2013 in classical music

Events

• January 10 – Richard Dare resigns as president of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, following reports of a prior accusation of a sexual offense in 1996 and of exaggerations of his business accomplishments.
• January 16 – The Houston Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Andrés Orozco-Estrada as its next music director, effective with the 2014–2015 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.
• February 18 – The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Edward Gardner as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2015–2016 season.
• March 18 – The Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Stefan Solyom as its next chief conductor, as of the 2014–2015 season.
• April 25 – Santa Fe Opera announces the appointment of Harry Bicket as its next chief conductor, effective 1 October 2013.
• May 19 – James Levine conducts his first concert after an absence of two years, with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
• June 22 – American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton wins the "Song Prize" at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.
• July 1 – Jaime Martín formally becomes principal conductor of the Gävle Symphony Orchestra.
• August 20 – The Colorado Symphony Orchestra elevates Andrew Litton from its music advisor to Music Director, with immediate effect.
• September 7 – American orchestral conductor Marin Alsop becomes the first woman to conduct the Last Night of The Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
• November 29 – The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces that Bramwell Tovey is to conclude his tenure as VSO music director after the 2017–2018 season.
• December 10 – La Scala announced the appointment of Riccardo Chailly as its next music director, effective 1 January 2017 through 31 December 2022.

  New works

• Hans Abrahamsen – Let Me Tell You, for soprano and orchestra
• Mark Adamo – Aristotle
• John Adams – Saxophone Concerto
• Thomas Ades – Totentanz
• Matej Bonin – Mouvements
• Benet Casablancas
• *Tres Interludios, for orchestra
• *Obertura Festiva, for orchestra
• Bryce Dessner – Murder Ballads
• Brian Elias – Once Did I Breathe Another's Breath
• Lorenzo Ferrero – Venice 1976 , for flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello, and piano
• Francesco Filidei
• *Ballata No. 3, for piano and ensemble
• *Due Trascrizioni da Merula e Trabaci, for string quartet
• *Poemetto, for ensemble
• *Silence = Death , for 4 percussionists
• Graham Fitkin – Panufnik Variations
• Cheryl Frances-Hoad – Katharsis
• Gabriela Lena Frank – Karnavalito No. 1
• Philip Glass
• *String Quartet No. 6
• *Two Movements for Four Pianos
• Edward Gregson – Aztec Dances
• Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen – Together or Not
• David Philip Hefti – Éclairs
• Wojciech Kilar – A prayer to St. Therese the Little Flower, for mixed choir a cappella
• Missy Mazzoli – Heartbreaker
• Steve Reich – Radio Rewrite
• Christopher Rouse
• *Symphony No. 4
• *Thunderstuck
• Poul Ruders
• *String Quartet No. 4
• *Schrödinger's Cat
• Aulis Sallinen – Five Portraits of Women, Op. 100
• Mark-Anthony Turnage – Speranza
• Ian Venables – The Song of The Severn, Op. 43
• Param Vir – Cave of Luminous Mind
• Judith Weir – Blue-Green Hill

  Opera

• Gerald Barry – The Importance of Being Earnest: premiere staged performance, 17 March 2013, Opéra national de Lorraine, Nancy
• Terence Blanchard – Champion
• Raymond Deane – The Alma Fetish, concert performance, Dublin, National Concert Hall, 17 September 2013
• Ivan Fischer – The Red Heifer
• Philip Glass – The Perfect American
• André Tchaikowsky – premiere of The Merchant of Venice at the Bregenz Festival, 18 July
• Šimon Voseček – Biedermann und die Brandstifter

  Albums

• Plácido Domingo – Verdi
• Ludovico Einaudi – In a Time Lapse
• Howard Goodall – Inspired
• Tine Thing Helseth – Tine

  Musical films

• A Late Quartet

  Deaths

• January 10 – Franz Lehrndorfer, German organist and composer, 84
• February 3 – Oscar Feltsman, Russian composer, 91
• February 8 – James DePreist, US conductor, 76
• February 15 – Antonín Kohout, Czech cellist, member of the Smetana Quartet, 93
• February 22 – Wolfgang Sawallisch, German conductor and pianist, 89
• February 27 – Van Cliburn, US pianist, 78
• February 28
• *William Bennett, American oboist, 56
• *Armando Trovajoli, Italian film composer and pianist, 95
• March 1 – Rafael Puyana, Colombian harpsichordist, 81
• March 9 – Tengiz Amirejibi, Georgian pianist. 89
• March 21 – Jean-Michel Damase, French composer, pianist, and teacher, 85
• April 4 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-born Australian composer, arranger and orchestra conductor, 84
• April 10 – Thomas Hemsley, English opera singer, 85
• April 13 – Stephen Dodgson, composer, 89
• April 14 – Sir Colin Davis, British conductor, 85
• April 15 – Jean-François Paillard, French classical conductor, 85
• April 22 – Lalgudi Jayaraman, Indian violinist, 82
• April 25 – Jacob Avshalomov, Chinese-born American conductor and composer, 94
• May 6 – Steve Martland, British composer, 53
• May 8 – Delia Rigal, Argentine operatic soprano, 92
• May 9 – Michael Earl, British opera and ballet actor, 84
• May 15 – Albert Lance, Australian-born French opera singer, 87
• May 17 – Harold Shapero, American composer and pianist, 93
• May 20 – Anders Eliasson, Swedish composer, 66
• May 22 – Henri Dutilleux, French composer, 97
• June 1 – Paul Olefsky, US cellist, 87
• June 2
• *Mario Bernardi, Canadian conductor and pianist, 82
• *Keith Wilson, US classical musician, teacher and conductor, 96
• June 3 – Arnold Eidus, US violinist, 90
• June 9 – Bruno Bartoletti, Italian conductor, 86
• June 16 – Richard Marlow, English organist and choral director, 74
• June 27 – Henrik Otto Donner, Finnish composer and music industry executive, 73
• August 1
• *John Amis, British broadcaster, classical music critic and opera singer, 91
• *Toby Saks, American cellist, founder of the Seattle Chamber Music Society, 71
• August 11 – Lamberto Puggelli, Italian stage and opera director, 75
• September 4 – Dick Raaymakers, Dutch composer, theater maker and theorist, 83
• September 13 – Peter Aston, English composer, 74
• September 16 – Ratiba El-Hefny, Egyptian opera singer and director of Cairo Opera House, 82
• September 25 – Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, German choral conductor, 84
• October 7 – Patrice Chéreau, French film and opera director, 68
• October 19 – Mahmoud Zoufonoun, Iranian traditional musician, 93
• October 21 – Gianni Ferrio, Italian composer, conductor and music arranger, 88
• October 29 – Rudolf Kehrer, German classical pianist, 90
• November 8 – Arnold Rosner, American composer, 68
• November 12 – Sir John Tavener, English composer of religious music, 69
• December 4 – Robert Allman, Australian operatic baritone, 86
• December 6 – Tom Krause, Finnish opera singer, 79
• December 8
• *Hung Sin-nui, Chinese Cantonese opera singer and actress, 88
• *Sándor Szokolay, Hungarian composer and professor, 82
• *Edward Williams, English composer, 92.
• December 9 – Barbara Hesse-Bukowska, 83, Polish classical pianist, 83
• December 12 – Zbigniew Karkowski, Polish composer, 55
• December 19 – Winton Dean, English musicologist, 97
• December 21 – Lars Edlund, Swedish organist and composer, 91
• December 29 – Wojciech Kilar, Polish composer, 81

  Major awards

Classical Brits

• International Artist of the Year – Lang Lang
• Breakthrough Artist of the Year – Amy Dickson
• Composer – Hans Zimmer
• Female Artist – Nicola Benedetti
• Male Artist – Daniel Barenboim
• Critics' Award – Jonas Kaufmann
• Album of the Year – André Rieu, Magic of the Movies

  Grammy Awards

• Best Orchestral Performance: "Adams: Harmonielehre & Short Ride In A Fast Machine" – Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
• Best Opera Recording: "Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen" – James Levine & Fabio Luisi, conductors; Hans-Peter König, Jay Hunter Morris, Bryn Terfel & Deborah Voigt; Jay David Saks, producer
• Best Choral Performance: "Life & Breath – Choral Works By René Clausen" – Charles Bruffy, conductor
• Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: "Meanwhile" – Eighth Blackbird
• Best Classical Instrumental Solo – "Kurtág & Ligeti: Music For Viola" – Kim Kashkashian
• Best Classical Vocal Solo: "Poèmes" – Renée Fleming
• Best Classical Compendium: Penderecki: Fonogrammi; Horn Concerto; Partita; The Awakening Of Jacob; Anaklasis – Antoni Wit, conductor; Aleksandra Nagórko & Andrzej Sasin, producers
• Best Classical Contemporary Composition: "Meanwhile – Incidental Music To Imaginary Puppet Plays" – Stephen Hartke, composer

  Other national awards

• Spanish National Music Prize: Award for Composition: "Darkness visible – Nocturne for Orchestra after Milton/Pessoa" – Benet Casablancas, composer