2020 in classical music

• 1 January – At the 2020 Vienna New Year's Concert, Andris Nelsons plays the trumpet solo in the Postillon-Galopp of Hans Christian Lumbye, the first conductor to perform a solo in the Vienna New Year's Concert who is not a violinist. Nelsons performed the same solo on the 30 December 2019 and 31 December 2019 performances of the same programme.[1]
• 5 January – Island City Opera announces the postponement of its planned March 2020 production of The Wreckers by Dame Ethyl Smyth, because of concerns about compliance with California Assembly Bill 5 (2019).[2]
• 6 January – Annapolis Opera announces the appointment of Craig Kier as its next artistic director and music director, effective 1 July 2020.[3]
• 7 January – The National Ballet of Canada announces the appointment of Maria Seletskaja as the first-ever conductor to its newly created post of conductor-in-residence.[4]
• 8 January
  • The Teatro San Cassiano names the Academy of Ancient Music as its first associate ensemble.[5]
  • The Zurich Festival {Festspiele Zürich} announces that the 2020 festival is to be its final festival, because of the lack of long-term financial support to continue the festival.[6]
  • The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra announces the appointment of Ben Cadwallader as its next executive director, effective 9 March 2020.[7]
  • The Vermont Symphony Orchestra announces that Ben Cadwallader is to stand down as its executive director on 7 February 2020.[8]
  • Martijn Padding receives the Andreaspenning award at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, in recognition of his services to musical life in Amsterdam.[9]
• 9 January – The Jacksonville Symphony announces the appointment of Steven Libman as its next president and chief executive officer.[10]
• 13 January
  • The Australian Festival of Chamber Music announces the appointment of Jack Liebeck as its next artistic director, in succession to Kathryn Stott, following the conclusion of the 2020 festival.[11]
  • Opera Holland Park announces simultaneously the scheduled retirement of Michael Volpe as its general director on 30 September 2020, and the appointment of James Clutton as the company's new Chief Executive and Director of Opera, effective 1 October 2020.[12]
  • The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra announces that it is to award its Karl Amadeus Hartmann Medal posthumously to Mariss Jansons.[13]
  • The city of Hamburg awards its Johannes Brahms Medal to Christoph von Dohnányi.[14]
• 14 January – The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra announces the appointment of István Várdai as its new artistic director.[15]
• 15 January
  • The Hamburger Symphoniker announces violist Timothy Ridout as the inaugural winner of its newly established Sir Jeffrey Tate Prize.[16]
  • The Vancouver Symphony announces the appointment of Angela Elster as its new president and chief executive officer, with immediate effect.[17]
• 16 January – The Royal Swedish Opera announces the appointment of Alan Gilbert as its next music director, effective in the spring of 2021.[18]
• 17 January – Vladimir Ashkenazy announces his retirement from public performance, effective immediately.[19]
• 20 January
  • The Verbier Festival announces the appointment of James Gaffigan as the next music director of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra, effective with the 2021 festival season.[20]
  • The Markgräflichen Opernhaus Bayreuth announces the establishment of its new 'Bayreuth Baroque' Festival, with the appointment of Max Emanuel Cencic as its artistic director, with an initial contract of 3 years.[21]
  • The Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung announces Tabea Zimmermann as the recipient of the 2020 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize.[22]
• 22 January
  • The Boston Symphony Orchestra announces that Mark Volpe is to retire as its president and chief executive officer, effective February 2021.[23]
  • The Detroit Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Jader Bignamini as its next music director, effective with the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of 6 seasons.[24]
• 23 January
  • The Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg announces the appointment of Siegwald Bütow as its new managing director, effective in the summer of 2020.[25]
  • From the Top announces the appointment of Peter Dugan as the new permanent host for its eponymous radio programme, as of the 2020–2021 season, along with the appointments of Vijay Gupta, Tessa Lark, Alex Laing, Orli Shaham, and Charles Yang as co-hosts and creative partners.[26]
• 24 January
  • The London Philharmonic Orchestra announces simultaneously the scheduled retirement of Timothy Walker as its chief executive and artistic director, effective 3 June 2020, and the appointment of David Burke as its next chief executive, along with a planned division into separate roles each of the posts of chief executive and of artistic director.[27]
  • The Mecklenburg State Theatre announces the appointment of Mark Rohde as its next Generalmusikdirektor, effective with the 2020–2021 season.[28]
  • Fort Worth Opera announces the resignation of Tuomas Hiltunen as its general director, with immediate effect.[29]
• 30 January
  • The Léonie Sonning Foundation announces Unsuk Chin as the recipient of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2021.[30]
  • The Boston Symphony Orchestra cancels its planned tour of Asia, the first American orchestra to cancel overseas travel in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.[31]
• 31 January
  • The Staatskapelle Halle announces the resignation of Ariane Matiakh as its Generalmusikdirektorin.[32]
  • The Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz announces that Ari Rasilainen is to conclude his chief conductorship of the orchestra at the close of the 2020–2021 season.[33]
• 1 February – The Orchestre National de Lille performs the final concert of its UK tour at Leeds Town Hall, the last European orchestra to perform in the United Kingdom just prior to and after the UK's departure from the European Union.[34]
• 3 February – Opera Carolina makes redundant its executive director, Beth Hansen, citing fiscal challenges to the company.[35]
• 4 February – The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announces that Amy Kaiser is to retire as director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, at the close of the 2020–2021 season.[36]
• 5 February
  • Radio New Zealand announces plans to discontinue its FM classical music radio station RNZ Concert, and to shift its classical music broadcasting over to an automated programme on its AM channel and in streaming format.[37]
  • Stéphane Lissner announces the cancellation of three new opera productions for the 2020-2021 Opéra de Paris season, in the wake of the recent industrial action at the Opéra de Paris.[38]
  • The Washington Chorus announces the appointment of Eugene Rogers as its next artistic director, effective July 2020.[39]
  • The Ravinia Festival announces the appointment of Marin Alsop as its new chief conductor and curator, the first person to hold such titles with the festival, effective with the summer 2020 season.[40]
• 6 February
  • Opera Theatre of Saint Louis announces a bequest of $45M USD from Phyllis Brissenden, the single largest gift to the company in its history.[41]
  • The Oregon Symphony announces that Carlos Kalmar is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the close of the 2020–2021 season.[42]
• 10 February – The Staatsoper Hannover announces the appointment of Stephan Zilias as its next Generalmusikdirektor, effective with the 2020–2021 season.[43]
• 11 February
  • Following protests from artists and audiences, and criticism from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Radio New Zealand withdraws its earlier proposal to downgrade its RNZ Concert classical music service to an automated AM/streaming channel, and to retain RNZ Concert on its FM frequencies.[44]
  • The Polar Music Prize announces Anna Netrebko as one of its two Polar Music Prize Laureates for 2020.[45]
• 12 February
  • The Staatstheater Giessen announces the appointment of Florian Ludwig as its interim Generalmusikdirektor, for a limited contract of two seasons, the 2020-2021 and 2021–2022 seasons.[46]
  • The Two Moors Festival announces the appointment of Tamsin Waley-Cohen as its new artistic director for its 2020 festival.[47]
  • The Grand Teton Music Festival announces the appointment of Simon Woods as its interim executive director, effective 24 February 2020.[48]
• 14 February – The Louisville Orchestra announces the resignation of Robert Murray as its chief executive officer, effective 6 May 2020.[49]
• 19 February – The Opéra de Rouen Normandie announces the appointment of Ben Glassberg as its next music director, effective with the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons.[50]
• 23 February – The Teatro alla Scala announces suspension of performances with immediate effect, in the wake of the Coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Italy.[51]
• 24 February – The Hallé announces Delyana Lazarova as the winner of the inaugural Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition 2020.[52]
• 25 February
  • The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) announces confirmation of allegations by AGMA members of long-standing sexual misconduct by Plácido Domingo.[53]
  • Opera Theatre of Saint Louis announces the appointment of Walter Huff as its next chorus director.[54]
• 26 February
  • José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, the Spanish minister of culture, rescinds an invitation to Plácido Domingo to perform at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in May 2020, following the American Guild of Musical Artists report of confirmation of allegations of sexual misconduct against Domingo.[55]
  • The Landestheater Coburg announces the appointment of Daniel Carter as its new Generalmusikdirektor, effective 1 February 2021.[56]
  • The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra announces that Marin Alsop is to conclude her tenure as music director of the orchestra at the close of the 2020–2021 season.[57]
• 27 February
  • The Hallé announces the appointment of David Butcher as its next chief executive, effective September 2020.[58]
  • The Britten Sinfonia announces that David Butcher is to stand down as its chief executive and artistic director in the summer of 2020.[59]
• 3 March – Washington National Opera announces the renaming of its young artist programme from the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program to the Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera.[60]
• 4 March – San Francisco Opera announces that Sheri Greenawald is to retire as director of the San Francisco Opera Center and artistic director of the Merola Opera Program at the close of 2020.[61]
• 5 March
  • Brett Dean is reported as diagnosed with COVID-19 and quarantined in isolation at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, following his return from Taipei.[62]
  • The National Concert Hall (NCH) in Taipei is closed with immediate effect until further notice, following the diagnosis of Brett Dean with COVID-19 after his performance at the NCH Taipei.[63]
• 10 March
  • Klaus Lederer, Berlin Senator for Culture, announces the cancellation of all cultural events in Berlin of more than 500 people, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[64]
  • Following the ban by the federal government of Austria on persons entering from Italy, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vienna State Opera announces cancellation of performances through 2 April 2020.[65]
  • LA Opera announces that the allegations of sexual misconduct by Plácido Domingo during his association with LA Opera have been found to be credible.[66]
• 11 March
  • In response to the ban on public performances with more than 500 people in attendance in Berlin in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden announce cancellation of performances from 11 March 2020 through 19 April 2020.[67][68]
  • The Philharmonia Orchestra announces the appointment of Alexander Van Ingen as its next chief executive, effective September 2020.[69]
  • The Academy of Ancient Music announces that Alexander Van Ingen is to stand down as its chief executive, effective September 2020.[70]
  • Following a ban by San Francisco mayor London Breed on public events of more than 1000 people in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Francisco Symphony announces cancellation of all concerts through 25 March 2020.[71]
• 12 March – The following arts and classical music organisations announce suspension of performances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • Het Concertgebouw, through 31 March 2020[72]
  • Seattle Symphony, through 31 March 2020[73]
  • Metropolitan Opera, through 31 March 2020[74]
  • New York Philharmonic, through 31 March 2020[75]
  • Carnegie Hall, through 31 March 2020[76]
  • Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, through 5 April 2020[77]
  • Los Angeles Philharmonic, through 31 March 2020[78]
• 13 March
  • French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announce a ban on public events of more than 100 persons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following French music organisations subsequently cancel performances:[79]
    • Maison de la Radio
    • Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, through 19 April 2020
    • Théâtre du Châtelet
    • Opéra national du Rhin
    • Opéra de Bordeaux
    • Opéra de Nancy
    • Opéra de Rennes
  • The following US classical music organisations announce suspension of performances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
    • Boston Symphony Orchestra, through 28 March 2020[80]
    • Chicago Symphony Orchestra, through 12 April 2020[81]
  • The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) announces that CBSO music director Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla has tested positive for COVID-19, and is in self-quarantine.[82]
• 17 March – The following UK classical music organisations announce suspension of performances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • All BBC Orchestras and Choirs[83]
  • Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra[84]
  • Southbank Centre, encompassing the London Philharmonic Orchestra[85] and the Philharmonia Orchestra[86]
  • London Symphony Orchestra
  • Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, through 19 April 2020[87]
• 16 March – At the Bavarian State Opera, Igor Levit, Christian Gerhaher, Christina Landshamer, Gerold Huber and musicians of the Bavarian State Orchestra give a concert to an empty theatre, streamed on-line, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 18 March
  • The Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition announces cancellation of its scheduled 2020 competition, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[88]
  • The Cliburn announces postponement of the 2020 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition to 2022.[89]
• 19 March – The Metropolitan Opera announces the cancellation of the remainder of its 2019–2020 season, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[90]
• 22 March – Plácido Domingo announces that he has tested positive for COVID-19.[91]
• 23 March
  • Hazard Chase announces cessation of activity and entry into voluntary liquidation, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[92]
  • The New York Philharmonic announces cancellation of the remainder of its 2019–2020 season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[93]
  • The Bavarian State Opera begins the first of a regular series of Monday concerts (Montagskonzerten), streamed from the empty theatre of the Bavarian State Opera and performed under social distancing guidelines, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 24 March – The following festivals announce cancellation of their 2020 seasons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • St Magnus International Festival[94]
  • Spoleto Festival USA (the first season cancellation in the festival's history)[95]
  • Ojai Festival (the first season cancellation in the festival's history)[96]
• 25 March – The Menuhin Competition announces the postponement of its scheduled Menuhin Competition Richmond 2020 to May 2021, with all 2020 entrants allowed to compete in 2021, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[97]
• 26 March
  • The East Neuk Festival and the Verbier Festival each announce cancellation of their respective 2020 festival seasons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[98]
  • Anne-Sophie Mutter announces that she has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in self-quarantine.[99]
  • The University of Michigan Board of Regents terminates David Daniels from its music faculty, after accusations of sexual misconduct against Daniels.[100]
• 27 March
  • The first live-streamed concert of the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall takes place at the Athenaeum Theatre, performed by Arcadia Winds.[101]
  • The Canadian Opera Company announces cancellation of the remainder of its 2019–2020 season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[102]
  • The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces cancellation of all concerts through 6 June 2020, and plans to lay off its musicians and a portion of its staff on 12 April 2020, and a 50% reduction in pay to senior management, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[103]
  • The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces the furlough of the musicians and librarians of the National Symphony Orchestra, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and shortly after announcement of separate $25M (USD) funding for the Kennedy Center.[104]
• 28 March – The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music announces the cancellation of its 2020 festival season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[105]
• 30 March – The Aldeburgh Festival announces the cancellation of its 2020 festival season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first-ever festival cancellation in the festival's history.[106]
• 31 March
  • The Bayreuth Festival announces the cancellation of its 2020 festival season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[107]
  • The Philharmonia Orchestra formally restructures its governance model, with the merger of Philharmonia Ltd and the Philharmonia Trust into a single organisation.[108]
• 1 April
  • The Edinburgh International Festival announces the cancellation of its 2020 festival season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[109]
  • The Aspen Music Festival announces a delay in the scheduled start of its 2020 festival season to 16 July 2020, with cancellation of concerts in the originally scheduled first two weeks of the season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[110]
• 2 April
  • The Dartington Music Summer School and Festival announces the cancellation of its summer season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[111]
  • The following arts organisations announce the cancellation of the remainder of their 2019–2020 seasons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
    • Carnegie Hall[112]
    • Lyric Opera of Chicago[113]
• 3 April
  • The League of American Orchestras announces the appointment of Simon Woods as its next chief executive.[114]
  • Zachary Lewis, the classical music critic of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, is made redundant from his post, along with 21 other Plain Dealer staff.[115]
• 5 April – The Odense Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Pierre Bleuse as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons.[116]
• 6 April
  • The Salzburg Festival announces the cancellation of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[117]
  • Following arbitration by Richard Bloch, the New York Philharmonic is ordered to reinstate Liang Wang and Matthew Muckey as members of the orchestra, after Bloch's determination that the orchestra had dismissed Wang and Muckey in September 2018 on charges of sexual misconduct, without just cause.[118]
• 7 April
  • The Cheltenham Festival announces the cancellation of its 2020 season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[119]
  • The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces a reversal of its intended furlough of the musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra, following negotiations, which substitutes a wage cut through September 2020 in place of the musician furloughs.[120]
  • Opera Theatre of Saint Louis announces the cancellation of its 2020 season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[121]
  • The Richmond Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Valentina Pileggi as its next music director, the first female conductor ever named to the post, effective 1 July 2020, with an initial contract of 4 years.[122]
• 9 April – The following organisations announce cancellation of their scheduled 2020 summer seasons in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • Lincoln Center for Performing Arts – 2020 Mostly Mozart Festival[123]
  • Opera Saratoga[124]
• 13 April – The board of directors of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra announces a stand-down of the orchestra musicians and 12 administrative staff members, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[125][126]
• 14 April
  • Scottish Awards for New Music:[127]
    • Large Scale New Work (11+ performers) - Stuart MacRae: Anthropocene
    • The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Award for Contribution to New Music in Scotland - Drake Music Scotland
    • Scottish New Music Performer(s) of the Year - Scottish Ensemble
    • Environmental Sustainability - Nevis Ensemble
    • The RCS Award for Making it Happen - Ben Lunn: Diversions
    • The ISM prize for Collaboration - Diversions: Ben Lunn, Drake Music Scotland, Hebrides Ensemble and Queen's Hall Edinburgh
    • The Dorico Award for Small / Medium Scale New Work (1 - 10 performers) - Martin Suckling: The Tuning
    • Electroacoustic/Sound Artwork - Edwin Hillier: Dhātu
    • Community/Education project (joint winners) - Tinderbox Collective and SCO Soundmoves
    • The Good Spirits Co Award for Innovation in New Traditional Music - Aidan O'Rourke and Kit Downes: 365
    • Recorded New Work - Chamber Music and Songs by Judith Weir: Airs from Another Planet - Hebrides Ensemble (Delphian Records)
    • The SMIA Award for Creative Programming - Matthew Whiteside: The Night With…
  • The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music announces the appointment of Joe Miller as its next director of choral studies, effective 15 August 2020. In parallel, Miller is to vacate his current directorship of the Westminster Choir.[128]
  • San Francisco Opera announces the cancellation of its 2020 summer season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[129]
• 15 April – The following music organisations announce cancellations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • Chorégies d'Orange: cancellation of its 2020 festival season[130]
  • Cincinnati Opera: cancellation of its 2020 summer festival season[131]
• 24 April – The Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur in Mainz announces Olga Neuwirth as the recipient of the 2020 Robert Schumann-Preis für Dichtung und Musik (Robert Schumann Prize for Poetry and Music).[132]
• 27 April – The Bayreuth Festival announces that Katharina Wagner is to stand down from her leadership posts with the Festival 'until further notice' ("bis auf weiteres"), because of ill health.[133]
• 29 April
  • The Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Vassily Sinaisky as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2020–2021 season.[134]
  • The following organisations announce cancellation of their respective concert series, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
    • Lucerne Festival: cancellation of its 2020 summer festival season[135]
    • San Francisco Symphony: cancellation of its remaining 2019–2020 season and summer 2020 concerts[136]
• 1 May
  • The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra presents its annual Europakonzert for the first time at the Berliner Philharmonie, to an empty hall, with a reduced contingent of musicians, soprano Christiane Karg, and conductor Kirill Petrenko, under social distancing guidelines, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[137]
  • The following music organisations announce the cancellation of planned festival seasons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
    • Ravinia Festival[138]
    • Colorado Music Festival[139]
• 4 May – The following US music festivals announce the cancellation of their respective 2020 festival seasons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • Aspen Music Festival and School[140]
  • Grant Park Music Festival[141]
• 5 May
  • The Metropolitan Opera announces furloughs of 41 of its staff and reduction to part-time status of 11 other staff members, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[142]
  • Glyndebourne Opera announces cancellation of its 2020 summer season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[143]
• 6 May – Britten Sinfonia announces the appointment of Meurig Bowen as its next chief executive and artistic director, effective August 2020.[144]
• 7 May
  • Help Musicians UK announces the appointment of Dame Evelyn Glennie as its new president.[145]
  • Following consultation with seven Berlin orchestras, the Berlin Charité publishes proposed guidelines for resuming orchestral concerts under social distancing and health safety guidelines in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.[146]
• 11 May – The following US music festivals announce the cancellation of their respective 2020 festival seasons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • Santa Fe Opera[147]
  • Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival[148]
• 12 May
  • The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Peter Biggs as its new chief executive.[149]
  • Wigmore Hall and BBC Radio 3 announce a scheduled series of live concerts from Wigmore Hall, beginning on 1 June, to be performed to an empty hall and under social distancing guidelines, the first live concerts from the hall and broadcast on Radio 3 since the general COVID-19 lockdown.[150]
• 13 May – The following music organisations announce the cancellation of their 2020 festival seasons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • Riga Jurmula Music Festival[151]
  • Grand Teton Music Festival[152]
• 15 May
  • Ulrike Lunacek resigns as Austrian minister of culture, following criticism of her actions with respect to the Austrian cultural economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[153]
  • The Rheingau Musik Festival announces the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and Daniel Barenboim ad the recipients of the 2020 Rheingau Musik Preis.[154]
  • The Boston Symphony Orchestra announces the cancellation of its 2020 Tanglewood summer festival season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[155]
• 18 May
  • The government of Italy issues formal guidelines for the phased reopening of public performing arts events under social distancing guidelines, including limits of 200 audience members for indoor events and 1000 audience members for outdoor events.[156]
  • At the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, under social distancing guidelines, Günther Groissböck and Alexandra Goloubitskaia perform the first live recital to a local live audience since the COVID-19-imposed lockdown.[157]
• 20 May – The Lahti Symphony Orchestra simultaneously announces that Dima Slobodeniouk is to conclude his chief conductorship of the orchestra at the end of the 2020-2021 season, and the appointment of Dalia Stasevska as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. Stasevka is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the orchestra.[158]
• 22 May – The Ravenna Festival announces the scheduled launch of its revised 2020 summer festival season to begin on 21 June 2020, under newly issued social distancing guidelines in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[159]
• 25 May – The government of Austria announces its newest plans, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, to allow public performing arts events to resume on 29 May 2020, under social distancing guidelines, with a maximum of 100 audience members and a suggested distance between patrons of 1 m.[160]
• 26 May – The Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne announces the appointment of Renaud Capuçon as its next artistic director, effective with the 2021-2022 season.[161]
• 29 May – Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announces that Jane Moss is to stand down as its artistic director in August 2020.[162]
• 30 May – Over a period of 15.5 hours, Igor Levit gives a solo performance of Vexations by Erik Satie, from Berlin.[163]
• 1 June
  • The Metropolitan Opera announces cancellation of scheduled performances in the first part of its originally scheduled 2020-2021 season, through 30 December 2019, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[164]
  • At Wigmore Hall, Stephen Hough gives a live concert without an audience in attendance, video-streamed and broadcast on BBC Radio 3, the first live classical music concert in London and the first live music relay on BBC Radio 3 in 11 weeks since the imposition of COVID-19-related lockdown conditions.[165]
  • Kim Varian becomes executive director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, having previously served as interim executive director of the orchestra.[166]
• 3 June – The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra gives its first live performance since the imposition of lockdown conditions in The Netherlands in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, under social distancing conditions, conducted by Gustavo Gimeno.[167]
• 4 June – Dallas Opera announces postponement and programming reduction of its originally scheduled 2020-2021 season, along with staff redundancies and furloughs, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[168]
• 5 June
  • The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performs its first live concert at the Musikverein in Vienna since the imposition of lockdown conditions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, to a limited audience, with Daniel Barenboim as piano soloist and conductor.[169]
  • The Konzert Theater Bern announces the appointment of Nicholas Carter as its next Operndirektor (director of opera), effective in the summer of 2021.[170]
  • Seattle Opera announces the cancellation of the first production of its originally scheduled 2020-2021 season and staff furloughs, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[171]
• 8 June – The Bozeman Symphony announces the appointment of Norman Huyhn as its next music director.[172]
• 9 June
  • The Norddeutschen Philharmonie Rostock announces the appointment of Marcus Bosch as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2020-2021 season.[173]
  • The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Domingo Hindoyan as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021-2022 season.[174]
  • The Salzburg Festival announces its revised summer 2020 programme, abridged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, to be given under social distancing conditions.[175]
• 10 June
  • The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music (Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik) announces a revised and abridged summer 2020 festival programme, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[176]
  • The New York Philharmonic announces the cancellation of the first part of its scheduled 2020-2021 season, through 5 January 2021, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[177]
• 11 June
  • In an interview with Le Monde, Stéphane Lissner announces his intention to vacate the general directorship of the Opéra de Paris at the end of 2020, ahead of his originally scheduled summer 2021 departure.[178]
  • Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announces the cancellation of the first part of its scheduled 2020-2021 season, through 5 January 2021, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[179]
• 12 June – The Nashville Symphony Orchestra announces the suspension of its concert activities through 31 July 2021, and the scheduled furlough of 79 musicians, 49 staff members, and music director Giancarlo Guerrero on 1 July 2020.[180]
• 13 June
  • The Hong Kong Philharmonic announces that Jaap van Zweden is to conclude his music directorship of the orchestra at the close of the 2023-2024 season.[181]
  • The French music business store Wolf Musique ceases operations and closes its doors in Strasbourg, after 195 years of operation.[182]
• 15 June – Birmingham Opera Company announces the appointment of Alpesh Chauhan as its new music director, effective 1 July 2020.[183]
• 16 June
  • The following arts organisations announce cancellations of their scheduled autumn 2020 seasons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
    • Lyric Opera of Chicago[184]
    • San Francisco Opera[185]
  • Universal Music Group announces the re-branding of its Virgin EMI label as EMI Records, and the appointment of Rebecca Allen as president of the EMI Records label.[186]
  • The Philadelphia Orchestra announces the appointment of Nicole Jordan as its new principal librarian, the first African-American musician named as a full-time member of the organisation in its history.[187]
• 18 June
  • The Orchestre de Paris announces the appointment of Klaus Mäkelä as its next music director, effective with the 2022-2023 season, with an initial contract of 5 seasons.[188]
  • The Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar announces the appointment of Dominik Beykirch as its new chief conductor, effective with the 2020-2021 season.[189]
  • The following arts organisations announce cancellations of their scheduled autumn 2020 seasons, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
    • Carnegie Hall[190]
    • Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts[190]
    • San Francisco Symphony[191]
  • The Music Critics Association of North America (MCANA) announces its 2020 Award for Best New Opera to Blue, by composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tazewell Thompson.[192]
• 22 June – Canadian Opera Company announces the cancellation of its scheduled autumn 2020 performances through the end of 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[193]
• 23 June
  • The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces the cancellation of the scheduled autumn performances of the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera through the end of 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[194]
  • Houston Grand Opera announces cancellation of performances in its scheduled 2020-2021 season through February 2021, along with staff redundancies and salary reductions for remaining staff, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[195]
• 24 June
  • The Omaha Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Ankush Kumar Bahl as its next music director, effective with the 2021-2022 season.[196]
  • Utah Symphony | Utah Opera announces the appointment of Steven Brosvik as its next president and chief executive officer, effective August 17, 2020.[197]
• 25 June
  • The following music organisations announce postponement of their originally scheduled autumn 2020 performances, through the end of 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Calgary Opera[198]
    • Calgary Symphony
  • The London Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Cristina Rocca as its new artistic director, effective November 2020.[199]
• 27 June – The Vermont Symphony Orchestra annouces the appointment of Elise Brunelle as its new executive director.[200]
• 28 June – Frédéric Lodéon hosts the France Musique radio programme Carrefour de Lodéon for the final time, prior to his retirement.[201]

• Maya Miro Johnson – Manuscripts Don't Burn[202]
• Veronika Krausas – Master and Margarita (suite for speaking pianist) [202]
• Eric Moe – Like Diamonds We Are Cut with Our Own Dust[202]
• Kevin Puts – Aria (for cello and piano)[202]
• David Taylor – Houdini's Lament[202]
• Martijn Padding – Softly Bouncing[203]
• Roberto Sierra – Salseando[204]
• Michael Tilson Thomas
  • Rilke Songs
  • Whistle Tune
• Bent Sørensen – Enchantress (5 intermezzi for orchestra)[205]
• Emma-Ruth Richards – The Sail of a Flame[205]
• Márton Illés – Vont-tér (for violin and orchestra)[206]
• Lisa Bielawa – Sanctuary for violin and orchestra[207]
• Lisa Young – Sacred Stepping Stones[208]
• Clara Iannotta – You crawl over seas of granite[209]
• György Kurtág – ...concertante...[210]
• Valery Voronov – Acqua Alta[210]
• Mark-Anthony Turnage – Towards Alba[211]
• Julia Wolfe – Flower Power[212]
• Marko Nikodijević – abgesang[213]
• Gordon Kampe – Masque[213]
• Fabien Lévy – De l'art d'induire en erreur
• Wolfgang Rihm – Concerto en sol (for Sol Gabetta)[214]
• Dani Howard – Dualism[215]
• Qasim Naqvi – Featureless[216]
• Amanda Berlind – Bird Chart[216]
• Hildur Guðnadóttir – Illimani[216]
• Alvin Curran – Missteps[216]
• Dimitrios Skyllas – Kyrie eleison[217]
• Veronika Krausas – Master and Margarita (suite for speaking pianist) [202]
• Thomas Hewitt Jones – Divertimento for String Quartet
• Christoph Kalz – A Spectator's Guide to the Orchestra (Symphonic Caricature for large orchestra)[218]
• Nina C. Young – Tread softly[219]
• Anders Hillborg – Through Lost Landscapes
• Joan La Barbara – Ears of an Eagle; Eyes of a Hawk: In the Vortex[220]
• Paola Prestini – Thrush Song (on Rachel Carson before Silent Spring) [220]
• Tania León – Stride[221]
• Unsuk Chin – Spira – A Concerto for Orchestra[222]
• Ellen Reid – When the World As You've Known It Doesn’t Exist[223]
• Deborah Cheetham – Dutala, star filled sky[224]
• Nicolas Bacri – Ophelia's Tears
• Michaela Catranis – Tyranny of noise: rapture of a sonic_colourbody for ensemble, electronics and AI agent[225]
• Lawrence Dunn – We are all okay[225]
• Yu Kuwabara – Time Abyss[225]
• Alex Paxton – ILolli-pop[225]
• Igor Santos – portrait IO[225]
• Tanner Porter – The Sycamore[226]
• Sophie Westbrooke – Quiet Stream
• Robert Paterson – String Quartet No. 3[227]
• Bernhard Gander – OOZING EARTH[228]
• Helge Sten – UTOPIAS[228]
• Patrick van Deurzen (music) and Jules Terlingen (text) – Sura Cantate[229]
• Ella Macens – Superimposition[230]
• Cyrus Meurant – 'When I stand before thee at the day's end[231]
• Elmer Schönberger – Gezien Hercules Segers[232]
• Courtney Bryan – Syzygy
• Iman Habibi – Jeder Baum spricht [233]

NOTE: the following new works had been scheduled for premieres prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• York Höller – Beethoven Paraphrase[234]
• Enrico Chapela – Violin Concerto[235]
• Josep Planells Schiaffino – Con sperzzatura[236]
• Marco Stroppa – And One By One We Drop Away[236]
• Sarah Nemtsov – Rezubs[237]
• Tom Coult – Pleasure Garden[238]
• Sarah Kirkland Snider – Forward Into Light[239]

• Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl – Eurydice
• Tom Coult and Alice Birch – Violet
• Johanna Doderer and Peter Turrini – Schuberts Reisen nach Atzenbrugg
• Søren Nils Eichberg and John von Düffel – Wolf unter Wölfen
• Willem Jeths and Frank Siera – Ritratto[240]
• Josephine Macken – The Tent[241]
• Rachel J. Peters and Royce Vavrek – The Wild Beast of the Bungalow[242]
• Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman – Awakenings (originally acheduled prior to the COVID-19 pandemic)
• Peggy Polias – Commute[241]
• Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang – M. Butterfly[243] (originally acheduled prior to the COVID-19 pandemic)
• Georgia Scott and Pierce Wilcox – Her Dark Marauder[241]
• Bree van Reyk – The Invisible Bird[241]
• Luna Pearl Woolf and Royce Vavrek – Jacqueline[244]

• Vaughan Williams – Saraband – "Helen" (first recording) / A Pastoral Symphony / Symphony No 4 (Hyperion)
• Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco – The Importance of Being Earnest (Odyssey Opera; first recording)
• Hans Abrahamsen – Left, Alone / Gérard Pesson – Future Is a Faded Song / Oscar Strasnoy – Kuleshov (Alexandre Tharaud, pianist)[245]
• Rhian Samuel – Clytemnestra (first recording) / Mahler – Rückert-Lieder / Berg – Altenberg Lieder (BIS; Ruby Hughes / BBC NOW / Jac van Steen)[246]
• Spark Catchers – Errollyn Wallen – Concerto Grosso / James Wilson – The Green Fuse / Hannah Kendall – The Spark Catchers / Daniel Kidane – Dream Song / Philip Herbert – Elegy / Julian Joseph – Carry That Sound (NMC; Chineke! Orchestra and Chorus)[246]
• Rhian Samuel and Clara Schumann – Song Lied Cân[246]
• Gounod – Faust (1858-1859 version)[247]
• Nico Muhly / Philip Glass – Unexpected News (Brett Brown; Alexandra Osborne; Sally Whitwell; Omega Ensemble)[248]
• Thomas Adès – Piano Concerto / Totentanz
• Liza Lim – Extinction Events and Dawn Chorus
• Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Kenner und Liebhaber (Peter Serkin, piano; his final recording[249])
• The Night With... Live Vol. One - Cinq Petites Entropies / Garth Knox - ReVerse 2 / Adam Porębski - Flow My Tears / John Dowland - ...shadows that in darkness dwell... / Timothy Cooper - to sleep on it / Ruari Paterson-Achenbach - Medieval Fantasy / Garth Knox - Oscillate / Linda Buckley - Solo for Viola d'amore and Electronics / Matthew Whiteside - Daily Rituals / Matthew Grouse - I Said / Nora Marazaite - In Nomine / William Byrd - In C / Terry Riley (TNW Music / Garth Knox / Hermes Experiment / Ensemble 1604 / Duo van Vliet)[250]
• Sir James MacMillan – Symphony No. 5 (Le grand Inconnu) / The Sun Danced (first recordings)
• British Violin Sonatas, Volume 3 – William Alwyn: Sonatina / York Bowen: Sonata, op. 112 / James Francis Brown: The Hart's Grace (first recording) / Eric Coates: First Meeting / John Ireland: Sonata No. 2 (Tasmin Little, violin; Piers Lane, piano)[251]
• Philip Glass – Music in Eight Parts (first recording)[252]
• Cyrillus Kreek – The Suspended Harp of Babel[253]
• Michael Daugherty – This Land Sings[254]
• William Alwyn – Miss Julie (second commercial recording; Anna Patalong, Benedict Nelson, Rosie Aldridge, Samuel Sakker; BBC Symphony Orchestra; Sakari Oramo)

• 1 January
  • Joan Benson, American clavichordist, 94[255]
  • Jaap Schröder, Dutch violinist, conductor, pedagogue, and specialist in the historically informed performance movement, 94[256]
• 4 January – Emanuel Borok, Russia-born, United States-resident orchestral violinist, pedagogue, and past concertmaster (leader) of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, 75[257]
• 7 January – Ana Lucrecia Taglioretti, Paraguayan violinist, 24[258]
• 12 January – Giorgio Merighi, Italian tenor, 80[259]
• 14 January – Guy Deplus, French clarinetist, 95[260]
• 16 January – Barry Tuckwell, Australia-born French horn player, conductor, and past principal French horn of the London Symphony Orchestra, 86[261]
• 18 January – John Burke, Canadian composer, 68[262]
• 21 January – Bernard Gabel, French orchestral trumpeter, 77[263]
• 23 January – Franz Mazura, Austrian bass-baritone, 95[264]
• 28 January – Othmar Mága, German conductor and composer, 90[265]
• 29 January – Dwight Shambley, American orchestral double bassist, 70[266]
• 30 January – Vidmantas Bartulis, Lithuanian composer, 65[267]
• 1 February – Peter Serkin, American pianist, 72[268]
• 4 February – Volker David Kirchner, German violist and composer, 77[269]
• 5 February – Yves Pouliquen, French ophthalmologist and past president of the Singer-Polignac Foundation, 88[270]
• 6 February – Nello Santi, Italian opera conductor, 88[271]
• 9 February
  • Vladimir Kranjčević, Croatian conductor, 84[272]
  • Mirella Freni, Italian soprano, 84[273]
  • Sergei Slonimsky, Russian composer, 88
  • Margareta Hallin, Swedish soprano, 88[274]
• 12 February
  • Hamish Milne, British pianist, 80[275]
  • William Winstead, American orchestral bassoonist, pedagogue, and past principal bassoonist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, 77[276]
• 13 February – Christophe Desjardins, French violist, 57[277]
• 14 February – Reinbert de Leeuw, Dutch pianist, conductor, composer, and specialist in contemporary music, 81[278]
• 16 February – Jaring Walta, Dutch orchestral violinist and past concertmaster (leader) of the Residentie Orkest, 78[279]
• 25 February – Irina Bochkova, Russian violinist and pedagogue, 81[280]
• 29 February
  • Odile Pierre, French organist, 89[281]
  • William O. Smith, American composer and jazz clarinetist (as Bill Smith), 93[282]
• 3 March
  • Patricia Barretto, American arts administrator, 45[283]
  • Günther Müller, German conductor, musicologist and pedagogue, 95[284]
• 6 March – Elinor Ross, American soprano, 88[285]
• 8 March – Martin Davorin-Jagodić, Croatian composer of electronic music, 84[286]
• 9 March – Anton Coppola, American conductor, composer, and founding artistic director of Tampa Opera, 102[287]
• 11 March – Charles Wuorinen, American composer, 81[288]
• 14 March – Doriot Anthony Dwyer, American orchestral flautist and the first female principal flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 98[90]
• 18 March
  • Jean Leber, French violinist, pedagogue and music administrator, 80 (from COVID-19)[289]
  • Sir John Tooley, British arts administrator, 95[290]
• 21 March – Hellmut Stern, German orchestral violinist and past concertmaster (leader) of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, 91[291]
• 22 March – Kenneth Wentworth, American classical music impresario and pedagogue, 92
• 24 March
  • Edward Tarr, American trumpeter and musicologist, 83[292]
  • Gerard Schurmann, Dutch composer resident in the UK and the USA, 96[293]
  • Terrence McNally, American playwright and opera librettist, 81 (from COVID-19)[294]
  • Anatoliy Mokrenko, Ukrainian baritone and opera house administrator, 89[284]
• 25 March – Jennifer Bate, British organist, 75[295]
• 26 March
  • André Larquié, French arts administrator, 81[296]
  • Luigi Roni, Italian bass, 78 (from COVID-19)[297]
• 27 March – Mirna Doris, Italian singer, 79[298]
• 28 March
  • Kerstin Behrendtz, Swedish radio presenter and music director, 69 (from COVID-19)[299]
  • Hertha Töpper, Austrian contralto, 95[300]
• 29 March – Krzysztof Penderecki, Polish composer and conductor, 86[301]
• 30 March – Judy Drucker, American classical music impresario, 91[302]
• 31 March – Zoltán Peskó, Hungarian conductor and composer, 83[303]
• 2 April – Claudio Spies, Chile-born composer, music academic and theorist, and author, 95[304]
• 3 April – Albert K. Webster, American classical music administrator, 82 (from COVID-19)[305]
• 4 April
  • Michel Wiblé, Swiss oboist, pedagogue and composer, 97[306]
  • Silvano Carroli, Italian baritone, 81[306]
  • Vincent Lionti, American opera orchestra violist and youth orchestra conductor, 61 (from COVID-19)[307]
• 7 April
  • Gildas Delaporte, French-born orchestral double bassist active in The Netherlands, 54[308]
  • André Stordeur, Belgian electronic music composer, 79[306]
• 8 April – Eileen Croxford Parkhouse, British cellist, pedagogue, and founder of the Parkhouse Award, 96[309]
• 9 April
  • Dmitri Smirnov, Russian-born composer resident in the UK, 71 (from COVID-19)[310]
  • Richard Teitelbaum, American composer, 80[311]
• 14 April - Kerstin Meyer, Swedish mezzo-soprano, 92[312]
• 15 April – Joseph Feingold, Poland-born architect, Holocaust survivor, and subject of the documentary Joe's Violin, 97 (from COVID-19)[313]
• 16 April
  • Kenneth Gilbert, Canadian harpsichordist, organist, musicologist, and pedagogue, 88[314]
  • Jan Talich, Czech violinist and violist, and founder of the Talich Quartet, 74[315]
  • Maksimilijan Cenčić, Croatian conductor, 68[316]
• 17 April
  • Arlene Saunders, American soprano, 89 (from COVID-19)[317]
  • Paul Shelden, American clarinetist, teacher and music administrator, 79 (from COVID-19)[318]
• 19 April – Alexander Vustin, Russian composer, 79 (from COVID-19)[319]
• 22 April – Sir Peter Jonas, British opera and arts administrator, 73[320]
• 24 April – David Wilder Daniels, American conductor, pedagogue and author, 86[306]
• 25 April
  • Alan Abel, American orchestral percussionist and pedagogue, 91 (from COVID-19)[321]
  • Vytautas Barkauskas, Lithuanian composer, 89[306]
• 27 April
  • Jeannette Pilou, French soprano, 83[322]
  • Lynn Harrell, American cellist, 76[323]
• 28 April – David Boe, American organist and music academic, 84 (from COVID-19)[324]
• 29 April – Martin Lovett, British cellist and the last surviving member of the Amadeus Quartet, 93 (from COVID-19)[325]
• 1 May – Georg Hörtnagel, German classical music impresario and former double bass player, 93[326]
• 3 May
  • Rosalind Elias, American mezzo-soprano, 90[327]
  • Frederick C. Tillis, American composer, jazz saxophonist, and music academic, 90[328]
• 6 May – Norbert Balasch, Austrian choral conductor, 92[329]
• 7 May – John Macurdy, American bass, 91[330]
• 13 May – Gabriel Bacquier, French baritone, 95[331]
• 18 May – John Poole, British organist and choral conductor, 86[332]
• 19 May – Bert Beal, American orchestral bassoonist and regular amateur photographer for the New York Philharmonic, 93[333]
• 25 May – Joel Revzen, American conductor, 74 (from COVID-19)[334]
• 30 May
  • Mady Mesplé, French soprano, 98[335]
  • André Emelianoff, American cellist and pedagogue, 78[336]
• 1 June
  • Janine Reiss, French harpsichordist and academic, 99[337]
  • Myroslav Skoryk, Ukrainian composer, conductor and pedagogue, 81[338]
• 4 June – Marcello Abbado, Italian pianist, composer, conductor and pedagogue, 93[339]
• 14 June – Claude Samuel, French music journalist, radio producer and administrator, 88[340]
• 17 June – Victor Feldbrill, Canadian conductor, 96[341]
• 18 June – Nicolas Joel, French opera director and administrator, 67[342]

• 2020 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Music: Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley - The Central Park Five