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

 * Hans Abrahamsen – Let Me Tell You, for soprano and orchestra
 * Mark Adamo – Aristotle
 * John Adams – Saxophone Concerto
 * Thomas Ades – Totentanz
 * Matej Bonin – Mouvements
 * Benet Casablancas
 * Tres Interludios, for orchestra
 * Obertura Festiva, for orchestra
 * Bryce Dessner – Murder Ballads
 * Brian Elias – Once Did I Breathe Another's Breath
 * 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
 * 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
 * David Philip Hefti – Éclairs
 * Wojciech Kilar – A prayer to St. Therese the Little Flower, for mixed choir a cappella
 * Missy Mazzoli – Heartbreaker
 * Steve Reich – Radio Rewrite
 * Christopher Rouse
 * Symphony No. 4
 * Thunderstuck
 * Poul Ruders
 * String Quartet No. 4 (2012)
 * Schrödinger's Cat (2012)
 * Aulis Sallinen – Five Portraits of Women, Op. 100
 * Mark-Anthony Turnage – Speranza
 * Ian Venables – The Song of The Severn, Op. 43
 * Param Vir – Cave of Luminous Mind
 * Judith Weir – Blue-Green Hill (2013)

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

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