# 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

The following composers' works were composed, premiered, or published this year, as noted in the citation.

### A

* Hans Abrahamsen – Let Me Tell You, for soprano and orchestra
* Mark Adamo – Aristotle
* John Adams – Saxophone Concerto
* Thomas Ades – Totentanz

### B

* Matej Bonin – Mouvements

### C

* Benet Casablancas
** Tres Interludios, for orchestra
** Obertura Festiva, for orchestra

### D

* Bryce Dessner – Murder Ballads

### E

* Brian Elias – Once Did I Breathe Another's Breath

### F

* Lorenzo Ferrero – Venice 1976 (A Parody), 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 (Democracy), for 4 percussionists
* Graham Fitkin – Panufnik Variations
* Cheryl Frances-Hoad – Katharsis
* Gabriela Lena Frank – Karnavalito No. 1

### G

* Philip Glass
** String Quartet No. 6
** Two Movements for Four Pianos
* Edward Gregson – Aztec Dances (concerto for flute and ensemble) (2010)
* Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen – Together or Not

### H

* David Philip Hefti – Éclairs

### K

* Wojciech Kilar – A prayer to St. Therese the Little Flower, for mixed choir a cappella

### M

* Missy Mazzoli – Heartbreaker

### R

* Steve Reich – Radio Rewrite
* Christopher Rouse
** Symphony No. 4
** Thunderstuck
* Poul Ruders
** String Quartet No. 4 (2012)
** Schrödinger's Cat (2012)

### S

* Aulis Sallinen – Five Portraits of Women, Op. 100

### T

* Mark-Anthony Turnage – Speranza

### V

* Ian Venables – The Song of The Severn, Op. 43
* Param Vir – Cave of Luminous Mind

### W

* Judith Weir – Blue-Green Hill (2013)

### Z
## 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 (2012), 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 (opera written 1968–82)
* 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 (San Francisco Symphony), 56 (cerebral hemorrhage)
** 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 (Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra), 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 (pancreatic cancer)
* 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 (Life on Earth).
* 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 (San Francisco Symphony)
* 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 (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
* Best Choral Performance: "Life & Breath – Choral Works By René Clausen" – Charles Bruffy, conductor (Matthew Gladden, Lindsey Lang, Rebecca Lloyd, Sarah Tannehill & Pamela Williamson; Kansas City Chorale)
* 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 (Alan Gilbert & Seiji Ozawa; Orchestre National De France & Orchestre Philharmonique De Radio France)
* 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