MAY 16, 2025
Simon Rattle to use Siemens Prize funds to support Baroque ensemble
British conductor Simon Rattle, who will formally receive the prestigious Ernst von Siemens Music Prize this Saturday, May 17, in Munich, has revealed how he intends to use the €250,000 award. Rather than keeping the funds for personal use, Rattle will invest them in period instruments for a new Baroque ensemble he founded within the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRSO), where he has served as chief conductor since 2023.
The ensemble, called BRSO hip (Historically Informed Performance), aims to expand the orchestra’s repertoire by enabling performances of early music on period instruments. Recent programs have included Bach cantatas conducted by Rattle and a concert of works by Veracini, Handel, and Vivaldi led by Andrea Marcon.
“I’m very happy that this extraordinary prize will help support this project financially,” Rattle said in an interview with BR Klassik.
The award ceremony will take place at Munich’s Herkulessaal, with Rattle and the BRSO performing Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1. The event will also feature the Riot Ensemble, recipients of a Siemens Prize in 2020, presenting works by this year’s composition awardees: Ashkan Behzadi, Bastien David, and Kristine Tjøgersen.
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MAY 16, 2025
Joel Link appointed concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra has announced the appointment of Joel Link as its new Concertmaster, beginning July 3, 2025. Link, an acclaimed violinist and first violin of the Dover Quartet, will assume the Blossom-Lee Concertmaster Chair, continuing to perform with the quartet alongside his orchestral duties.
Music Director Franz Welser-Möst praised Link’s chamber music sensibility, calling it “an exceptional fit” for the Orchestra’s ensemble style. Link, who studied at the Curtis Institute and Rice University, brings with him numerous accolades, including two GRAMMY nominations and first prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition with the Dover Quartet.
Joel Link
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MAY 15, 2025
Santa Fe Opera announces 2026 season
The Santa Fe Opera has unveiled its 2026 season, featuring a mix of repertory staples and contemporary work. The season opens with Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, conducted by John Fiore and starring Karen Chia-ling Ho and Stephen Costello in a revival staged by Melanie Bacaling.
Harry Bicket returns to conduct Mozart’s The Magic Flute, with direction by Christopher Luscombe and a cast that includes Josh Lovell and Joélle Harvey. In Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Olga Kulchynska and Mattia Olivieri lead a new production conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson and Robert Tweten.
Handel’s Rodelinda, also conducted by Bicket and directed by R.B. Schlather, will feature Lucy Crowe, Iestyn Davies, and Anthony Gregory. A contemporary highlight of the season is Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman’s Lili Elbe, starring Lucia Lucas in a production by James Robinson with Roberto Kalb on the podium.
The season will also feature the Apprentice Scenes and Apprentices in Concert programs, continuing Santa Fe Opera’s commitment to emerging artists.
For more information, visit santafeopera.org
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MAY 15, 2025
Alexander Shelley to step down as music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra
he National Arts Centre Orchestra has announced that Alexander Shelley will conclude his tenure as Music Director at the end of the 2025–26 season, after more than a decade in the role. Shelley, who joined the orchestra in 2015 as its youngest-ever music director, will conduct his final concert in July 2026.
During his time in Ottawa, Shelley placed a strong emphasis on Canadian music and artists, and led the ensemble through key projects and recordings that helped raise its international profile. His tenure followed that of Pinchas Zukerman, and saw the orchestra expand its national reach and embrace a variety of creative collaborations.
Shelley, who also holds leadership positions with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Artis—Naples, will become Music Director Designate of the Pacific Symphony in September 2025, assuming the full role in the 2026–27 season.
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MAY 14, 2025
André de Ridder appointed Music Director of English National Opera; 2025–26 season announced
The English National Opera has announced the appointment of André de Ridder as its next Music Director. He will serve as Music Director Designate starting in September 2025, formally assuming the role in Autumn 2027. Currently General Music Director at Theater Freiburg, the German conductor has previously led acclaimed ENO productions including Gerald Barry’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant and Michel van der Aa’s Sunken Garden.
De Ridder’s appointment comes during a time of institutional transition, as ENO continues its relocation efforts toward Greater Manchester while maintaining its presence at the London Coliseum. As Designate, he will conduct Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny in February 2026.
The 2025–26 season features a mix of new productions and revivals. Highlights include the UK premiere of Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone in Manchester, and London stagings of Rossini’s Cinderella, Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, and Britten’s Albert Herring, which will later travel to Salford Quays. Revivals include Calixto Bieito’s Carmen, Handel’s Partenope, HMS Pinafore, and Mozart’s Così fan tutte.
For more information, visit eno.org
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MAY 14, 2025
Christian Øland named General Music Director in Magdeburg
Christian Øland has been appointed the next Generalmusikdirektor of Theater Magdeburg, beginning with the 2025–26 season. The 30-year-old Danish conductor will lead the Magdeburgische Philharmonie and the orchestra’s concert activities starting in August 2025.
Øland has conducted in Magdeburg on multiple occasions since 2019, including a recent performance of Carmen. His first concerts as General Music Director will include the season-opening Symphony No. 1 concert in September 2025, a ballet premiere in February 2026, and his first opera production in May 2026.
A graduate of the Sibelius Academy, Øland has led performances at the Royal Danish Opera, Royal Swedish Ballet, and Copenhagen Phil, among others. He will also begin a term as Chief Conductor of the Danish Philharmonic Orchestra in the same season.
He succeeds Anna Skryleva, who concludes her tenure at the end of the 2024–25 season with a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.
For more information, visit theater-magdeburg.de
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MAY 9, 2025
Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España unveils 2025–26 season
The Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España (OCNE) has revealed its 2025–26 season, which includes 117 concerts across Spain and a tour of Germany and Austria. With thematic strands such as “El mundo de ayer”, “Tras el telón de acero”, and “Lugares e historias”, the season also marks the 150th anniversary of Manuel de Falla’s birth.
The season opens on October 3, 2025, with Alban Berg’s Wozzeck in concert version. Chief conductor David Afkham, in his final season, will lead eight symphonic programs. Other conductors include Jaume Santonja, Roberto González-Monjas, Gemma New, Tan Dun, and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, among others. Notable soloists featured include Frank Peter Zimmermann, Gautier Capuçon, Leif Ove Andsnes, Bertrand Chamayou, María Toledo, and Vida Miknevičiūtė.
The season will premiere commissioned works by Carme Fernández Vidal, Óscar Colomina, Eduardo Soutullo, and Marisa Manchado, among others. Additional highlights include the Focus Festival titled “Pioneras y exiliadas: diálogos creativos con Latinoamérica” and collaborations with ensembles such as the Orquestra de València and JONDE.
For more information, visit ocne.mcu.es
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