News

Sokolovic’s You Can Die Properly Now receives its world premiere with soprano Emma Pennel and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in May.

Anne Akiko Meyers premieres Eric Whitacre’s The Pacific Has No Memory this spring, including a performance at Carnegie Hall on May 17.

Composer Sofia Gubaidulina died on 13 March, aged 93, prompting obituaries, tributes and homages to the great Russian composer.

Benjamin Britten’s pacifist masterpiece continues to offer a powerful reflection on the horrors of war with notable performances in Tel Aviv, Kyiv and Hiroshima. Coming months mark 80 years since the end of World War II and 2026 is the 50th anniversary of Britten’s death.

Composer Grace-Evangeline Mason returns to the woodland glades for her new song cycle The Hart, following the success of her orchestral work The Imagined Forest. Ryan Wigglesworth conducts the premiere on 5 June with soprano Sophie Bevan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Boosey & Hawkes | Sikorski continues its series of web videos with conductor Marin Alsop discussing the music of Dmitri Shostakovich in his 50th anniversary year.

The 75th birthday of Bill Whelan is marked in May and the composer discusses his classic Riverdance, touring internationally in its 30th anniversary year. The double celebrations also see publication releases and concert performances, including the premiere of a new Concerto for Orchestra.

The Hamburg State Opera presents the world premiere of Unsuk Chin’s new opera Dark Side of the Moon on 18 May. Kent Nagano is on the rostrum for the five performances and the staging is by the theatre collective Dead Centre.

Nonesuch Record’s newly released Steve Reich Collected Works box set spans 60 years of Reich’s music, from early tape works to first recordings of recently premiered scores including Jacob's Ladder and Traveler's Prayer.

Composer Christopher Tin has won acclaim through his music for the Civilization series, including the first ever GRAMMY for a video game score. With the latest Civilization VII released, he discusses the challenges and rewards of writing music for games and how this can overlap with composition for the concert hall.

The Armed Man is performed at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 7 June, celebrating 25 years since the premiere of this much-loved work. Other Karl Jenkins highlights in 2025 include a new BBC commission to be premiered on Radio 3 and the first complete performance in Wales of One World at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

Explore works from the Boosey & Hawkes and Sikorski catalogues inspired by the iconic example of Ludwig van Beethoven. Read work notes outlining the Beethoven connections for programmers, conductors and performers and listen to our playlist.

This spring, John Adams takes the podium at the Metropolitan Opera to conduct his 2022 Shakespearean opera, Antony and Cleopatra. Directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, the production features Adams champions Julia Bullock and Gerald Finley in the title roles.

Boosey & Hawkes | Sikorski is sad to announce the passing of Sofia Gubaidulina, the grande dame of contemporary classical music, aged 93 at her home near Hamburg.

International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March brings concerts and broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 featuring music by Olga Neuwirth, Sofia Gubadulina and Ethyl Smyth.

Composer and trained bassoonist Sean Shepherd composes a new concerto for the four principal woodwind chairs of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Fabio Luisi leads the world premiere of Quadruple Concerto in April.

The powerful world premiere staging of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new opera, Festen, at the Royal Opera in London attracted public acclaim and a sweep of 5-star reviews from press.

Boosey & Hawkes | Sikorski launches its new series of web videos with leading international conductors discussing the music of Dmitri Shostakovich in his 50th anniversary year.

Read critical acclaim for John Adams’s new piano concerto for Vikingur Ólafsson following first performances in San Francisco and Zürich.

Composer-conductor James MacMillan is featured across multiple Minnesota orchestral and choral presentations during one week between March and April.