1 January: The 75th anniversary Vienna New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic takes place at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein, conducted by MARISS JANSONS
4 January: The USA's National Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Gianandrea Noseda as its next music director, as of the 2017–2018 season, with an initial contract of 4 seasons
8 January: David Bowie released his final album, Blackstar, just two days before his death. It was his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200
11 January: Ciara performed the National Anthem at the second College Football Playoff Championship
12 January: Judge Sean H. Lane of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York confirmed a reorganisation plan by NYCO Renaissance for revival of New York City Opera
13 January: Chetham's School of Music announces the appointment of Alun Jones as its new Head, effective September 2016
14 January:
Minnesota Opera announces the appointment of Ryan Taylor as its next president and general director, effective 1 May 2016, with an initial contract of 5 years
Los Angeles Opera announces the appointment of Matthew Aucoin as its first-ever artist-in-residence, effective with the 2016–2017 season, with an initial term of 3 years
15 January: Panic! at the Disco released their fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor. It is their first album to be entirely written and recorded by Brendon Urie, the last remaining member of the band. It is also their first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200
18 January:
The Artemis String Quartet announces the appointment of Anthea Kreston as its new second violinist. In parallel, Gregor Sigl, the quartet's second violinist, immediately takes the position of violist of the quartet
The Boise Philharmonic Orchestra announces that music director Robert Franz is to conclude his music directorship of the orchestra at the close of the 2015–2016 season
20 January:
Friedrich Haider announces his resignation as chief conductor of the Slovak National Theatre
The Berklee College of Music and the Boston Conservatory sign an agreement to merge under the umbrella name of 'Berklee', with the Boston Conservatory location to take the name 'The Boston Conservatory at Berklee'
The Castleton Festival announces suspension of its 2016 summer festival season, citing financial difficulties
NYCO Renaissance, the successor organisation to New York City Opera, gives its first performance, of Puccini's Tosca
21 January: The Cypress String Quartet announces that it is to disband in the summer of 2016, after 20 years as an ensemble
26 January: The Orkest van het Oosten announces that Jan Willem de Vriend is to conclude his tenure as chief conductor at the end of the 2016–2017 season
27 January:
The Léonie Sonning Music Foundation announces Leonidas Kavakos as the recipient of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2017
The New York Philharmonic announces the appointment of Jaap van Zweden as its next music director, effective with the 2018–2019 season, with an initial contract of 5 seasons
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra announces that Jaap van Zweden is to conclude his music directorship of the orchestra after the 2017–2018 season, and subsequently to take the title of conductor laureate as of the 2018–2019 season, for a scheduled 3-season period
28 January:
Wigmore Hall live-streams performances for the first time
The Opera di Firenze announces the appointment of Fabio Luisi as its next music director, the first conductor to hold that title with the company, and in parallel, as director of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, as of April 2018, with an initial contract of 5 years. In parallel, Zubin Mehta, the company's principal conductor, is to take the title of principal conductor emeritus
Rihanna released her eighth studio album Anti; two days following its release the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after receiving 1 million free downloads in 15 hours due to a deal with Samsung, becoming the fastest certified platinum album in history
29 January:
The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation announces Per Nørgård as the recipient of the 2016 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize
Oxford University announces the appointment of Natalie Clein as Director of Musical Performance in the Music Faculty, with an initial term of 4 years
2 February: The Utah Symphony announces the appointment of Paul Meecham as the next president and chief executive officer of Utah Symphony and Utah Opera
3 February: The Boston Classical Orchestra board of trustees votes to file for bankruptcy. The orchestra subsequently cancels the remainder of its 2015–2016 season and ceases operations
4 February:
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla as its next music director, effective September 2016, with an initial contract of 3 years
A New York Times report indicates that Fabio Luisi is to stand down from the post of principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera after the 2016–2017 season
7 February:
Saint Thomas Church, New York City announces the appointment of Daniel Hyde as its next music director
During Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California, Lady Gaga performed The Star-Spangled Banner and British band Coldplay performed at halftime with artists Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson
8 February: The Long Island Philharmonic announces immediate cessation of operations and closure of the orchestra
10 February:
Decca Classics announces the appointment of Alexander Buhr as its next managing director
The Ojai Music Festival announces the appointments of its next series of music directors through 2021: Vijay Iyer (2017 season), Esa-Pekka Salonen (2018 season), Barbara Hannigan (2019 season), Patricia Kopatchinskaja (2020 season), and Mitsuko Uchida (2021 season)
11 February: The NDR Symphony Orchestra announces that it is to change its name to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, as of 15 April 2016, as a reflection of its scheduled future residency in the new Elbphilharmonie concert hall in January 2017
14 February: Kanye West released his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo, as a Tidal exclusive. After a couple of months being exclusive to the streaming service it was made available for purchase in an updated format
15 February:
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kendrick Lamar won the most awards of the night with five. Taylor Swift won Album of the Year for the second time with 1989, becoming the first woman to do so
Vancouver Opera announces the appointment of Kim Gaynor as its next general director, effective 1 July 2016
18 February:
The Tucson Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of José Luis Gomez as its next music director, as of the 2017–2018 season
Charles Dutoit conducts the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM) in his first appearance with the OSM since his sudden 2002 resignation from the OSM music directorship
19 February: The Royal Philharmonic Society announces Sir Peter Maxwell Davies as the recipient of its 102nd Gold Medal
24 February:
Ian Bostridge is announced as the winner of the 60th Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize for non-fiction writing, for his book Schubert's Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession
Opera North announces the appointment of Aleksandar Marković as its next music director, effective with the 2016–2017 season
The London Mozart Players (LMP) announce the appointments of Nick Mallett as chair of the LMP Trust and of Julia Desbruslais as executive director of the LMP
The Washington Chorus announces that Julian Wachner is to stand down as its music director after the 2016–2017 season
25 February: The Ulster Orchestra announces the appointment of Richard Wigley as its new managing director, with immediate effect
26 February:
The chorus of English National Opera have voted to take industrial action to protest proposed contract reductions
The National Orchestra of Belgium announces the appointment of Hugh Wolff as its next music director, effective with the 2017–2018 season
The city of Bonn announces the appointment of Dirk Kaftan as the next Generalmusikdirektor of the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, effective August 2017, with an initial contract of 5 years
29 February: The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra announces that Martin Hoffmann is to stand down as Intendant (General Manager) of the orchestra after the end of the 2016–2017 season
1 March: The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and the Staatskapelle Berlin jointly perform a free concert for newly arrived refugees and their helpers at the Philharmonie Berlin, under the banner of Willkommen in unserer Mitte ('Welcome among us'), under the patronage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel
2 March:
The Bridgewater Hall announces the appointment of Andrew Bolt as its new chief executive
The Trondheim Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Han-na Chang as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2017–2018 season
Piotr Anderszewski announces that he is taking an undefined sabbatical from performing. His final concert before the start of his sabbatical was on 4 March 2016 in New York City
4 March: The Theater Nordhausen and Loh-Orchester Sondershausen announce the appointment of Michael Helmrath as their next Generalmusikdirektor (GMD), for 2 seasons, from the period of 2016–2018
5 March: Rihanna's single "Work" became the first dancehall song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Sean Paul's "Temperature" in 2006
9 March: The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden announces the appointment of William Spaulding as its next chorus director, effective with the 2016–2017 season
10 March:
The Birmingham Contemporary Music Group announces the appointment of Stephan Meier as its next artistic director, effective August 2016
The Boston Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Thomas Adès as its first-ever Artistic Partner, for a period of 3 years commencing in August 2016
11 March: 3 Doors Down released their first album in five years titled Us and the Night
14 March: Mid Wales Opera announces the appointments of Jonathan Lyness as its next music director, and of Richard Studer as its next artistic director, effective April 2017
15 March: The Landeskapelle Eisenach announces the appointment of Andreas Fellner as its new chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season
18 March:
The chorus of English National Opera (ENO) announced that its union, Equity, negotiated with ENO management a guaranteed annual pay package of £35,000, rather than the management-proposed reduction to £30,685. The ENO chorus subsequently did not resort to industrial action in protest at the earlier proposal, as had been decided on 26 February
Gwen Stefani released her first solo album in ten years titled, This Is What the Truth Feels Like. The album became her first number one on the Billboard 200
19 March:
I, the Breather played their last concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania
At the Drive-In's guitarist and co-founder, Jim Ward, leaves the band shortly before their 2016 reunion tour
21 March: The Gloucester Cathedral Choir announces that it is to recruit girl choristers for the first time in its history, in April 2016
22 March: Mark Wigglesworth announces his resignation as music director of English National Opera, effective at the end of the 2015–2016 season
24 March: The Orchestre national de Lille announces the appointment of Alexandre Bloch as its new music director, effective with the 2016–2017 season
29 March: Jeff Melanson resigns as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). The orchestra announces that Sonia Baxendale is to be the TSO's interim CEO. Both actions are with immediate effect
30 March: R&B singer/songwriter Brandy filed a law suit against her label, Chameleon Entertainment Group, for allegedly blocking her from recording and releasing new music
1 April:
Cheap Trick released their first album in seven years titled Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello
Guns N' Roses perform a concert at the Troubadour, marking the first time Axl Rose performed with classic era band members Slash and Duff McKagan in twenty-three years
3 April:
The 51st Annual ACM Awards took place in Las Vegas. Chris Stapleton was the big winner of the night and Jason Aldean won the biggest award of the night, Entertainer of the Year
The 3rd iHeartRadio Music Awards took place in Inglewood, California. Taylor Swift was the big winner of the night
5 April: The Orchestre National de Lyon announces that Leonard Slatkin is to stand down as its music director after the 2016–2017 season, and subsequently to take the title of Directeur musical honoraire
7 April: American Idol ends after fifteen seasons, Trent Harmon is named the final winner of the show while La'Porsha Renae is runner-up. All fourteen previous winners, and several Idol alumni took part of the two hour series finale
13 April:
The City of London Festival announces that it is ceasing operations
NorrlandsOperan announces the appointment of Elim Chan as its next chief conductor, effective in 2017, with an initial contract of 3 years
The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra announces that Cornelius Meister is to stand down as its chief conductor in 2018, at the end of his current contract
14 April: The Metropolitan Opera announces that James Levine is to retire as its music director at the end of the 2015=2016 season, and subsequently to take the title of music director emeritus
18 April:
The Royal Northern College of Music announces the appointment of Sir John Tomlinson as its next president, for a term of 5 years, effective January 2017
The Göttingen Symphony Orchestra announces that Christoph-Mathias Mueller is to conclude his chief conductorship of the orchestra after the close of the 2017-2018 season
19 April:
The city of Wuppertal announces the appointment of Julia Jones as the next General Music Director (Generalmusikdirektorin) of the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra (Sinfonieorchesters Wuppertal), which also encompasses the music directorship of the Wuppertal Opera (Wuppertaler Bühnen), with an initial contract for 3 years, effective with the 2016–2017 season
The RIAS Kammerchor announces the appointment of Justin Doyle as its next chief conductor and artistic director, effective with the 2017-2018 season
20 April: The Scottish Chamber Orchestra announces the appointment of Gavin Reid as its next chief executive, effective 29 August 2016. In parallel, Reid is to stand down as director of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on 28 August 2016
21 April:
Seven time Grammy Award winner Prince died at his recording studio in Minnesota at the age of 57
The London Woodwind Orchestra, the first professional woodwind orchestra in the UK, gives its debut performance at St John's Smith Square
23 April: Beyoncé premiered her sixth studio album Lemonade on HBO with an hour-long film. The album was released on Tidal, where it remained exclusively available to stream for 24 hours, until it was uploaded to all formats, including iTunes. Upon the album debuting at number-one on the Billboard 200 chart, Beyoncé became the first act in Billboard history to have their first six albums debut at number one
29 April: English National Opera announces the appointment of Daniel Kramer as its next artistic director, effective 1 August 2016
5 May: The Bayerischer Rundfunk announces the appointment of Ivan Repušić as the next chief conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra, effective in 2017
12 May: The European Union Youth Orchestra announces that it is to cease operations as of 1 September 2016, because of a lack of financial support from the European Union
15 May: Sheku Kanneh-Mason wins the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year award
17 May: Itzhak Perlman announces via his Facebook page the cancellation of his scheduled 18 May 2016 appearance with the North Carolina Symphony, in protest at House Bill 2 (North Carolina General Assembly 2016 Second Extra Session)
18 May:
The Hessische Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst announces the appointment of Patrick Lange as the next Generalmusikdirektor of the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, as of the 2017-2018 season
San Francisco Opera announces that Nicola Luisotti is to conclude his music directorship of the company at the close of the 2017–2018 season
20 May:
Oliver Knussen receives The Queen's Medal for Music 2015, in a private audience with HRH Queen Elizabeth II
Saosin releases Along the Shadow, their first album since 2009 and also their first full-length album with original lead vocalist Anthony Green (who originally left the band before they released their 2006 debut). It is also their first album without lead guitarist Justin Shekoski
22 May: The 2016 Billboard Music Awards took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Britney Spears won the Millennium Award, and Rihanna won Chart Achievement Award
24 May:
Alisan Porter won the tenth season of the The Voice. Adam Wakefield was named runner-up
Sotheby's auctions a contract signed in 1829 by music editor Adolf Bernhard Marx and publisher Adolf Martin Schlesinger to publish Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion
Universal Classics USA announces the appointment of Graham Parker as its next president
25 May: The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Santtu-Matias Rouvali as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2017–2018 season, with an initial contract of 4 years
27 May: Thrice released their first album in five years after returning from hiatus
1 June:
The Dixie Chicks played their first headlining U.S. tour in ten years on the DCX MMXVI World Tour
The European Commission announces funding of 600K € for the European Union Youth Orchestra, as a short-term solution to prevent the pending closure of the orchestra
2 June:
The Metropolitan Opera announces the appointment of Yannick Nézet-Séguin as its next music director, effective with the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of 5 seasons
The Grand Rapids Symphony announces the appointment of Marcelo Lehninger as its next music director, effective with the 2016–2018 season, with an initial contract of 5 years
6 June: The University of Cambridge announces the appointment of the Ligeti Quartet as the first holders of the Cambridge Chamber Music Residency
8 June: The Tiroler Landestheater and the Innsbruck Symphony Orchestra announce that Francesco Angelico is to conclude his chief conductorship of both institutions after the 2016-2017 season
10 June: Former The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie is fatally shot in Orlando, Florida following a concert; she died from her injuries at the age of 22
12 June: Queen's Birthday Honours
Alison Balsom is awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Brian Lang, Colin Lawson, Paul Lewis, John McLeod are each made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
13 June:
Radio France announces the appointment of Emmanuel Krivine as the next music director of the Orchestre National de France, effective with the 2017-2018 season, with an initial contract of 3 years
The Royal Albert Hall announces that Chris Cotton, its current chief executive, is to retire
15 June: The Ministry of Science, Research and Art Baden-Württemberg announces the appointment of Cornelius Meister as the next Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Stuttgart State Opera and of the Stuttgart State Orchestra, effective with the 2018–2019 season, with an initial contract of six seasons
23 June:
The Mieczysła Karłowicz Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Rune Bergmann as its next artistic director and principal conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season
The Kennedy Center Honors announces its list of 2016 honorees, which includes Martha Argerich
24 June:
Never heard during the composer's lifetime, Still Point by Daphne Oram receives its world premiere at St John's Smith Square, London, 67 years after Oram composed the work
The Aix-en-Provence Festival announces the appointment of Pierre Audi as its next artistic director, effective 2018. In parallel, Audi is to stand down as artistic director of De Nederlandse Opera
26 June: The Cypress String Quartet gives their final concert in San Francisco, at the Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera, before formally disbanding
27 June: Kentucky Opera announces the appointment of Ian Derrer as its new general director, effective 1 September 2016
29 June: Opera de Montreal announces the appointment of Patrick Corrigan as its next general director, effective September 2016
30 June
Barbara Hannigan and Gerald Fagan are each appointed a Member of the Order of Canada
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Gabriel van Aalst as its new president and chief executive officer, effective October 2016
1 July: Blink-182 released California, their first album to feature Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba as a full-time member, and also their first album without founding member Tom DeLonge. It was also their first studio album in five years
9 July: The first complete performance of the Cello Concerto of Herbert Howells occurs at Gloucester Cathedral as part of the Cheltenham Festival
11 July: The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Rune Bergmann as its next music director, effective with the 2017–2018 season
12 July: Rachel Platten sang the National Anthem at the 2016 MLB All-Star Game in San Diego
13 July: The Guildhall School of Music and Drama announces the appointment of Lynne Williams as its next principal, effective in 2017
17 July: The SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg gives its final concert in Freiburg, before its scheduled merger with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
26 July: The Konstanzer Gemeinderat announces the appointment of Ari Rasilainen as the next chief conductor of the Südwestdeutschen Philharmonie, effective with the 206–2017 season, with an initial contract of 5 years
28 July: The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra gives its final concert in London at the Royal Albert Hall as part of The Proms, before its scheduled merger with the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg
29 July: The Descendents released Hypercaffium Spazzinate, their first studio album in 12 years
2 August: The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Dominic Parker as its new Director, in succession to Gavin Reid
6 August: Sia became the first female artist over 40 years old to have a number one song, with "Cheap Thrills", since Madonna in 2005
18 August:
The Finnish National Opera and Ballet announces the appointment of Esa-Pekka Salonen as its first-ever Artist in Association, for the period from September 2016 to 2021
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Gary Hanson as its interim chief executive officer, effective 26 September 2016, with a contract of up to 2 years
23 August: The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Lahav Shani as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2018-2019 season, with an initial contract of 5 years
28 August: The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Beyoncé won eight awards, becoming the most-awarded act in the show's history, surpassing Madonna. Rihanna received the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award
29 August: With "Ride" charting at number-five and "Heathens" at four in the same week, the musical duo Twenty One Pilots became the third rock act with simultaneous top five Hot 100 singles in the chart's 58-year history, following only the Beatles and Elvis Presley, as well as the first act in 47 years
7 September: Never publicly performed during the composer's lifetime, the BBC Philharmonic gave the premiere of the Symphony No 6 of Arnold Cooke at the BBC Philharmonic Studio, MediaCityUK, in Salford Quays
8 September: The musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra take industrial action and go on strike, following a breakdown in contract negotiations between the orchestra's management and musicians
9 September:
The Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini announces the appointment of Alpesh Chauhan as its next principal conductor, effective September 2017
The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music announces the appointment of Cristian Măcelaru as its new music director, with immediate effect
12 September:
The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden announces the appointment of Oliver Mears as its next Director of Opera, effective March 2017
The Colorado Symphony announces the appointment of Brett Mitchell as its next music director, effective with the 2017-2018 season, with an initial contract of 4 years
16 September: The Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern announces the appointment of Pietari Inkinen as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2017-2018 season, with an initial contract of 4 years
22 September:
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointments of Thierry Fischer as principal guest conductor and of Markus Stenz as 'conductor-in-residence', both effective January 2017, with initial contracts of 3 years, following the resignation of Myung-whun Chung as music director of the orchestra at the end of 2015
The SWR Symphonieorchester, formed from the merger of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg and the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, gives its first concert at the Liederhalle, Stuttgart, under the direction of Péter Eötvös
27 September: The San Francisco Symphony announces that Brent Assink is to stand down as the orchestra's executive director in 2017
30 September:
The musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra take industrial action and go on strike, for only the second time in the orchestra's history
The musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra take industrial action and go on strike, one hour before its scheduled Opening Night Gala concert
The management of the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra informed its musicians of the appointment of Ligia Amadio as its next artistic director, effective 2017. The orchestra formally announced Amadio's appointment on 23 December 2016
Bon Iver released their first album in five years
1 October: The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Andrea Battistoni as its new chief conductor, with immediate effect
2 October: The musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra vote 73-11 to ratify a new contract proposed by orchestra management, ending the industrial action initiated on 30 September
5 October:
The Juilliard School announces that its current president, Joseph Polisi, is to stand down from the post in June 2018
Five former members of the Hilliard Ensemble reunite for a benefit concert for Music for Open Ears, in London at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden
6 October:
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Andrea Zietzschmann as its new Intendantin (managing director), effective 1 September 2017
Les Violons du Roy announces the appointnment of Jonathan Cohen as its next music director, effective with the 2017-2018 season
14 October: JoJo released her first album in ten years titled Mad Love
18 October:
The Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin announces that Ivan Fischer is to conclude his tenure as its chief conductor after the end of the 2017-2018 season
The Orchestre symphonique de l'Estuaire announces the appointment of Dina Gilbert as its next music director, effective June 2017
20 October: The Victoria Symphony announces the appointment of Christian Kluxen as its next music director, effective with the 2017-2018 season, with an initial contract of 4 years
21 October:
English National Opera announces the appointment of Martyn Brabbins as its new music director, with immediate effect, with an initial contract through October 2020
The Cincinnati May Festival announces the appointment of Juanjo Mena as its new principal conductor, effective with the 2017-2018 season, with an initial contract of 3 years
Lady Gaga released her 4th studio album, Joanne, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, making her the first woman of the 2010s to have 4 number one albums
24 October: The Royal Albert Hall announces the appointment of Craig Hassall as its next chief executive, effective 2017
25 October: Originally completed in 1997, the opera Jane Eyre by composer John Joubert and librettist Kenneth Birkin received its world premiere in a revised version in 2 acts, at the Ruddock Performing Arts Centre, Birmingham
26 October:
The Interlochen Center for the Arts announces the appointment of Trey Devey as its next president, effective June 2017
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announces that Trey Devey is to stand down as its president in April 2017
29 October: The Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen announces the appointment of Ekkehard Klemm as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2017-2018 season
2 November: The 50th Annual CMA Awards took place live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood returned to host for the ninth straight year. Beyoncé and The Dixie Chicks' rendition of "Daddy Lessons" was the most talked about performance of the night
3 November: The Basque National Orchestra announces the appointment of Robert Treviño as its next music director, effective with the 2017-2018 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons
4 November: The UK government announced withdrawal of funding support for the proposed new London Concert Hall
15 November: The Australian Festival of Chamber Music announces the appointment of Kathryn Stott as its next artistic director, effective in 2018, with an initial contract of 3 years
18 November: Michigan Opera Theatre announces the appointment of Stephen Lord to the newly created position of principal conductor, with an initial contract through the 2018-2019 season, with immediate effect
20 November: The American Music Awards took place live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles
23 November: The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announces the ratification of a 5-year agreement by the orchestra musicians, ending their industrial action
25 November: The Royal Danish Opera (Det Kongelige Kapel) announces the appointment of Alexander Vedernikov as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2017-2018 season
27 November: In a letter to the mayor of Dresden, Michael Sanderling announces that he is to stand down as chief conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic after the end of his current contract in 2019, in protest at learning of proposed culture budget reductions via media reports instead of being informed directly from the civic authorities
28 November: The Grawemeyer Foundation announces Andrew Norman as the winner of the 2017 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, for his orchestral work Play
29 November: The autograph manuscript of the Symphony No. 2 of Gustav Mahler is sold at Sotheby's (London) for £4,546,250
1 December: The Metropolitan Opera gives its first performance of L'Amour de loin of Kaija Saariaho, the first opera by a female composer to be staged at the Metropolitan Opera since 1903, and the second opera by a female composer ever to be presented in the history of the company
2 December: At the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev, gave the second-ever performance of Pogrebal'naya Pesnya (Funeral Song) by Igor Stravinsky, following the rediscovery of the work in 2015
6 December:
Nominations for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards were announced. Beyoncé lead the nominations with nine for Lemonade
The Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz announces the appointment of Anthony Bramall as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2017-2018 season
7 December:
Northern Ireland Opera announces the appointment of Walter Sutcliffe as its next artistic director, effective February 2017
The musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra approved a new labour agreement with the orchestra's management, contracted through 2020, after an anonymous donor made a gift of USD $700K toward musician salaries
8 December: Dmitri Hvorostovsky announces that he is withdrawing from all of his currently scheduled opera performances 'for the foreseeable future', because of health concerns, to focus on concert and recital work, and health treatment
10 December: The Metropolitan Opera presents L'Amour de loin of Kaija Saariaho as part of the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD series to cinemas, the first opera by a female composer, and the first opera conducted by a female conductor (Susanna Mälkki), in the series
12 December: The San Francisco Symphony announces that it is cancelling its scheduled April 2017 concert appearances in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, in protest at House Bill 2 (North Carolina General Assembly 2016 Second Extra Session)
13 December:
The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh announces that its chief executive, Adrian Harris, is to retire at the end of December 2016
Sundance Head won the eleventh season of the The Voice. Billy Gillman was named runner-up
18 December: Fifth Harmony announced that Camila Cabello had left the group
19 December:
The Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg announces the appointment of Riccardo Minasi as its next chief conductor, effective September 2017
The Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen announces the appointment of Fawzi Haimor as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2017-2018 season, with an initial contract of 3 years
20 December: The St. Louis Symphony announces that David Robertson is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the end of the 2018-2019 season
21 December: The Austrian Ministry of Culture simultaneously announced that Dominique Meyer is to conclude his tenure as general director (Intendant) of the Vienna State Opera at the end of the 2019-2020 season, and that Bogdan Roscic is to be the new Intendant of the Vienna State Opera effective with the 2020-2021 season
23 December: The Philharmonia Orchestra announces the appointment of Helen Sprott as its new managing director, effective April 2017
29 December: The Orquesta de Cámara de Valdivia announces the appointment of Emmanuele Baldini as its new music director, effective in 2017
30 December:
New Year's Honours 2017:
Dame Evelyn Glennie is made a Companion of Honour
Jeffrey Tate and Bryn Terfel are each made a Knight Bachelor
Lennox Mackenzie and Stephen Maddock are each made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Iestyn Davies and Anthony Forbes are each made a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Order of Canada
Russell Braun and Howard Shore are each appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada
Michael Schade receives an honorary appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada
Please address any comments concerning this page to The Music Maestro
Mark Chard BSc, PLY
Page created: 18th May 2017
Last edited: 18th May 2017
