AUGUST 1, 2025
Cecilia Bartoli to remain Artistic Director of Salzburg Whitsun Festival through 2031
Cecilia Bartoli has extended her contract as Artistic Director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival until 2031. The announcement was made on 31 July, just before the premiere of Hotel Metamorphosis, the latest production under her direction. Bartoli has led the Whitsun Festival since 2012, curating more than 15 opera productions and over 60 concerts, ballets, exhibitions, and readings.
Markus Hinterhäuser, Artistic Director of the Salzburg Festival, praised Bartoli’s “conceptual farsightedness” and “unfailing instinct for musical and dramaturgical quality.” This is her third contract renewal, following extensions in 2014 and 2020.
Each edition of the Whitsun Festival has been shaped around a thematic concept, with staged works including Giulio Cesare, Norma, Ariodante, West Side Story, and La clemenza di Tito. The 2025 edition, titled Sounds of the Serenissima, features Hotel Metamorphosis with music by Vivaldi.
*****
AUGUST 1, 2025
Vladimir Jurowski extends contract with Bayerische Staatsoper through 2029
The Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts has confirmed that Vladimir Jurowski will remain General Music Director of the Bayerische Staatsoper through the 2028–29 season. Jurowski, who took up the post in 2021 following Kirill Petrenko, had already seen his contract extended last year through 2028. This latest renewal consolidates his role at the head of the company alongside Intendant Serge Dorny.
Currently in Munich, Jurowski is conducting a revival of Das Rheingold, part of the new Ring cycle directed by Tobias Kratzer and launched in 2024.
*****
AUGUST 1, 2025
Christoph Koncz appointed to lead Bruckner Orchestra Linz from 2027
Christoph Koncz will become Chief Conductor of the Bruckner Orchestra Linz and Music Director of the Landestheater Linz starting in 2027. Born in 1987, the Austrian conductor was previously principal second violin of the Vienna Philharmonic and gained international attention as both a violinist and conductor.
He currently serves as Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse and Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss. He is also closely associated with Les Musiciens du Louvre and the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra.
*****
JULY 31, 2025
Plácido Domingo remembers his debut as Samson
On 30 July 1965, Plácido Domingo made his debut in one of his signature roles: Samson in Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns, in Chautauqua, New York. The Spanish tenor, now 83, would go on to sing the role more than 100 times across four decades. In a message on social media, Domingo described the role as a source of “deep satisfaction,” praising the opera’s blend of sensuality and spiritual intensity.
*****
JULY 31, 2025
Martha Argerich cancels St. Moritz concert
Martha Argerich has cancelled her appearance at the Engadin Festival in St. Moritz on 2 August 2025, citing health reasons. The concert was to feature Argerich alongside Mischa Maisky and Iddo Bar-Shai, both of whom also withdrew following her cancellation.
Just days earlier, Argerich had performed at the Verbier Festival, appearing with Evgeny Kissin, Maisky, Antoine Tamestit, and the Quatuor Ébène in a Shostakovich program marking the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death.
The Engadin Festival has announced a new lineup for the concert: Denis Kozhukhin, Alice Burla, and Daniel Blendulf will step in, with Swiss actress Tonia Maria Zindel narrating The Carnival of the Animals.
*****
Killian Farrell appointed GMD in Nuremberg starting 2027–28
Irish conductor Killian Farrell has been named Generalmusikdirektor of the Staatstheater Nürnberg starting in the 2027–28 season. He will lead the Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg as it transitions to its new venue in the Kongresshalle.
Farrell is currently Generalmusikdirektor at Staatstheater Meiningen. He began his career at Theater Bremen and later served as Erster Kapellmeister at Staatsoper Stuttgart, conducting a wide repertoire from Monteverdi to Prokofiev. He has led performances at houses including Semperoper Dresden, Irish National Opera, and Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, and worked with orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and the Irish Chamber Orchestra.
Subscribe to our newsletter