News

In 2025, we reach the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of the Second World War. Though the calls for global peace gathered strength through the Cold War and beyond, in recent decades we have seen the return to warfare in Europe and major conflicts continuing to be waged around the world. Sadly, the subject of war and peace is ever topical.

Magnus Lindberg’s Viola Concerto receives its North American premiere with Lawrence Power, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Hannu Lintu in March.

Olga Neuwirth’s Tombeau I is premiered in Paris on 8 February as part of her composer feature at Radio France’s Festival Présences, while Tombeau II: Hommage à Pierre Boulez gains its first performance on 26 January from the London Symphony Orchestra within a Boulez centenary feature.

Composer Mark-Anthony Turnage shares the eight tracks he would take with him if cast away to a desert island on the BBC Radio 4 classic series.

Discover several recent concert openers by Boosey & Hawkes composers.

Sebastian Currier’s large-scale choral work Mysterium receives its world premiere with The Crossing and Donald Nally in Philadelphia this February.

Videmus Inc. publishes American composer Julia Perry’s previously unavailable catalog of music through a licensing partnership with Boosey & Hawkes.

The Recording Academy announced nominations for the 2025 GRAMMY Awards, with composers Gabriela Ortiz and John Adams among the nominees.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates three years of collaboration with Brett Dean as Composer-in-Residence with a new two-disc collection of orchestral works. Repertoire includes his Cello Concerto and Viola Concerto and the world premiere of In spe contra spem for two sopranos and orchestra.

Karl Jenkins’s recent work for soloists, choir, and orchestra receives its North American premiere at Carnegie Hall on January 20.

The Royal Opera in London presents the premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new opera Festen on 11 February, based on the classic film by Thomas Vinterberg. The New Year also sees Simon Rattle conducting first performances of Turnage’s concerto Sco, written for jazz guitarist John Scofield, in London, Paris and Luxembourg and Remembering in Munich and Vienna.

A new viola concerto by Donghoon Shin, inspired by the enigmatic, weaving poetry of Paul Celan, is premiered by soloist Amihai Grosz and the Berlin Philharmonic at the Philharmonie on 9 January. Further performances are planned in the composer’s native South Korea, Austria and the USA.

Vikingur Ólafsson premieres Adams’s After the Fall with the San Francisco Symphony and David Robertson in January before touring the new concerto throughout Europe in the spring.

The new viola concerto by Mark Simpson is premiered by Timothy Ridout in Berlin on 15 December. Drawing on a Romanian proverb about facing your fears, the new work features the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester conducted by Robin Ticciati, with further performances following in the UK, Netherlands and Switzerland.

Discover several recent chamber operas by Boosey & Hawkes composers, including David T. Little's What Belongs to You starring tenor Karim Sulayman.

The coming Spring season brings an extensive collection of new and recent works by Boosey & Hawkes and Sikorski composers, including John Adams, Unsuk Chin, Olga Neuwirth and Mark-Anthony Turnage.

Chandos has added a new disc to its collection of Roberto Gerhard recordings with Juanjo Mena conducting the BBC Philharmonic in the complete Don Quixote ballet, together with the flamenco-inspired Alegrías Suite and Pedrelliana.

Discover several recent cello concertos by Boosey & Hawkes composers, including Gabriela Ortiz's Dzonot for Alisa Weilerstein.

Michel van der Aa's latest creation is premiered at De Doelen in Rotterdam on 3 December. From Dust is a virtual reality opera installation in which the audience itself takes part in the action and helps to shape the work. The innovative composer-director-conceptual artist is once again breaking new ground in the world of music theatre.

The consoling Benedictus movement from Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace is under the spotlight in the latest episode in BBC Radio 4’s Soul Music series, exploring how music can deeply affect the lives of individuals across the world.