FEBRUARY, WEDNESDAY, 26
Julius Asal named inaugural ASMF BBC New Generation Associate
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF), in partnership with BBC Radio 3, has announced pianist Julius Asal as the first-ever ASMF BBC New Generation Associate. This new initiative offers one BBC New Generation Artist per season the chance to direct ASMF as a concerto soloist, moving beyond the traditional conductor-led format.
Asal will also receive coaching and mentoring from ASMF Principal Artist Murray Perahia, culminating in a performance at St Martin-in-the-Fields, the orchestra’s historic home. The concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3, with further details to be announced. To mark the 25th anniversary of the BBC New Generation Artists scheme, BBC Radio 3 will dedicate special programming on 3 March, featuring performances from past and current participants.
FEBRUARY, WEDNESDAY, 26
New National Theatre Tokyo announces 2025-26 season
The New National Theatre Tokyo has unveiled its 2025-26 opera season, featuring two new productions: Wozzeck, directed by Richard Jones, and Elektra, directed by Johannes Erath.
Alongside these premieres, the season includes eight revivals, opening with Puccini’s La Bohème, conducted by Paolo Olmi and starring Marina Costa-Jackson as Mimì. Other highlights include Orfeo ed Euridice, featuring Sara Mingardo in her NNTT debut, Rigoletto with baritone Vladimir Stoyanov, and Werther, led by Charles Castronovo.
FEBRUARY, TUESDAY, 25
Josep Planells Schiaffino wins the 2025 Reina Sofía Composition Prize
Spanish composer and conductor Josep Planells Schiaffino (b. 1988) has been awarded the 42nd Reina Sofía Composition Prize for his work Metalepsis. Chosen from nearly 80 submissions, the piece will premiere on 17 October 2025, performed by the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra at Madrid’s Teatro Monumental, in the presence of Queen Sofía.
The Reina Sofía Prize, established in 1982 by the Fundación de Música Ferrer-Salat, is one of Europe’s most prestigious composition awards, with a €100,000 prize and international recognition. Winning works are also included in the repertoire of the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España and receive additional performances.
Planells Schiaffino, a graduate of institutions in Valencia, Berlin, and Cambridge, has collaborated with major European ensembles as both a composer and conductor. His upcoming projects include commissions from Festival ENSEMS and performances with leading Spanish orchestras.
FEBRUARY, TUESDAY 25
Hungarian pianist and teacher Ferenc Rados dies at 90
Ferenc Rados, the legendary Hungarian pianist and pedagogue, has passed away at the age of 90. Renowned for his profound influence on generations of musicians, Rados taught at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, shaping the careers of artists like András Schiff, Zoltán Kocsis, and Kirill Gerstein. Though he retired from performing in the late 1980s, his legacy endures through his students and recordings, which include works by Mozart, Brahms, and Schubert.
FEBRUARY, MONDAY 24
San Francisco finally gets to hear Yunchan Lim—sold out
Finally, the city of San Francisco has the opportunity to hear pianist Yunchan Lim, the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn Competition, as he makes his long-awaited debut on February 25. Performing as part of the Chamber Music SF series, Lim will present a demanding programme featuring Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Webern’s Variations, Op. 27.
Since his historic Cliburn victory in 2022, Lim has rapidly ascended to international stardom, appearing with major orchestras and on prestigious stages worldwide. His San Francisco recital promises to be a landmark moment in his already remarkable career—unsurprisingly, tickets are already sold out.
PH: James Holecrop-IMG Artists
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