2010 in classical music

Events

 * March 22 – Daniel Barenboim is awarded the Otto Hahn Peace Medal for his work with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.
 * March 29 – Protesters interrupt a concert by the Jerusalem Quartet at London's Wigmore Hall.
 * June 8 – The Gregynog Music Festival opens; performers include Emma Kirkby, Catrin Finch and The Academy of Ancient Music.
 * July 11 – Rachel Barton Pine gives a three-part performance at Chicago's Millennium Park as part of the "Great Performers of Illinois" celebration.
 * August – Frank Huang leaves the Ying Quartet.
 * August 13 – The Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir give their first concert, at Tewkesbury Abbey, performing Handel’s "Zadok the Priest", "Water Music (Suite No 2 in D)" and "My Heart is Inditing", and Bach’s "Magnificat", accompanied by the Corelli Chamber Orchestra.

New works

 * Steven Bryant – Concerto for Wind Ensemble
 * Mehdi Hosseini
 * Taleshi Hava, for solo violin and bassoon
 * An Unfinished Draft, for flute, clarinet, piano, violin, violoncello and baritone
 * Pause, for flute, clarinet, piano, violin, violoncello and tubular bells
 * Wojciech Kilar – The Solemn Overture, for symphony orchestra
 * Fred Lerdahl – Arches
 * Bruno Mantovani – Concerto de chambre nos 1 and 2
 * Krzysztof Penderecki
 * Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott for mixed choir, brass, percussion and string orchestra
 * Powiało na mnie morze snów... Pieśni zadumy i nostalgii (A sea of dreams did breathe on me... Songs of reverie and nostalgia)
 * Duo concertante, for violin and double bass
 * Tanz, for solo viola
 * Steve Reich – WTC 9/11
 * Kaija Saariaho – Mirages
 * Esa-Pekka Salonen – Nyx, for orchestra
 * Johannes Maria Staud
 * On Comparative Meteorology, for orchestra
 * Contrebande (On Comparative Meteorology II), for orchestra
 * Tondo Preludio, for orchestra
 * Chant d'amour, for ensemble
 * Manfred Trojahn – Herbstmusik, for orchestra
 * Graham Waterhouse – Chinese Whispers

Albums

 * Jack Cooper – The Chamber Wind Music of Jack Cooper
 * Jackie Evancho – O Holy Night
 * Jon Lord – To Notice Such Things
 * Frederik Magle – Like a Flame
 * Maksim Mrvica – Appassionata
 * Les Prêtres – Spiritus Dei

Musical films

 * Kinshasa Symphony

Deaths

 * January 8 – Otmar Suitner, Austrian conductor, 87
 * January 22 – Surendran Reddy, South African pianist and composer, 47
 * January 23 – Earl Wild, US pianist, 94
 * February 2 – Nelli Shkolnikova, Russian violinist, 81
 * February 9 – Jacques Hétu, Canadian composer and music teacher, 71
 * February 11 – Irina Arkhipova, Russian operatic mezzo-soprano and later contralto, 85
 * February 17 – Kathryn Grayson, 88, American soprano and film star
 * February 18 – Ariel Ramírez, Argentine composer, 88
 * March – Farman Behboud, Iranian pianist and piano teacher, 63
 * March 4 – Amalie Christie, Norwegian classical pianist, author and anthroposophist, 96
 * March 5 – Philip Langridge, English operatic tenor, 70
 * March 17 – Ştefan Gheorghiu, Romanian violinist, 83
 * March 23 – Blanche Thebom, 91, American mezzo-soprano
 * April 1 – Morag Beaton, 83, Scottish-Australian soprano
 * April 10 – William Walker, 78, American baritone and General Director of the Fort Worth Opera
 * April 27 – Morris Pert, Scottish percussionist, pianist and composer, 62
 * April 29 – Johannes Fritsch, German composer, 68
 * May 5 – Giulietta Simionato, Italian operatic mezzo-soprano, 99
 * May 17 – Yvonne Loriod, French pianist, teacher, and composer, 86
 * May 24 – Anneliese Rothenberger, 83, German soprano
 * May 25 – Siphiwo Ntshebe, South African operatic tenor, 35 (meningitis)
 * June 2 – Giuseppe Taddei, Italian operatic baritone, 93
 * June 5 – Arne Nordheim, Norwegian composer, 78
 * June 12 – Fuat Mansurov, Russian conductor, 82
 * June 14 – Giacinto Prandelli, Italian operatic tenor, 96
 * June 18 – Kalmen Opperman, American clarinetist, teacher, conductor and instrument maker, 90
 * July 1 – John Paynter, British composer and music educator, 78
 * July 5 – Cesare Siepi, 87, Italian bass
 * July 12 – John Douglas, American conductor, voice teacher and accompanist, 54 (melanoma)
 * July 14 – Sir Charles Mackerras, Australian conductor, 84
 * July 15 – Luo Pinchao, Chinese opera singer, 98
 * June 16 – Maureen Forrester, 79, Canadian contralto
 * July 21 – Anthony Rolfe Johnson, British tenor, 69
 * August 6 – Cacilda Borges Barbosa, Brazilian pianist, conductor and composer, 96
 * September 11 – Herbert Grossman, American conductor, 83
 * September 12 – Charles Ansbacher, American conductor, 67
 * September 19 – László Polgár, Hungarian operatic bass, 63
 * September 21 – Geoffrey Burgon, British film and TV score composer, 69
 * September 28 – Dolores Wilson, American operatic soprano, 82
 * October 10
 * Alison Stephens, English mandolin player, 40 (cervical cancer)
 * Joan Sutherland, Australian operatic soprano, 83
 * October 30 – Morris Pert, Scottish composer, drummer /percussionist and pianist, 62
 * November 2 – Rudolf Barshai, Russian violist and composer, 86
 * November 5 – Shirley Verrett, American mezzo-soprano, 79
 * November 12 – Henryk Górecki, Polish composer, 74
 * November 30 – Peter Hofmann, German operatic tenor, 66
 * December 6 – Hugues Cuénod, Swiss operatic tenor, 108
 * December 7 – Sergiu Luca, Romanian violinist, 67
 * December 15 – Hilde Rössel-Majdan, Austrian operatic contralto, 89
 * December 16 – Richard Adeney, British flautist, 90

Pulitzer Prize in Music

 * Jennifer Higdon – Violin Concerto

Classical Brits

 * Composer of the Year – Thomas Adès
 * Male Artist of the Year – Vasily Petrenko
 * Female Artist Of The Year – Angela Gheorghiu
 * Critics' Award – Antonio Pappano

Grammy Awards

 * See 52nd Grammy Awards

Composer's Guild Grand Prize

 * Greg Danner