The 17-year-old Austrian violinist Leonhard Baumgartner has been loaned the 1683 ‘ex Petherick’ Stradivari violin by the Stretton Society which was founded in 2021 by Stephan Jansen, Maximillian von Schierstädt and Johannes Freiherr von Salmuth.The instrument was owned by George Hart, until in 1900 it was acquired by Horace Petherick, a writer, illustrator and violin expert. Apparently, the violin has not been played for 70 years.

On 21 February 2025, Lana Zorjan is going to play Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 14 by Henryk Wieniawski with the Orquesta de València conducted by Guillermo García Calvo.

The Tonhalle Düsseldorf Human Rights Award 2025 goes to Jouanna Hassoun and Shai Hoffmann from Berlin. Jouanna Hassoun fled to Germany as a child from the civil war in Lebanon, has Palestinian roots and has been active in political education work for over 15 years. Shai Hoffmann is a social entrepreneur and German Jew with Israeli roots.

In three rounds, the Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) has chosen the releases competing in the finals for the awards 2025. The initial list with a total of 374 nominations has been reduced to three releases per category, the finalists for 2025. The winner is chosen from this list of three finalists. The names of the winners who will receive their trophy at the Tonhalle in Düsseldorf on 19 March 2025, will be published on 14 January 2025. To see the finalists list, click here: FINALISTS ICMA 2025

After 15 years of successful management, Drazen Domjanic, initiator, Artistic Director and Managing Director of the Music Academy in Liechtenstein, has decided to retire from the operational business as of September 1, 2025. However, Domjanic will remain with the Music Academy as an advisor to his successor and will also take on a new role as a member of the Foundation Board. Read More →

The International Classical Music Awards ICMA today announced the nominations for their Awards 2025, celebrating the best musicians and recordings. The nominations include many renowned soloists, ensembles, conductors and orchestras as well as a lot of young musicians, many of them being first-nominees. Read More →

In Nendeln/Liechtenstein, the new home of the Music Academy in Liechtenstein was inaugurated this weekend. In the Hagenhaus on Feldkircherstrasse in Nendeln, built in 1837, the former K&K post office has been converted into a modern academy with a concert hall, recording studio, student and teacher rooms, as well as offices and social rooms by CN Architects – the same team that planned the now-stalled construction of the Munich Konzerthaus. Read More →

The Bechstein grand piano by Franz Liszt, which is located in the Liszt House in Weimar, is playable again. The Klassik Stiftung Weimar, together with the C. Bechstein company and the Franz Liszt University of Music Weimar, celebrated the renovation of the grand piano from 1881 with a festive matinée in the Liszt House yesterday. Read More →