Columbia Artists are trying hard to hang on to the artists of ex-v-p Doug Sheldon who vanished without reason six weeks ago.

They have held the fort so far, but today Leonard Slatkin announced that he’s off.

Here’s the statement:

Jeff Berger Management is proud to announce exclusive representation in North and South America of world-renowned conductor Leonard Slatkin.

“At this stage of my career, I have an opportunity to place greater emphasis on special projects—some with orchestras, some in education, and some non-musical. I still have much that I would like to accomplish as a conductor, composer, and author, and having personalized support is critical to meeting my artistic goals. To that end, I have put in place a small management team to facilitate my conducting engagements and other professional endeavors. It will be led by Jeff Berger in collaboration with my executive assistant, Leslie Karr.” —Leonard Slatkin

According to Mr. Berger, “I started my career as a manager at Columbia Artists and ICM, and later served as a product manager at BMG Classics. All three experiences provided me the opportunity to work with Leonard Slatkin, who has remained a friend and the musician I most admire for more than 30 years. It is a privilege to provide the personal service Leonard requires at this point in his stellar career, and I look forward to working with him with the support of Leslie Karr.”

 

The Russian-born Anna Rakitina with be the Boston Symhony Orchestra’s new assistant conductor, starting September for a two-year term.

Anna, 30, came second at the recent Malko Conducting Competition in Denmark. She graduated from Moscow and Hamburg.

The Hollywood singer died today at 97.

They are:
Krimer Alexander /Germany
Blair Max Daniel / USA
Pidoux Gabriel / France
Kobylskiy Ivan / Russia
Yoon Sooyun / South Korea
Vallentin Juri / Germany
Sanchez Sergio / Venezuela
Miroslavskii Emil / Russia
Rothman Melanie Jessica / UK

Choi Naeun / South Korea
Djikoloum Armand / France
Fedorov Alexey / Russia

They’ve just published the list:

Duleba Livia / Hungary
Demin Matvey / Russia
Molletones Etni / Venezuela
Viland Sofiya / Russia
Saito Shino / Japan
Chernyshov Fedor / Russia
Kim Brian / Australia
Vodovozova Aliya / Russia
Marinesku Alexander / Russia
Yu Yuan / China
Blanco Lewis Joidy / Venezuela
Kim Seohyeon / South Korea

Amosov Fyodor / Russia
Warenberg Alexander Simon / the Netherlands
Gerassimez Wassily / Germany
Gray Edward Johannes / USA
Cañón-Valencia Santiago / Columbia
Kim Ga Eun / South Korea
Kloeckner Caspar Benedict / Germany
Kobekina Anastasia / Russia
Cohen Weissert Elia / Israel
Croisé Christoph / Switzerland
Lee Jeonghyoun / South Korea
Mun Taeguk / South Korea
Rummukainen Senja Elina / Finland
Sato Haruma / Japan

Swensen Jonathan Algot / Denmark
Sendetskii Ivan / Russia
Skanavi Ivan / Russia
Ueno Michiaki / Japan
Fung Zlatomir / the USA
Fernández Lara Rolando De La Guadalupe / Mexico
Ferre Martínez Alfredo / Spain
Haga Sandra Lied / Norway
Chen Yibai / China
Choi Ha Young / South Korea
Yuya Mizunо / Japan

The 25 include Kirstine Balanas, Sergey Dogadin and Stephen Kim, who are already out on the circuit.

Al-Ashhab Milan / Czech Republic
Andersen Christopher Tun / Norway
Balanas Kristine / Latvia

Boschkor Lara / Germany

Bouchkov Marc / Belgium
Volkova Olga / Russia
Gibboni Giuseppe / Italy
Dogadin Sergey / Russia
Zheleznyi Leonid / Russia
Islyamov Ravil / Russia
Kanagawa Mayumi / USA
Kwasnikowska Roksana / Poland
Kim Donghyun / South Korea
Kim Stephen / USA
Kitagawa Chisa / Japan
Lee SooBeen / South Korea
Menzel Albrecht / Germany
Mohri Fumika / Japan
Pritchin Aylen / Russia
Savkina Anna / Russia
Udovychenko Dmytro / Ukraine
Hattori Monè / Japan
Huang Sirena / USA
Choi Elli / USA
Etelavuori Sara / Finland

There were 954 submissions, so they have increased the number of participants in the first round to 25 in the three main categories.

Here are the piano contestants, announced this morning:

An Tianxu / China
Beisembayev Alim / Kazakhstan
Broberg Kenneth / USA
Gadjiev Alexander / Italy
Geniushene Anna / Russia
Gugnin Andrei / Russia
Daneshpour Sara / USA
Yemelyanov Konstantin / Russia
Cano Smit Albert / Spain
Kantorow Alexandre / France
Kim Dohyun / South Korea
Kopachevsky Philipp / Russia
Liu Xiaoyu / Canada
Malofeev Alexander / Russia
Melnikov Alexey / Russia
Mun Arsenii / Russia
Xie Ming / China
Tarasevich-Nikolayev Arsenij / Russia

 


Wu Yuchong / China
Fujita Mao / Japan
Harliono George / UK
Shishkin Dmitriy / Russia
Yang Yi Ke / Canada
Yasynskyy Artem / Ukraine
Yashkin Anton / Russia

And of this moment, 339 singers, musicians and staff members have signed a petition to Jan Burian, head of the National Theatre, asking him to fire Per Boye Hansen, the company’s Norwegian artistic director.

They say his appointment was illegal and he’s replacing Czech artists with foreigners.

Here’s what they write:

Employees and artists of the Opera of the National Theatre and the State Opera have drafted their open letter to express their serious concerns about the current situation in the Opera of the National Theatre and State Opera. The current situation was caused by the nontransparent manner, in which the new artistic director, Mr. Per Boye Hansen, was chosen for the 2019/2020 and subsequent seasons. During the 2018/2019 season, Mr. Per Boye Hansen has acted as an advisor to the director of the National Theatre, Mr. Jan Burian. During the nine month in the function, he was supposed to prepare for the office of the director. However, during that time, he failed to present any, even basic, vision for the future and caused a crisis in the theatre. Up to this point, he has been dedicating his attention only to specific, narrow issues (especially replacing Czech singers with foreign soloists). He failed to familiarize himself with Czech laws, the inner workings of the theatre and artistic operation of the organization. Until this day, the Opera lacks its new organizational structure and competences and responsibilities for the period from 1 August 2019 on have not been defined.

 A number of questions have been repeatedly raised by the management of the theatre, as well as the artistic boards of the orchestras, choirs and soloists. Those questions have not yet been answered. Therefore, the undersigned have decided to write an open letter to the director of the National Theatre, Mr. Jan Burian.

Until this point, the open letter has been signed by 339 people, including the current management of the Opera, soloists, conductors, players of the orchestra of the National Theatre and the orchestra of the State Opera, singers of the choirs of the National Theatre and of the State Opera, as well as many other well-known personalities.

 In Prague, 13 May 2019

UPDATE: A response from Jan Burian:

The Director of the National theatre received some questions from employees this morning. In an open letter, we will prepare an answer which will include facts that are widely known and accessible from public sources. There would be written also facts that we thought we had informed the opera employees through the Director of the National Theatre Opera and the State Opera.  

“We hope that this is not an effort to complicate the arrival of a new Artistic Director who has been duly appointed on the recommendation of the Director of the Opera in Stockholm, Zurich and Frankfurt. The new Artistic Director has been also recommended by an executive Director of the Opera Europe Nicholas Payne and his team of experts. The new Artistic Director Per Boye Hansen joins the National Theatre at the beginning of the next season. The program of the Opera has been created by the current opera management and approved by me. “

From an invitation to the ENO Gala Celebration 2019:

You will enjoy a decadent menu specially curated by Bubble Food, and champagne from Charles Heidsieck.

By booking your tickets for this event, you will further the work of ENO Baylis to dispel the myths around the accessibility and relatability of opera.
Dress code: Black tie
Tickets: £399

Repeat after me: The board must go.

 

We hear that David Pyatt has been appointed principal horn at the ROH and will take up the position in the autumn.

Pyatt, a former BBC Young Musician of the Year, was principal horn of the London Symphony Orchestra from 1998 to 2012 and of the London Philharmonic Orchestra ever since.

 

 

Munich’s second most famous violinist, the international virtuoso Julia Fischer, has co-founded a Kindersinfoniker for kids aged 6 to 14.

Auditions in September.

Julia, 35, says: ‘All children should learn an instrument because music gives the child sensitivity, responsibility and respect for teammates. We cannot start giving these attributes to children too soon. That was my motivation to found this children’s orchestra together with Johannes X. Schachtner and Henri Bonamy.’