This article covers events in 2020 in continental European music, arranged in geographical order.
Events 8 January The Teatro San Cassiano in Venice, Italy, names the Academy of Ancient Music as its first associate ensemble. The Zurich Festival {Festspiele Zürich} announces that its festival will be discontinued after 2020, because of the lack of long-term financial support. Dutch composer Martijn Padding receives the Andreaspenning award at the Concertgebouw, in recognition of his services to the musical life of Amsterdam. 13 January – The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra announces that it is to award its Karl Amadeus Hartmann Medal posthumously to Mariss Jansons. 26 February José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, the Spanish minister of culture, withdraws the invitation to operatic tenor Plácido Domingo to perform at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, following the release of an American Guild of Musical Artists report on allegations of sexual misconduct against Domingo. The Landestheater Coburg announces the appointment of Daniel Carter as its new Generalmusikdirektor, with effect from 1 February 2021. 18 March – The Eurovision Song Contest 2020, scheduled to take place in Rotterdam is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe – the first cancellation in the contest's 64-year history.
Scandinavia
Top hits Danish number-one hits of 2020 Finnish number-one singles of 2020, Finnish number-one albums of 2020 Norwegian number-one songs in 2020 Swedish number-one singles and albums in 2020
Netherlands Dutch number-one singles of 2020
Ireland
UK
Germany German number-one hits of 2020
Switzerland and Austria Swiss number-one hits of 2020
France French number-one hits of 2020
Italy Italian number-one hits of 2020
Eastern Europe/ Balkans List of Polish number-one singles of 2020 Czech number-one songs of the 2020s Hungarian number-one singles of the 2020s
Musical films If It Were Love (Si c'était de l'amour)Fabien Lemercier, "Review: If It Were Love". Cineuropa, February 23, 2020. (France)
Deaths 1 January – Damir Mihanović, 58, Croatian comedian, actor and musician (lung cancer)Preminuo je Damir Mihanović - Ćubi 3 January – Bo Winberg, 80, Swedish guitarist (The Spotnicks)Gitarrlegendaren Bo Winberg död 10 January – Marc Morgan, 57, Belgian singer-songwriterMarc Morgan est décédé 14 January – Guy Deplus, 95, French clarinetist 19 January – Guy Thomas, 85, Belgian-born French songwriter. 21 January Herbert Baumann, 94, German composer and conductorDer Komponist Herbert Baumann starb 94-jährig in München Meritxell Negre, 48, Spanish singer (cancer)Muere Meritxell Negre, concursante de ‘El Número Uno’ 4 February – Volker David Kirchner, 77, German violist and composerMainzer Komponist Volker David Kirchner gestorben 26 February Eduardo Bort, 72, Spanish guitaristEl último acorde de Eduardo Bort, pionero del rock progresivo español Hans Deinzer, 86, German clarinetistProf. Hans Deinzer verstorben Sergei Dorensky, 88, Russian pianistУмер профессор Московской консерватории Сергей Доренский 1 March – Peter Wieland, 89, German singer and entertainerDDR-Schlagerstar und Schauspieler: Peter Wieland mit 89 Jahren gestorben 8 March – Martin Davorin-Jagodić, 84, Croatian composer 9 March – Alain Marcel, 68, Algerian-born French actor, composer and musical theatre producer 10 March – Beba Selimović, 80, Bosnian sevdalinka singerOdlazak Kraljice Sevdaha Preminula pevačica Beba Selimović 14 March – Eva Pilarová, 80, Czech singerZemřela Eva Pilarová. Poslední rozloučení kvůli koronaviru nebude 16 March Sergio Bassi, 69, Italian folk singer-songwriter (COVID-19)L'addio a Bassi, il menestrello della Bassa che cantava il Po , 55, Russian musician and visual artistУмер сооснователь «Гражданской обороны» Константин Рябинов 18 March – Jean Leber, 80–81, French violinist (COVID-19)Mort du violoniste et pédagogue Jean Leber 20 March Enrique del Portal, 87, Spanish operatic tenorMuere el tenor Enrique del Portal, víctima de «la otra epidemia», según la viuda Gino Volpe, 77, Italian singer-songwriter, heart attack.Basilicata. E’ morto il maestro Gino Volpe 21 March – Hellmut Stern, 91, German violinistZum Tod des Geigers Hellmut Stern Der musizierende Weltbürger 24 March – Gerard Schurmann, 96, Dutch-British composer and conductor (The Bedford Incident, Attack on the Iron Coast, Claretta).The composer Gerard Schurmann has died 31 March – Zoltán Peskó, 83, Hungarian conductor and composer.Elhunyt Peskó Zoltán világhírű magyar karmester 1 April – Dieter Reith, 82, German pianist and organistDieter Reith Musikproduktion 4 April – Patrick Gibson, 64, French drummer and singer (Gibson Brothers), COVID-19.R.I.P. Patrick Gibson of disco group The Gibson Brothers 7 April – André Stordeur, 79, Belgian electronic musician.In memoriam: André Stordeur (1941–2020) 9 April – Bert van de Kamp, 73, Dutch music journalistVoormalig OOR-redacteur Bert van de Kamp (73) overleden 14 April – Kerstin Meyer, 92, Swedish mezzo-soprano. 16 April Christophe, 74, French singer-songwriter (COPD) Dušan Vančura, 82, Czech singer, double-bassist and lyricist (Spirituál kvintet)Spirituál kvintet přišel o hlas, Dušan Vančura zemřel kvůli zánětu zubu 9 June – Pau Donés, 43, Spanish singer songwriter and guitaristPau Dones, lead singer of Spanish band Jarabe de Palo, dead at 53 5 October – Béatrice Arnac, 89, French actress and singer 7 October – Jean Martin, 92, French pianist 11 October – Boro Drljača, 79, Serbian folk singer 18 October – Alfredo Cerruti, 78, Italian television author, music producer, and singer 19 October , 83, Lithuanian opera singerMirė vienas žymiausių Lietuvos operos solistų Vaclovas Daunoras Gianni Dei, 79, Italian actor and singer 25 October Dolores Abril, 85, Spanish singer and actressMuere Dolores Abril, viuda de Juanito Valderrama, a los 81 años Jan Boerman, 97, Dutch electronic music composerMuziekpionier Jan Boerman (97) overleden György Fischer, 85, Hungarian pianist and conductorFallece el director Húngaro György Fischer a los 85 años de edad 1 November Esteban Santos, 69, Spanish pop singerFallece Esteban Santos, componente del grupo Bravo (España 1984), a los 69 años , 88, Czech opera singerZemřela emeritní sólistka Opery ND, paní Eva Zikmundová 5 November – Reynaert, 65, Belgian singer (COVID-19)Joseph Reynaerts, qui avait représenté la Belgique à l'Eurovision, est décédé du coronavirus 7 November – Brian Coll, 79, Irish musician 13 November – Kićo Slabinac76, Croatian pop singer
References
External links European Music Council