2024 in classical music

• 5 January – The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Robert Spano as its principal conductor, with immediate effect.^[1]
• 6 January – The National Forum of Music (NFM) in Wrocław announces the appointment of Christoph Eschenbach as its next artistic director, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of 5 seasons.^[2]
• 9 January – The Cincinnati May Festival announces the appointment of Julia Wolfe as its first-ever festival director.^[3]
• 11 January
  • The Cleveland Orchestra announces that Franz Welser-Möst is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the close of the 2026-2027 season.^[4]
  • Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announces Hilary Hahn as the recipient of the 2024 Avery Fisher Prize.^[5]
• 17 January 
  • Orchestra members, chorus members, and music staff of English National Opera (ENO) announce their intention to take industrial action on 1 February, in protest at plans to make redundant the company's chorus, orchestra and music staff, with subsequent re-employment for six months per year.^[6]
  • New Orleans Opera announces the appointment of Lila Palmer as its next general director and artistic director, effective 15 May 2024.^[7]
  • Third Coast Baroque announces cessation of operations.^[8]
• 18 January – The Fonds Podiumkunsten announces Laurens de Man as the recipient of the Nederlandse Muziekprijs for 2024, the first organist to receive this award.^[9]
• 19 January – The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Krzysztof Urbański as its next artistic director, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of five years.^[10][11]
• 21 January – The Oregon Bach Festival announces the appointments of Craig Hella Johnson and Jos van Veldhoven as its new artistic partners, effective with the 2025 season.^[12]
• 22 January
  •  Birmingham Royal Ballet announces simultaneously the departure of Koen Kessels as its music director on 30 June 2024, and the appointment of Paul Murphy as its next music director, effective 1 July 2024.^[13]
  • The Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège announces simultaneously the scheduled conclusion of the tenure of Gergely Madaras as its music director at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and the appointment of Lionel Bringuier as its next music director, effective with the 2025-2026 season.^[14]
  • The Cincinnati May Festival announces that Steven R. Sunderman is to retire as its executive director as of 2 July 2024.^[15]
  • Wigmore Hall announces Igor Levit as the recipient of The Wigmore Hall Medal for 2024, the youngest recipient in the award's history.^[16]
• 23 January – The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Jun Märkl as its next music director, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of five years.^[17]
• 24 January
  • The Ernst von Siemens Foundation (Musikstiftung) announces Unsuk Chin as the recipient of the 2024 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize.^[18]
  • The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of John Storgårds as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract through the spring of 2028.^[19]
• 25 January
  • The Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern announces simultaneously the scheduled departure of Pietari Inkinen as its chief conductor at the close of the 2024-2025 season,^[20] and the appointment of Josep Pons as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2025-2026 season.^[21]
  • The Ernst von Siemens Foundation (Musikstiftung) announces Bára Gísladóttir, Daniele Ghisi, and Yiqing Zhu as the recipients of the 2024 Ernst von Siemens Composer Prizes.^[22]
  • The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne announces the appointment of Marie Jacquot as its next chief conductor, the first female conductor ever named to the post, effective with the 2026-2027 season, with an initial contract of 4 years.^[23]
• 26 January  The Orchestre de chambre de Paris announces the appointment of Thomas Hengelbrock as its next music director, effective with the 2024-2025 season.^[24]
• 29 January
  • Equity announces an interim agreement with English National Opera that forestalls previously declared intentions of industrial action.^[25]
  • The Lahti Symphony Orchestra announces simultaneously that Dalia Stasevska is to conclude her tenure as its chief conductor at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and the appointment of Hannu Lintu as its new artistic partner, effective with the 2025-2026 season.^[26]
  • Boston Lyric Opera announces the appointment of Nina Yoshida Nelsen as its next artistic director, effective 1 February 2024.^[27]
  • The Montreal Symphony Orchestra announces that Madeleine Careau is to stand down as its chief executive officer at the close of the 2023-2024 season.^[28]
• 30 January – Chattanooga Symphony and Opera announces the appointment of Susan W. Caminez as its next executive director, effective in the spring of 2024.^[29]
• 31 January – The Spanish Ministry of Culture and La Comunidad de Madrid announce the appointment of Alondra de la Parra as the new artistic director of the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, effective with the 2024-2025 season.^[30]
• 2 February – The San Antonio Philharmonic announces the appointment of Jeffrey Kahane as its inaugural music director, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of three seasons.^[31]
• 5 February – At the Sankt Burchardi Kirche (St. Burchardi Church), Halberstadt, the newest chord change in the planned 639-year performance of John Cage's Organ2/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible) takes place, with the addition of a d' (D4), the first chord change since 5 February 2022.^[32]
• 6 February – Washington National Opera announces simultaneously that Evan Rogister is to stand down as its principal conductor at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and the appointment of Robert Spano as its new music director, effective with the 2025-2026 season.^[33]
• 7 February
  • Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announces that Henry Timms is to stand down as its chief executive officer in the summer of 2024.^[34]
  • The Orchestra of St. Luke's announces that Bernard Labadie is to stand down as its principal conductor at the close of the 2024-2025 season.^[35]
• 8 February – Kings Place announces the appointment of Sam McShane as its next artistic director, effective 20 May 2024.^[36]
• 15 February – The BBC announces a new partnership between the BBC Singers and the Voces8 Foundation for future sustainability of the BBC Singers.^[37]
• 16 February – Orchestra members, chorus members, and music staff of English National Opera (ENO) call off their previously intended industrial action for February, after agreement in principle by ENO management to revise their original plans for redunancy and re-engagement of the musicians.^[38]
• 20 February – The Wiener Festwochen cancels a previously scheduled performance of Britten's War Requiem to have been conducted by Teodor Currentzis, following protest by Oksana Lyniv at his appearance in the festival in conjunction with a concert to be conducted by her, and his silence regarding the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[39]
• 22 February – The London Philharmonic Choir announces that Neville Creed is to retire as its artistic director at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and subsequently to take the title of chorus director emeritus.^[40]
• 27 February – The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France announces simultaneously that Mikko Franck is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and the appointment of Jaap van Zweden as its next music director, effective with the 2026-2027 season, with an initial contract of five seasons.^[41]
• 28 February – The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts announces that Verizon Hall is to be renamed Marian Anderson Hall, the first performing arts venue ever to be named for Marian Anderson, in a re-dedication ceremony scheduled for 8 June 2024.^[42]
• 4 March
  • The BBC Concert Orchestra announces the appointment of Matthew Swann as its next Director, effective 27 March 2024.^[43]
  • The UK Home Office grants visas to the Afghan Youth Orchestra, after public protest at the Home Office's prior refusal of their visa applications just before the start of their scheduled UK tour.^[44]
• 5 March
  • The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Sarah Bardwell as its next managing director.^[45]
  • Naxos Music Group and Klaus Heymann announce their acquisition of Chandos Records.^[46]
  • The Neuköllner Oper announces simultaneously the scheduled departure of Bernhard Glocksin as its artistic director, and the appointment of Rainer Simon as its next artistic director, effective August 2025.^[47]
  • The Kronos Quartet announces simultaneously the scheduled retirements of violinist John Sherba and violist Hank Dutt from the ensemble in June 2024, and the appointments of Gabriela Díaz as its new violinist and Ayane Kozasa as its new violist.^[48]
• 6 March
  • The National Opera Studio announces the appointment of Eric Melear as its next artistic director, effective July 2024.^[49]
• *The Bravo! Vail Music Festival announces that Anne-Marie McDermott is to stand down as its artistic director at the close of its 2026 season.^[50]
• 10 March – The short documentary film The Last Repair Shop receives the 2024 Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film.^[51]
• 12 March
  • The Venice Biennale announces its 2024 Lion Awards for Music:^[52]
    • Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement: Rebecca Saunders
    • Silver Lion: Ensemble Modern
  • Esa-Pekka Salonen is announced as one of the two Polar Music Prize Laureates for 2024.^[53]
  • The Columbus Symphony announces that Denise Rehg is to stand down as its executive director at the close of August 2024.^[54]
• 13 March
  • Los Angeles Opera announces that James Conlon is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the close of the 2025-2026 season, and subsequently to take the title of conductor laureate.^[55][56]
  • American Youth Symphony announces permanent cessation of operations, effective 15 March 2024.^[57]
• 14 March
  • Ars Nova Copenhagen announces the appointment of Sofi Jeannin as its chief conductor, the first female conductor to be named to the post, with immediate effect.^[58]
  • The San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen announce the scheduled conclusion of his tenure as the orchestra's music director at the close of the 2024-2025 season.^[59][60]
• 18 March
  • The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Mark Wigglesworth as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of four years.^[61]
  • St John's College, Cambridge announces the disbanding of St. John's Voices at the close of the 2023-2024 academic term, with consequent redundancy of its musical director, Graham Walker, and exclusion of soprano undergraduates from Cambridge chapel choral services.^[62]
• 22 March – The Pasadena Symphony and Pops announces the appointment of Brett Mitchell as its next music director, effective 1 April 2024.^[63]
• 26 March – Anne-Sophie Mutter announces her intention to take a sabbatical from performing in the later portion of 2024.^[64]
• 28 March – The Stichting Omroep Muziek announces the appointment of Simone Mejier as its next managing director, effective 1 June 2024.^[65]
• 2 April
  • The Chicago Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Klaus Mäkelä as its next music director, effective with the 2027–2028 season, with an initial contract of five years.^[66][67]
  • In a report in The New York Times, Klaus Mäkelä states that he is to stand down as chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic at the close of the 2026-2027 season.^[67]
  • In a report in The New York Times, Klaus Mäkelä states that he is to stand down as music director of the Orchestre de Paris at the close of the 2026-2027 season.^[67]
  • The Orion String Quartet performs its final concert at Alice Tully Hall in New York City.^[68]
• 3 April – The Metropolitan Opera announces the appointment of Tilman Michael as its next chorus director, effective with the 2024-2025 season.^[69]
• 3 April – The Theaer Chemnitz announces the appointment of Benjamin Reiners as its next Generalmusikdirektor, effective with the 2025-2026 season.^[70]
• 5 April – Britten Pears Arts announces the appointment of Andrew Comben as its next chief executive officer, effective September 2024.^[71]
• 9 April – The Oakland Symphony announces the appointment of Kedrick Armstrong as its music director, with immediate effect.^[72]
• 10 April – Edo de Waart announces his retirement from conducting.^[73][74]
• 12 April – The Solti Foundation US announces François López-Ferrer as the 15th recipient of the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.^[75]
• 15 April – The Three Choirs Festival announces that Alexis Paterson is to stand down as its chief executive after the 2024 season.^[76]
• 16 April
  •   La Scala announces the appointment of Fortunato Ortombina as its next general director, effective with the 2025-2026 season.^[77]
  • Welsh National Opera announces the truncation of two weeks from its 2024-2025 season, with the planned elimination of scheduled tours to Bristol Hippodrome in February 2025 and to Venue Cymru, Llandudno in May 2025.^[78]
• 18 April – The Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie announces the appointment of Jonathan Bloxham as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of three seasons.^[79]

• Katy Abbott – Liquid Thunder^[80]
• John Adams – Frenzy^[81]
• Thomas Adès – Aquifer^[82]
• Joanna Bailie – night scenes i & ii ^[83]
• Katherine Balch – musica pyralis^[84]
• Mason Bates – Nomad Concerto (violin concerto)^[85]
• Jeff Beal – Body in Motion (violin concerto)^[86]
• David Behrman – CW90^[87]
• Daniel Bjarnason – Fragile Hope^[88]
• Charlotte Bray – A Dark Doorway ^[89]
• Courtney Bryan – Visual Rhythms^[90]
• Anna Clyne – ATLAS (for piano and orchestra)^[91]
•  Francisco Coll – Ciudad sin sueño (for piano and orchestra)^[92]
• Bryce Dessner – Piano Concerto^[93]
• Jonathan Dove
  • Togetherness (for string quartet)^[94]
  • Odyssey (text by Alasdair Middleton)^[95]
•  Péter Eötvös – Harp Concerto^[96]
• Mats Larsson Gothe – Submarea^[88]
• Miho Hazama – What the wind brings^[88]
• Gavin Higgins – Horn Concerto^[97]
• Simon Holt – Serra-Sierra^[98]
• Sir Stephen Hough – Piano Concerto ('World of Yesterday')^[99]
• Dani Howard – Ascent^[100]
• Oswald Huynh – no last days, only more tomorrows^[101]
• Pierre Jalbert – Equilibrium^[102]
• Daniel Kidane – Aloud (violin concerto)
•  Jimmy López Bellido (music) and Nilo Cruz (texts)^[103]
• Steven Mackey – Aluminum Flowers^[104]
• Ragnhild May – Multiplayer Instrument ^[83]
• Cassandra Miller – Chanter^[105]
• Stefan Pohlit – Vapur^[106]
• James Ra – Te Deum^[104]
• Maja Ratkje – A Whisper, or a Prayer, or a Song^[88]
• Olga Rayeva – Am Meer (On the Sea)^[107]
• Sheridan Seyfried – Forest and Sky^[108]
• Alvin Singleton – Bed-Stuy Sonata^[109]
• Gregory Spears – The Neighboring Village (text by Franz Kafka)^[110]
• Outi Tarkiainen – Mosaics for "A Fragile Hope"^[88]
• Joel Thompson – To See the Sky^[111]
• Rick van Veldhuizen – Lantaarns (Lointaines)^[112]
• Freya Waley-Cohen – Spell Book^[113]
• Errollyn Wallen – String Quintet^[114]
• Huw Watkins – Horn Concerto^[115]
• Alyssa Weinberg – Illuminating Arches^[116]
• Krzysztof Wołe – Green Grass^[117]
• Christian Wolff
  • Ghost Swifts^[87]
  • What If?^[87]
  • Piece for Seven Percussionists
• Xi Wang – YEAR 2020 (double concerto for violin, trumpet, and orchestra)^[118]
• Raymond Yiu – Violin Concerto
• Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – Orchestral Excursions (Inspired by Gilbert Maurer’s Art Work)^[119]

• Elizabeth Gartman and Melisa Tien – Forever^[120]
• Detlev Glanert and Hans-Ulrich Treichel – Die Jüdin von Toledo^[121]
• Laura Jobin-Acosta and José Alba Rodríguez – A Way Forward^[120]
• Bernhard Lang and Frank Witzel – Dora^[122]
• Hèctor Parra and Fiston Mwanza Mujila - Justice^[123]
• Joy Redmond and Sam Norman – Hairpiece^[120]

• Franco Alfano – Complete Songs^[124]
• Timo Andres – The Blind Banister^[125]
• Dorothy Howell – 'Orchestral Works' ('Humoresque, The Rock, Three Divertissements, Lamia, Koong Shee)^[126]
• Dani Howard – 'Orchestral Works' (Argentum, Trombone Concerto, Ellipsis, Coalescence, Arches)^[127]
• Elisabeth Lutyens – 'Piano Works, Volume 3'^[128]
• Adam Pounds – Symphony No. 3 (first recording; coupled with music of Maurice Ravel and Lennox Berkeley)^[129]
• Arash Yazdani – Propagation of Uncertainty (orchestral works)

• 1 January – Oldřich Semerák, Czech composer, trombonist and pedagogue, 91^[130]
• 6 January – Deborah Reeder, American cellist, 83^[131]
• 7 January – William McColl, American clarinetist, 90^[132]
• 8 January
  • Tuomo Haapanen, Finnish violinist, pedagogue, and conductor, 99^[133]
  • Karel Janovický, Czech composer, pianist, radio producer, translator and administrator, 93^[130]
  • Phill Niblock, American avant-garde composer, filmmaker, and videographer, 90^[134]
• 10 January – Tamara Milashkina, Russian soprano, 89^[130]
• 12 January
  • David Lumsdaine, Australian composer resident in the UK, 92^[135]
  • Sidney Weiss, American violinist, 95^[136]
• 13 January
  • Bruno Ducol, French composer, pianist and pedagogue, 74^[130]
  • Romuald Twardowski, Polish composer, pianist, organist and pedagogue, 93^[130]
• 16 January – Peter Schickele, American composer, music educator and parodist, 88^[137]
• 17 January – Gerd Uecker, German opera administrator, 77^[138]
• 18 January – Ivan Moody, British composer, musicologist and critic, 59^[139]
• 19 January – Ewa Podles, Polish contralto, 71^[140]
• 23 January – Romana Vaccaro, Czech soprano resident in Germany, 67^[130]
• 28 January – Albert Mayr, Italian composer, musicologist and pedagogue, 76^[130]
• 2 February – Wilhelmenia Fernandez, American soprano and pedagogue, 75^[141]
• 3 February – Hannele Angervo-Segerstam, Finnish orchestra violinist and concertmaster (leader), 80^[142]
• 6 February
  • Seiji Ozawa, Japanese conductor, 88^[143]
  • Zaven Melikian, Yugoslavia-born American opera orchestra violinist, 94^[144]
• 12 February
  • Cliff Colnot, American conductor, 76^[145]
  • Rudolf Jansen, Dutch pianist, 84^[146]
  • Stewart Robertson, Scottish conductor, 75^[147]
• 14 February – Patrick Ireland, British violist and founding violist of the Allegri String Quartet, 100^[148]
• 17 February
  • Edmond Baert, Belgian cellist, 90^[149]
  • Geoffrey Michaels, Australia-born violinist, violist and pedagogue resident in the USA, 79^[150]
  • Sally Thomas, American violinist and pedagogue, 92^[151]
• 19 February – Dennis Rooney, American classical music radio presenter and producer, 82^[152]
• 25 February – Roger E. Myers, Australia-born violist resident in the USA, 57^[153]
• 27 February – Roger Zabinski, American bow maker, 73^[154]
• 28 February – Eugen Indijc, Yugoslavia-born French-American pianist, 76^[155]
• 3 March – George E. Allen Sr., American composer and pedagogue, 87^[156]
• 5 March – Amnon Weinstein, Israeli luthier and founder of the Violins of Hope collection, 84^[157]
• 13 March – Aribert Reimann, German composer, 88^[158]
• 14 March – Byron Janis, American pianist, 95^[159]
• 23 March
  • Maurizio Pollini, Italian pianist, 82 ^[160]
  • Igor Ozim, Slovenia violinist and pedagogue, 92^[161]
• 24 March – Péter Eötvös, Hungarian composer and conductor, 80^[162]
• 27 March – Paul Philips, American orchestral violinist, 77^[163]
• 18 April – Joséphine Markovits, French arts administrator, 77^[164]
• 20 April – Sir Andrew Davis, British conductor, 80^[165]

2024 Musical America Award Winners

• Artist of the Year: Lise Davidsen
• Composer of the Year: Kevin Puts
• Conductor of the Year: Sir Antonio Pappano
• Instrumentalist of the Year: Anthony McGill
• Ensemble of the Year: The Crossing^[166]

2024 Grammy Awards

• Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: Rough Magic (works by Eve Beglarian, William Brittelle, Caroline Shaw, and Peter S. Shin); Roomful of Teeth (New Amsterdam)
• Best Choral Performance: Kaija Saariaho – Reconnaissance; Uusinta Ensemble; Helsinki Chamber Choir; Nils Schweckendiek, conductor (BIS)
• Best Classical Compendium: Jeff Scott – Passion for Bach and Coltrane; Alex Brown, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds, Edward Perez, Neal Smith, A. B. Spellman, musicians; Silas Brown and Mark Dover, producers (Imani Winds Media)
• Best Classical Instrumental Solo: The American Project (music of Teddy Abrams and Michael Tilson Thomas); Yuja Wang, piano; Louisville Orchestra; Teddy Abrams, conductor (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Best Classical Solo Vocal Album: Walking in the Dark – Julia Bullock, vocalist; Christian Reif, pianist and conductor; Philharmonia Orchestra (Nonesuch)
• Best Contemporary Classical Composition: Jessie Montgomery – Rounds (for piano and string orchestra); Awadagin Pratt, piano; A Far Cry (New Amsterdam)
• Best Opera Recording: Terence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer – Champion; Ryan Speedo Green, Latonia Moore, Eric Owens, Paul Groves, Eric Greene, Stephanie Blythe (singers); The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; David Frost, producer (Metropolitan Opera)
• Best Engineered Album, Classical: Contemporary American Composers (music of Jessie Montgomery, Max Raimi, and Philip Glass); Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, conductor; David Frost and Charlie Post, engineers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer (CSO Resound)
• Best Orchestral Performance: Thomas Adès – Dante; Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Nonesuch)
• Producer of the Year, Classical: Elaine Martone^[167]

2024 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards

• Chamber-Scale Composition: Laurence Osborn – TOMB!
• Conductor: François-Xavier Roth
• Ensemble: BBC Singers
• Gamechanger: Sara Lee and the Irene Taylor Trust
• Impact: Call of the Mountains – Clare Johnston and Drake Music Scotland
• Inspiration: Derwent Brass
• Instrumentalist: Jasdeep Singh Degun – sitar
• Large-Scale Composition: Kaija Saariaho – Innocence
• Opera and Music Theatre: Chornobyldorf – Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
• Series and Events: Manchester Classical
• Singer: Nicky Spence
• Storytelling: Quartet – Leah Broad
• Young Artist: Lotte Betts-Dean^[168]