after receiving reports there might be a suspect with a weapon inside. As they approached the home, they heard a gunshot.

The deaths are being treated as murder and suicide.

Jacobs was a highly regarded teacher whose music has been widely recorded.

 

Following a weekend exposé in Der Spiegel, the conservatoire published a statement today by its president, Bernd Redman, promising to clarify allegations of sexual assault and to take measures to protect its personnel.

The statement does not respond to Der Spiegel’s claim that it suppressed an internal survey showing sexual assault to be endemic. According to the article, 115 out of 800 academic staff said that they had heard ‘lewd remarks’, 56 had experienced lewd gestures’, 34 had been groped, nine had been shown genitalia, eight had been coerced into sexual acts, and one rape had been reported.

In a season trailer with NYC-Arts, the New York Phil president says: ‘One of the most gifted conductors I have seen in my career. Her name is Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. Hard to pronounce, so I call her MGT.

‘When I saw Mirga conduct it reminded me of the impact it had  when I saw Gustavo for the first time.’

Mirga will make her NY Phil debut next season.

Watch the interview here.

Leonhard Waltersdorfer from Graz Opera has won an audition for a vacancy in the percussion section at the State Opera.

In three years’ time, if he bangs his drums right, he might be made a full member of the Vienna Philharmonic.

 

 

This is Iberia’s new flagship.

If flies lower than it used to and is expected to go on forever.

 

The north London chamber music venue has given Helen Wallace, sometime editor of BBC Music magazine, the title Director of Programme.

 

By the Kosher Diva.

Goy for Toy.

The soprano Erin Morley has announced she is expecting her third child.

💥Change of plans, friends💥 ________________________________ In light of my pregnancy, I have some changes to announce. ________________________________ I will not be singing either Sophie at Glyndebourne or Zerbinetta at Santa Fe Opera this summer. I wish the casts of ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ and ‘Ariadne auf Naxos’ the very best. ________________________________ I am very much looking forward to singing Debussy’s ‘Le Martyre de St Sébastien’ with the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester @dsoberlin in September, as well as Pamina in ‘The Magic Flute’ @metopera in December, and all that is currently scheduled to follow in the 18-19 season. ________________________________ Watch this space and my website (linked in profile 🔗) for more updates to come. I am adding performance dates here and there over the next little while. ________________________________ And thank you to those who have expressed their support and enthusiasm for Baby #3 in the past few weeks. It means so much to me and my family. ________________________________ 📸: Michael Poehn / @wienerstaatsoper 2017 (as #Zerbinetta in #AriadneaufNaxos)

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Václav Petr, 29, principal cello of the Czech Philharmonic, won the Prague Spring International Competition last night.

He was awarded second prize. The first prize was withheld.

At the Teatro La Fenice last night Mariella Devia, born April 1948, sang the first of three farewell performances of her final role.

It s 45 years since she made her debut as Lucia in Treviso, becoming a stalwart of bel canto performance.

Last night’s applause lasted ten minutes and included a standing ovation from the orchestra.

Jonathon Swinard succeeds Susanna Stranders who has been rectuited by Covent Garden.

Jonathon has been Kapellmeister at Nuremberg Staatstheater in Nuremberg and chorus master at Scottish Opera.

Garsongton Opera Festival goes from strength to strength.

 

The Voice died this day in 1998.