The Paxton Festival announces that Helen Jamieson is to stand down as its artistic director in September 2018.
Police in India arrest singer and instrumentalist Ghazal Srinivas following claims of sexual harassment by an employee of his radio station.
4 January: It is reported that British singer Jessie J will be among the competitors in the new season of Chinese talent show The Singer 2018, to be broadcast on Hunan TV.
8 January:
Zac Brown Band performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Kendrick Lamar performed the halftime show at the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta.
Arts Council England announces the appointment of Claire Mera-Nelson as Director of Music and as director in its London office.
10 January:
The Premium Times lists Squeeze Tarela and Bella Alubo among its "Nigerian artistes to look out for in 2018".
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra announces the resignation of Charles Dutoit as its principal conductor and artistic adviser, with immediate effect, following allegations against Dutoit of inappropriate sexual behaviour. Dutoit had previously been scheduled to vacate the posts in 2019.
11 January: Sinfonia Viva announces the appointment of Frank Zielhorst as its new principal conductor, with immediate effect.
12 January: Camila Cabello's debut solo album Camila made her the youngest artist to top the Billboard 200 with a debut set since Shawn Mendes's 2015 debut Handwritten.
13 January: Youssou N'Dour, on tour in the Gambia, praises the Gambian people and expresses optimism for the country's future.
15 January: The Cumnock Tryst announces the appointment of Jean Nicholson as its new festival director.
16 January: Chinese fans and musicians pay tribute to Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of The Cranberries, who performed in China in 2011.
18 January: The Southbank Centre announces that Jude Kelly is to stand down as its artistic director, effective May 2018.
19 January: Phillip Phillips released his first album in four years, Collateral.
25 January: Creative Scotland announces the newest round of Regular Funding recipients for its next three-year programme, which includes the losses of £300,000 for the Dunedin Consort and of £550,000 for the Hebrides Ensemble.
26 January:
In a legal settlement, the music publisher for "We Shall Overcome" agreed that the song is public domain.
King's College, Cambridge announces that Stephen Cleobury is to retire as its Director of Music, effective 30 September 2019.
28 January:
The 60th Annual Grammy Awards took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was the first time since 2003 that the show took place in New York City. Bruno Mars took home the most awards with six including Album of the Year with 24K Magic, Ladysmith Black Mambazo win the award for Best World Music Album with Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration and are nominated for the Best Children's Album award for Songs of Peace & Love for Kids & Parents Around the World.
1 February:
The Buxton Festival announces the appointment of Michael Williams as its next chief executive officer, effective April 2018.
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Martyn Brabbins, gives the first performance of the Symphony in B♭ by Michael Tippett since its 1935 premiere.
2 February:
Justin Timberlake released his first album in five years, Man of the Woods.
Following the release of his debut album Inspiration, Sheku Kanneh-Mason becomes the first-ever BBC Young Musician winner to enter the Official UK Albums Chart with a debut recording.
4 February: P!nk performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Justin Timberlake performed at halftime at Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
6 February: Creative Scotland announces restoration of £300,000 funding for 3 years to the Dunedin Consort.
9 February:
MGMT released their first album in five years, Little Dark Age.
Dashboard Confessional released Crooked Shadows, their first studio album in nearly nine years, and also their first release on the Fueled by Ramen label.
11 February: 50 years after its composition, Richard Reason's Dylan Thomas Song Cycle receives its first performance at Conway Hall.
20 February: Longborough Festival Opera announces the appointment of Polly Graham, daughter of festival founders Martin and Lizzie Graham, as its new artistic director, with immediate effect.
22 February A news report states that Rafael Payare is to stand down as music director of the Ulster Orchestra as of the end of his current contract, at the close of the 2018–2019 season.
2 March:
Joan Baez released her first album in ten years, Whistle Down the Wind
The Breeders released All Nerve, their first studio album in ten years.
The 14th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival opens in Jakarta, Indonesia, lasting until 4 March.
7 March: NME announces that it is to discontinue its print edition, and to shift its publication emphasis to its online edition.
8 March:
English National Opera announces the appointment of Stuart Murphy as its next chief executive, effective 3 April 2018.
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance announces its 'Venus Blazing' programme for the 2018–2019 academic year, with the commitment that music by female composers is to comprise at least 50% of the selections for its public performances.
11 March: The 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards took place at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
14 March: The Royal Society of Musicians announces the appointment of Charlotte Penton-Smith as its first ever chief executive.
16 March:
Scotty McCreery released his first album in five years, Seasons Change.
Stone Temple Pilots released their second self-titled album, their first studio album in eight years, their first with current vocalist Jeff Gutt and their first since the departures and deaths of former vocalists Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington.
24 March: Glyndebourne announces the prize winners of its inaugural Glyndebourne Opera Cup competition:
Overall winner: Samantha Hankey
Second place: Jacquelyn Stucker
Third place: Elbenita Kajtazi
Ginette Theano prize (for most promising talent): Emily Pogorelc
Media prize: Samantha Hankey
Audience prize: Elbenita Kajtazi
25 March: Sinta Wullur’s Tagore’s Fireflies is premièred at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, during the Debussy Festival.
28 March: The High Court of Justice rules in favour of violist Christopher Goldscheier in his lawsuit against the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, for hearing damage from 'acoustic shock'.
April: Indonesian actress and singer Maudy Ayunda releases a volume of autobiography in English, titled Dear Tomorrow.
4 April: The Royal Philharmonic Society announces the appointment of James Murphy as its next chief executive, effective in the summer of 2018.
5 April: The Buxton International Festival announces that its artistic director, Stephen Barlow, is to stand down from the post in late July 2018.
6 April: Thirty Seconds to Mars released their first album in five years, America.
11 April: The Music Modernization Act, a bill that would reform how music rates are set & how songwriters and artists are paid, passes the United States House Committee on the Judiciary unanimously 32-0
13 April: John Prine released his first album of original music in thirteen years.
15 April:
The 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Reba McEntire returned to host for the first time in six years.
Cardi B's debut album Invasion of Privacy debuted atop the Billboard 200 setting multiple streaming records among female acts.
20 April:
A Perfect Circle released their first album in fourteen years, Eat the Elephant.
J. Cole released KOD, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, as well as breaking the first day streaming record on Spotify, which was later broke by Post Malone's Beerbongs & Bentleys and Drake's Scorpion.
21 April: The Queen's Birthday Party, a music concert celebrating the 92nd birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, is held at London's Royal Albert Hall.
25 April: The Music Modernization Act passes in the United States House of Representatives unanimously 415-0.
27 April:
Godsmack released their first album in four years, When Legends Rise.
Janelle Monáe released her first album in five years, Dirty Computer.
Hawthorne Heights released their first album in five years, Bad Frequencies; it is their first album since drummer Eron Bucciarelli's departure in 2014 and guitarist Micah Carli's departure in 2015.
It is announced that Ralph Fiennes is to star in a new film about the life of George Frederic Handel, directed by Chris Addison.
4 May: Belly released Dove, their first studio album in 23 years.
13 May: Lauren Zhang is announced as the winner of the BBC Young Musician 2018 competition.
19 May: The Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle features such musicians as:
Choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
The Kingdom Choir
The State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry
Elin Manahan Thomas
Sheku Kanneh-Mason
David Blackadder
Orchestral musicians from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Christopher Warren-Green
20 May: The Billboard Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. This was the first ceremony to air on NBC.
21 May: Maddie Poppe won the sixteenth season of American Idol. Caleb Lee Hutchinson is named runner up.
22 May: Brynn Cartelli won the fourteenth season of The Voice. At age 15, Cartelli is the youngest to ever win the show. Britton Buchanan was named runner up.
23 May: King's College, Cambridge announces the appointment of Daniel Hyde as its next Director of Music, effective 1 October 2019.
25 May: KoЯn frontman, Jonathan Davis released his debut solo album Black Labyrinth
29 May: The Scottish Chamber Orchestra announces the appointment of Maxim Emelyanychev as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2019–2020 season.
1 June: The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) announces its awarding of honorary membership in the RPS to Stephen Hough, the 141st such recipient in the history of the RPS.
2 June:
Rita Ray presents a major new series on BBC television: Africa: A Journey Into Music.
BTS scored a #1 album on the Billboard 200 with Love Yourself 轉 'Tear', making it the highest ranking Asian album on the chart and the first foreign language #1 album since 2006.
7 June: Thea Musgrave receives The Queen's Medal for Music 2017, in a private audience with HRH Queen Elizabeth II.
8 June:
Sugarland released their first album in eight years, Bigger.
Queen's Birthday Honours:
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is made a Companion of Honour.
Simon Keenlyside is made a Knight Bachelor.
Thomas Adès, Kanya King, and Gillian Moore are each made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Alice Coote, Julian Joseph, and Debbie Wiseman are each made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Susannah Eastburn, Rosemary Johnson, Ms. Dynamite (Niomi McLean-Daley), Orphy Robinson, and Dennis Rollins are each made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
15 June: Christina Aguilera released her first album in six years, Liberation.
18 June: Rapper XXXTentacion is murdered in Florida.
26 June: Southbank Sinfonia announces the appointment of William Norris as its next managing director, effective July 2018.
29 June: Guns N' Roses rereleased Appetite for Destruction with remastered songs.
2 July:
Cardi B became the first female rapper to attain multiple number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Vasily Petrenko as its new music director, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO) announces that Vasily Petrenko is to conclude his tenure as its chief conductor as of the end of the 2020–2021 season, and subsequently to take the title of conductor laureate of the RLPO.
4 July: The Susan Chilcott Scholarship announces soprano Gemma Summerfield as the final recipient of the Chilcott Award.
9 July: ORA Singers announces the appointment of Stephen Fry as its new president.
13 July: The Lightning Seeds' single "Three Lions" reaches number one in the UK singles chart for the fourth time following England's achievements in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, making it the only song to reach number one on four separate occasions with the same artist lineup. By the following week the single has plummeted to number 97, setting a record for the fastest ever fall from the top of the charts.
26 July: The Academy of Ancient Music announces that Richard Egarr is to stand down as its music director at the close of the 2020-2021 season.
27 July: Daughtry released their first album in five years, Cage to Rattle.
August: Armand Maulana, Anggun and Titi DJ are announced as judges for Season 3 of The Voice Indonesia, along with singers Vidi Aldiano and id:Anindyo Baskoro as joint coaches.
9 August: Glyndebourne Festival Opera announces the appointment of Stephen Langridge as its next artistic director, effective in the spring of 2019.
10 August:
Jason Mraz released his first album in four years, Know.
Nicki Minaj released her first album in four years, Queen.
16 August: The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin passed away at her home in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 76. The official cause of death was pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type.
20 August: The MTV Video Music Awards took place from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
24 August: Alice in Chains released their first album in five years, Rainier Fog.
31 August: The Leeds International Piano Competition announces the appointment of Fiona Sinclair as its next chief executive, effective 1 October 2018.
6 September: Welsh National Opera announces the appointment of Aidan Lang as its next general director, effective July 2019.
7 September:
Lenny Kravitz released his first album in four years, Raise Vibration.
Rapper Mac Miller passed away in his home at the age of 26. The official cause of death was a drug overdose.
8 September: BTS scored their second #1 album on the Billboard 200 with Love Yourself 結 'Answer', making them the only Asian Act to do so.
14 September:
Carrie Underwood released Cry Pretty, which breaks multiple records.[23] She becomes the first female country act ever to top the Billboard Artist 100.
Tony Bennett released his first collaborative album in four years, Love is Here to Stay with Diana Krall
18 September: A modified version of the Music Modernization Act passes the United States Senate unanimously, sending bill back to House.
19 September: For their first and only collaboration, Columbia Records releases a single between both deceased rappers Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, Falling Down. This marks XXXTentacion's first single since his untimely murder in June 2018.
20 September: Wolf Alice are revealed as winners of the 2018 Mercury Prize for their second album Visions of a Life.
21 September: Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators released their first album in four years, Living the Dream.
24 September: Cardi B extends her record for having the most number-ones for a female rapper (total of 3 so far) with the collaboration Girls Like You with Maroon 5.
25 September: Music Modernization Act passes the House unanimously again. Bill sent to President Donald Trump to be signed.
28 September:
Mudhoney released their first album in five years, Digital Garbage.
After a four year delay, Lil Wayne releases Tha Carter V, which is his first album since being released from Cash Money Records in June 2018.
4 October: The BBC Philharmonic announces the appointment of Omer Meir Wellber as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2019-2020 season, with an initial contract of 4 years.
5 October: Steve Perry released his first solo album in twenty-four years, Traces.
8 October: The American Music Awards took place at the Microsoft Theatre. The show shifted from Sunday to Tuesday, and moved up from November to October.
11 October: President Trump signs the Music Modernization Act into law.
26 October: The Black Eyed Peas released their first album in eight years, Masters of the Sun Vol. 1. This is their first album without Fergie since her departure from the band in early 2018, and their first album as a trio since their 2000 album Bridging the Gap.
27 October: The Mass Via Victrix of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford receives its first-ever complete performance, 99 years after its composition, in Cardiff by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the BBC National Chorus of Wales, and vocal soloists Kiandra Howarth, Jess Dancy, Ruairi Bowen, and Gareth Brynmor John.
2 November:
Pistol Annies released their first albums in five years, Interstate Gospel.
Tenacious D released their album in six years, Post Apocalypto.
5 November: The Dartington International Summer School and Festival announces the appointment of Sara Mohr-Pietsch as its next artistic director, effective January 2019, with her first programmed season scheduled to occur in 2020.
6 November: Glyndebourne Festival Opera announces the appointment of Ben Glassberg as the new principal conductor of the Glyndebourne Tour, with an initial contract of 3 years.
9 November:
J Mascis released his first album in four years, Elastic Days.
Lil Peep releases his posthumous album Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2.
14 November: – The 52nd CMA Awards took place live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
16 November:
Mariah Carey released her first album in four years, Caution.
The Smashing Pumpkins released Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun., their first studio album to feature co-founder and guitarist James Iha since 2000's Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music. Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, who had left the band in 2009, also makes his return on this album.
19 November: At the Drive-In breaks up for the third time.
23 November: The Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition 2018 announces Felix Mildenberger as its winner, which includes the appointment of Mildenberger as the new assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra for a 2-year period.
26 November: The Royal Northern College of Music announces the appointment of Sara Ascenso as its first-ever lecturer in Musicians' Health and Wellbeing, the first UK music institution ever to institute such a post.
3 December:
After a ten year hiatus Hootie & the Blowfish appeared on the Today Show to announce that the band is back together, and will come out with a new album and tour in 2019.
Chetham's School of Music announces the appointment of Tom Redmond as its next director of music, effective September 2019.
4 December: The Philharmonia Orchestra announces that Esa-Pekka Salonen is to stand down as its principal conductor after the close of the 2020-2021 season.
7 December:
John Mellencamp released his fourth consecutive album in the last four years, Other Peoples Stuff
Ice Cube released his first album in eight years, Everythang's Corrupt.
14 December: Bruce Springsteen released his first commercial live album in eleven years Springsteen On Broadway
18 December: Chevel Shepherd won the fifteenth season of The Voice. Chris Kroeze was the runner-up.
19 December: The Royal Scottish National Orchestra announces the appointment of Alistair Mackie as its next chief executive, effective April 2019.
20 December: The Recording Industry of America published the year's top certified songs and albums. Eleven albums were certified Platinum during the year, including three multi-Platinum.
21 December: Reel Big Fish released their first album in six years, Life Suck's Let's Dance.
28 December:New Year's Honours:
Nicola Benedetti, Nick Mason, and Nitin Sawhney are each made a Commander of the Order of British Empire.
Christian Blackshaw, Stephen Darlington, Gordon Giltrap, David Hill, Jacqueline Tyler, and Neil Warnock are each made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Shirley Thompson is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Classical Music
RICHARD BARNARD
In Cambridge Town
IAIN BELL
Aurora
HARRISON BIRTWISTLE
Keyboard Engine
BISHI
The Good Immigrant
MARK DAVID BODEN
Clarinet Concerto
LAURA BOWLER
/ˌfɛmɪˈnɪnɪti/.
RORY BOYLE
Songs of the Marshes
CHARLOTTE BRAY
Reflections in Time
EWAN CAMPBELL
Frail Skies
JOE CUTLER
Elsewhereness
JONATHAN DOVE
The Kerry Christmas Carol
BRIAN ELIAS
L'innominata
SAMANTHA FERNANDO
Formations
CHERYL FRANCES-HOAD
Between the Skies, the River and the Hills (piano concerto)
Last Man Standing (text by TAMSIN COLLISON)
ALEX GOWAN-WEBSTER
Cantio Invocatione
HELEN GRIME (music) and FIONA BENSON (texts)
Bright Travellers
HELEN GRIME
Woven Space
SIMON HOLT
Llanto (para las chumberas) (Lament [for the prickly pears])
4th Quartet ('Cloud House')
THOMAS HYDE
Symphony
Les at Leisure (comedy overture)
SARAH JENKINS
And the sun stood still
NICOLA LeFANU (music) and WENDY COPE (text)
St Hilda of Whitby
BENEDICT MASON
Ricochet
CHRISTIAN MASON
Man Made
DAVID MATTHEWS
Symphony No 9
ANNA MEREDITH
Five Telegrams
STEPHEN MONTAGUE
Beguiled (for solo piano)
Hound Dog Blues
THEA MUSGRAVE
La Vida es Sueño
Whirlwind
ROXANNA PANUFNIK
Songs of Darkness, Dreams of Light
FRANCIS POTT
Ardor Amoris
STEPHEN PRATT
Symphonies of Time and Tide
DEBORAH PRITCHARD
River Above
GUTO PUW
Camouflage
REBECCA SAUNDERS
Unbreathed (for string quartet)
O, Yes & I
DOBRINKA TABAKOVA
Tectonic
JOBY TALBOT
Ink Dark Moon (Guitar Concerto)
BRAMWELL TOVEY
Sinfonia Della Passione
PHILIP VENABLES
The Gender Agenda
Venables Plays Bartók (violin concerto)
ERROLLYN WALLEN
Concerto for Violin, Viola and Accordion
HUW WATKINS
Spring
LARA WEAVER
Christus factus est
JUDITH WEIR
Piano Quintet (A Song of Departure)
ALISON WILLIS
A Light Not Yet Ready to Go Out
ALEX WOOLF (music) and GILLIAN CLARKE (new text)
Requiem
Opera
Sir GEORGE BENJAMIN and MARTIN CRIMP
Lessons in Love and Violence
TANSY DAVIES and NICK DRAKE
The Cave
EMILY HOWARD and SELMA DIMITRIJEVIC
To See the Invisible
ELENA LANGER and EMMA JENKINS
Rhondda Rips It Up!
DAVID SAWER and RORY MULLARKEY
The Skating Rink
MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE and RORY MULLARKEY
Coraline
Musical Theatre
SYLVIA
(music by DJ Walde and Josh Cohen; lyrics by Kate Prince; book by Kate Prince and Priya Parmer)
Premiere: 12 September 2018: The Old Vic, London
Please address any comments concerning this page to The Music Maestro
Mark Chard BSc, PLY
Page created: 9th February 2019
Last edited: 6th May 2024
