This article lists major events and other topics related to classical music in 2020.
Events 1 January – At the 2020 Vienna New Year's Concert, Andris Nelsons plays the trumpet solo in the Postillon-Galopp of Hans Christian Lumbye, the first conductor to perform a solo in the Vienna New Year's Concert who is not a violinist. Nelsons performed the same solo on the 30 December 2019 and 31 December 2019 performances of the same programme. 5 January – Island City Opera announces the postponement of its planned March 2020 production of The Wreckers by Dame Ethyl Smyth, because of concerns about compliance with California Assembly Bill 5 (2019). 6 January – Annapolis Opera announces the appointment of Craig Kier as its next artistic director and music director, effective 1 July 2020. 7 January – The National Ballet of Canada announces the appointment of Maria Seletskaja as the first-ever conductor to its newly created post of conductor-in-residence. 8 January The Teatro San Cassiano names the Academy of Ancient Music as its first associate ensemble. The Zurich Festival {Festspiele Zürich} announces that the 2020 festival is to be its final festival, because of the lack of long-term financial support to continue the festival. The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra announces the appointment of Ben Cadwallader as its next executive director, effective 9 March 2020. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra announces that Ben Cadwallader is to stand down as its executive director on 7 February 2020. Martijn Padding receives the Andreaspenning award at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, in recognition of his services to musical life in Amsterdam. 9 January – The Jacksonville Symphony announces the appointment of Steven Libman as its next president and chief executive officer. 13 January The Australian Festival of Chamber Music announces the appointment of Jack Liebeck as its next artistic director, in succession to Kathryn Stott, following the conclusion of the 2020 festival. Opera Holland Park announces simultaneously the scheduled retirement of Michael Volpe as its general director on 30 September 2020, and the appointment of James Clutton as the company's new chief executive and director of opera, effective 1 October 2020. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra announces that it is to award its Karl Amadeus Hartmann Medal posthumously to Mariss Jansons. The city of Hamburg awards its Johannes Brahms Medal to Christoph von Dohnányi. 14 January – The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra announces the appointment of István Várdai as its new artistic director. 15 January The Hamburger Symphoniker announces violist Timothy Ridout as the inaugural winner of its newly established Sir Jeffrey Tate Prize. The Vancouver Symphony announces the appointment of Angela Elster as its new president and chief executive officer, with immediate effect. 16 January – The Royal Swedish Opera announces the appointment of Alan Gilbert as its next music director, effective in the spring of 2021. 17 January – Vladimir Ashkenazy announces his retirement from public performance, effective immediately. 18 January - John Williams at the helm of the Wiener Philharmoniker makes his concert debut in continental Europe. 20 January The Verbier Festival announces the appointment of James Gaffigan as the next music director of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra, effective with the 2021 festival season. The Markgräflichen Opernhaus Bayreuth announces the establishment of its new 'Bayreuth Baroque' Festival, with the appointment of Max Emanuel Cencic as its artistic director, with an initial contract of 3 years. The Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung announces Tabea Zimmermann as the recipient of the 2020 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize. 22 January The Boston Symphony Orchestra announces that Mark Volpe is to retire as its president and chief executive officer, effective February 2021. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Jader Bignamini as its next music director, effective with the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of 6 seasons. 23 January The Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg announces the appointment of Siegwald Bütow as its new managing director, effective in the summer of 2020. From the Top announces the appointment of Peter Dugan as the new permanent host for its eponymous radio programme, as of the 2020–2021 season, along with the appointments of Vijay Gupta, Tessa Lark, Alex Laing, Orli Shaham, and Charles Yang as co-hosts and creative partners. 24 January The London Philharmonic Orchestra announces simultaneously the scheduled retirement of Timothy Walker as its chief executive and artistic director, effective 3 June 2020, and the appointment of David Burke as its next chief executive, along with a planned division into separate roles each of the posts of chief executive and of artistic director. The Mecklenburg State Theatre announces the appointment of Mark Rohde as its next Generalmusikdirektor, effective with the 2020–2021 season. Fort Worth Opera announces the resignation of Tuomas Hiltunen as its general director, with immediate effect. 28 January – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra confirms that Riccardo Muti is to conclude his music directorship of the orchestra at the close of the 2021–2022 season. 30 January The Léonie Sonning Foundation announces Unsuk Chin as the recipient of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2021. The Boston Symphony Orchestra cancels its planned tour of Asia, the first American orchestra to cancel overseas travel in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. 31 January The Staatskapelle Halle announces the resignation of Ariane Matiakh as its Generalmusikdirektorin. The Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz announces that Ari Rasilainen is to conclude his chief conductorship of the orchestra at the close of the 2020–2021 season. 1 February The Orchestre National de Lille performs the final concert of its UK tour at Leeds Town Hall, the last European orchestra to perform in the United Kingdom just prior to and after the UK's departure from the European Union. Never heard live during the composers lifetime, the opera The Chronicle of Nine: The Tragedy of Queen Jane, composed by Arnold Rosner to a libretto by Florence Stevenson, receives its world premiere performance at Jordan Hall, Boston, presented by Odyssey Opera and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. 3 February – Opera Carolina makes redundant its executive director, Beth Hansen, citing fiscal challenges to the company. 4 February – The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announces that Amy Kaiser is to retire as director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, at the close of the 2020–2021 season. 5 February Radio New Zealand announces plans to discontinue its FM classical music radio station RNZ Concert, and to shift its classical music broadcasting over to an automated programme on its AM channel and in streaming format. Stéphane Lissner announces the cancellation of three new opera productions for the 2020-2021 Opéra de Paris season, in the wake of the recent industrial action at the Opéra de Paris. The Washington Chorus announces the appointment of Eugene Rogers as its next artistic director, effective July 2020. The Ravinia Festival announces the appointment of Marin Alsop as its new chief conductor and curator, the first person to hold such titles with the festival, effective with the summer 2020 season. 6 February Opera Theatre of Saint Louis announces a bequest of $45M USD from Phyllis Brissenden, the single largest gift to the company in its history. The Oregon Symphony announces that Carlos Kalmar is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the close of the 2020–2021 season. 10 February – The Staatsoper Hannover announces the appointment of Stephan Zilias as its next Generalmusikdirektor, effective with the 2020–2021 season. 11 February Following protests from artists and audiences, and criticism from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Radio New Zealand withdraws its earlier proposal to downgrade its RNZ Concert classical music service to an automated AM/streaming channel, and to retain RNZ Concert on its FM frequencies. The Polar Music Prize announces Anna Netrebko as one of its two Polar Music Prize Laureates for 2020. 12 February The Staatstheater Giessen announces the appointment of Florian Ludwig as its interim Generalmusikdirektor, for a limited contract of two seasons, the 2020-2021 and 2021–2022 seasons. The Two Moors Festival announces the appointment of Tamsin Waley-Cohen as its new artistic director for its 2020 festival. The Grand Teton Music Festival announces the appointment of Simon Woods as its interim executive director, effective 24 February 2020. 14 February – The Louisville Orchestra announces the resignation of Robert Murray as its chief executive officer, effective 6 May 2020. 19 February – The Opéra de Rouen Normandie announces the appointment of Ben Glassberg as its next music director, effective with the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. 23 February – The Teatro alla Scala announces suspension of performances with immediate effect, in the wake of the Coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Italy. 24 February – The Hallé announces Delyana Lazarova as the winner of the inaugural Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition 2020. 25 February The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) announces confirmation of allegations by AGMA members of long-standing sexual misconduct by Plácido Domingo. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis announces the appointment of Walter Huff as its next chorus director. 26 February José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, the Spanish minister of culture, rescinds an invitation to Plácido Domingo to perform at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in May 2020, following the American Guild of Musical Artists report of confirmation of allegations of sexual misconduct against Domingo. The Landestheater Coburg announces the appointment of Daniel Carter as its new Generalmusikdirektor, effective 1 February 2021. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra announces that Marin Alsop is to conclude her tenure as music director of the orchestra at the close of the 2020–2021 season. 27 February The Hallé announces the appointment of David Butcher as its next chief executive, effective September 2020. The Britten Sinfonia announces that David Butcher is to stand down as its chief executive and artistic director in the summer of 2020. 3 March – Washington National Opera announces the renaming of its young artist programme from the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program to the Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera. 4 March – San Francisco Opera announces that Sheri Greenawald is to retire as director of the San Francisco Opera Center and artistic director of the Merola Opera Program at the close of 2020. 5 March Brett Dean is reported as diagnosed with COVID-19 and quarantined in isolation at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, following his return from Taipei. The National Concert Hall (NCH) in Taipei is closed with immediate effect until further notice, following the diagnosis of Brett Dean with COVID-19 after his performance at the NCH Taipei. 10 March Klaus Lederer, Berlin Senator for Culture, announces the cancellation of all cultural events in Berlin of more than 500 people, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the ban by the federal government of Austria on persons entering from Italy, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vienna State Opera announces cancellation of performances through 2 April 2020. LA Opera announces that the allegations of sexual misconduct by Plácido Domingo during his association with LA Opera have been found to be credible. 11 March