Events January 14 – Opening night gala concert at the Philharmonie de ParisTom Service, "La Philharmonie de Paris: is this a new musical and social future for Paris?" The Guardian (Tom Service on classical music blog), January 15, 2015. January 15 – The Alabama Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Carlos Izcaray as its next music director, as of September 2015. January 19 – The Basel Sinfonietta announces the appointment of Baldur Brönnimann as its first-ever principal conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season. January 23 The Konzert Theater Bern announces the appointment of Kevin John Edusei as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2015–2016 season. The city of Brandenburg an der Havel announces the appointment of Peter Gülke as the next chief conductor of the Brandenburger Theater and of the Brandenburger Symphoniker, effective with the 2015–2016 season. January 28 The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande announces the appointment of Jonathan Nott as its 10th music director and artistic director, effective January 2017. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces the appointment of Mason Bates as its first-ever composer-in-residence, effective with the 2015–2016 season, for a term of three years. February 6 The Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra (Düsseldorfer Symphoniker) announces the appointment of Ádám Fischer as its next principal conductor. The New York Philharmonic announces that Alan Gilbert is to conclude his tenure as the orchestra's music director after the 2016–2017 season. February 8 – First US performance of the Felix Mendelssohn edition (1841, Leipzig) of the JS Bach St Matthew Passion February 12 Arts Council England announces its intention to remove English National Opera from its national portfolio of regularly funded UK arts organisations, and to change its funding arrangement from a three-year plan to a two-year plan, with stipulations that ENO reform its current business model. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra announces that Edo de Waart is to conclude his tenure as the orchestra's music director after the 2016–2017 season. February 18 – The National Symphony Orchestra and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announce that Christoph Eschenbach is to conclude his music directorship of both organisations after the 2016–2017 season. February 22 – The Bruckner Orchestra Linz and Linz Opera announce the appointment of Markus Poschner as their next chief conductor, effective in 2017. February 26 – The BBC Philharmonic announces the appointment of Mark Simpson as its next Composer-in-Association, effective September 2015. February 27 The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra announces the appointment of Giordano Bellincampi as its next music director, effective in 2016, with an initial contract of three years."Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra announces new Music Director", February 27, 2015. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra announces the scheduled conclusion of the tenure of Mei-Ann Chen as its music director, after the end of the 2015–2016 season. The Cincinnati May Festival announces that James Conlon is to stand down as its music director after the 2016 Festival, and subsequently to take the title of music director laureate. March 3 – The London Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Sir Simon Rattle as its next music director, effective September 2017, with an initial contract of five years. March 4 – The New York Philharmonic announces that David Geffen is to donate $100M USD to the orchestra for the renovation of Avery Fisher Hall, with the proviso that the hall be renamed "David Geffen Hall" and bear the new name in perpetuity.Brian Wise, "Avery Fisher Hall to Be Renamed David Geffen Hall". WQXR blog, 4 March 2015 March 5 – The Oslo International Church Music Festival 2015 opens in Norway, continuing until March 15. March 6 – Palm Beach Opera announces the appointment of David Stern as its next music director, effective June 1, 2015. March 9 English National Opera announces the appointment of Cressida Pollock, a management consultant, as its interim CEO. The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia announces the appointments of Roberto Abbado and Fabio Biondi as its next joint music directors, and of Ramón Tebar as its next principal guest conductor.Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofia, "Roberto Abbado y Fabio Biondi asumen la dirección musical del Palau de les Arts" (Spanish-language announcement) , March 9, 2015. March 11 The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Thomas Dausgaard as its 11th chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season. Simon Halsey is announced as the recipient of the Queen's Medal for Music 2014. March 16 – Alan Buribayev becomes principal conductor of the Astana Opera House, Kazakhstan. March 18 – The Birmingham Conservatoire announces the appointment of Julian Lloyd Webber as its next Principal, after the scheduled retirement of David Saint, the current Principal, in June 2015. March 19 – The Montreal Symphony Orchestra announces a new five-year recording contract with Decca Records. April 3 The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Kazuki Yamada as its next principal conductor and artistic director, effective September 2016, with an initial contract of three years.Konzertdirektion Schmid agency notice on Kazuki Yamada appointment with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, 3 April 2015 The Boston Symphony Orchestra announces a new recording partnership with Deutsche Grammophon that focuses on the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. April 9 – The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Nicholas Carter as its next chief conductor, with an initial contract of two years. April 14 – The Glenn Gould Foundation announces its selection of Philip Glass as the Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize Laureate.The Glenn Gould Foundation, "Eleventh Laureate Announced". 14 April 2015 April 20 – The Japan Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Pietari Inkinen as its next chief conductor, effective September 2016, with an initial contract of three seasons. April 21 – Scottish Opera announces the appointment of Stuart Stratford as its next music director, effective June 1, 2015. April 24 – The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic announces the appointment of Sir Andrew Davis as its new conductor emeritus. April 28 – The Zurich Chamber Orchestra announces the appointment of Daniel Hope as its next music director, effective in 2016. May 1 – The 2015 Malko Competition for conductors announces Tung-Chieh Chuang as this year's winner. May 8 – Symphony Number One gives its debut concert at the Baltimore War Memorial. May 12 – The BBC National Orchestra of Wales announces the appointment of Huw Watkins as its next Composer-in-Association, for the period 2015–2018.Schott Music, "Huw Watkins announced as BBC National Orchestra of Wales' Composer-in-Association", 12 May May 12, 2015. May 26 – The BBC announces the appointment of David Pickard as the next director of the BBC Proms. June 3 – The Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur announces the appointment of Thomas Zehetmair as its next principal conductor, effective September 2016, with an initial contract of three seasons. June 9 – The RAI National Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of James Conlon as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season.Michael Cooper, 'Orchestra in Turin, Italy, Names James Conlon as Principal Conductor'. The New York Times, 'ArtsBeat' blog, 9 June June 9, 2015. June 10 – The Regina Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Gordon Gerrard as its next music director, effective with the 2016–2017 season. June 11 – The Orchestre de Paris announces the appointment of Daniel Harding as its 9th principal conductor, effective September 2016. June 12 – Queen's Birthday Honours 2015Cabinet Office, Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street; Queen's Birthday Honours List 2015 James MacMillan and Karl Jenkins are each made Knight Bachelor. Sir Neville Marriner is made a Companion of Honour. Simon Halsey and Mark-Anthony Turnage are each made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. June 17 – The Residentie Orchestra announces the appointment of Nicholas Collon as its co-principal conductor, effective August 1, 2016, for a minimum term of three years. June 19 – Jongmin Park wins the Song Prize in the 2015 Cardiff Singer of the World competition. June 21 Nadine Koutcher wins the final, Main Prize of the 2015 Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Amartuvshin Enkhbat is the winner of the Audience Prize of the 2015 Cardiff Singer of the World competition. June 22 – The Berlin Philharmonic announces its election of Kirill Petrenko as its next chief conductor. June 29 The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Edo de Waart as its next music director, effective in 2016. The Bayreuth Festival announces the appointment of Christian Thielemann as its music director. The European Union Youth Orchestra announces the appointments of Vasily Petrenko as its next chief conductor effective September 2015, and of Bernard Haitink as its conductor laureate with immediate effect. June 30 – The Sinfonieorchester Basel announces the appointment of Ivor Bolton as its next chief conductor, as of the 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of four years. July 2 – The Beethoven Orchester Bonn announces the appointment of Christof Perick as its interim Generalmusikdirektor for the 2016–2017 season. July 3 – The Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar announce the appointment of Kirill Karabits as its next Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) and chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of three years. July 10 – English National Opera announces the departure of John Berry as artistic director. August 6 – The Ames Stradivarius violin, stolen from Roman Totenberg in 1980, is returned to Totenberg's family in New York City. August 7 – The Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra announces that Sarah Ioannides is to conclude her tenure with the orchestra after the 2016–2017 season. August 13 The Lucerne Festival announces the appointment of Riccardo Chailly as the next music director of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, effective with the 2016 Lucerne Festival, with an initial contract of five years. The Metropolitan Opera announces that Mary Jo Heath is to be the new radio host for the Metropolitan Opera Saturday radio broadcasts, effective in September 2015. August 17 – The Lahti Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Dima Slobodeniouk as its next principal conductor, effective in the autumn of 2016, with an initial contract of three seasons. August 24 – The Theater Bonn announces the appointment of Jacques Lacombe as the new chief conductor of Bonn Opera, effective with the 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of two years. September 2 – La Monnaie announces the appointment of Alain Altinoglu as its next music director, effective January 2016. September 3 – The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra announces that Riccardo Chailly is to conclude his tenure as Gewandhauskapellmeister in June 2016, four years ahead of their most recent contract agreement. September 4 At a conference of the International Musicological Society in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Natalya Braginskaya announced the re-discovery of an early orchestral work of Igor Stravinsky, Pogrebal'naya Pesnya (Funeral Song), which had gone missing since its only performance in January 1909. The Lucerne Festival announces the appointments of Wolfgang Rihm as the new director of the Lucerne Festival Academy, and of Matthias Pintscher as principal conductor of the Lucerne Festival Academy. September 7 – The Bamberg Symphony announces the appointment of Jakub Hrůša as its next chief conductor, as of the 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of five seasons.