Thousands of anniversaries. In 2021, classical music and opera offer many opportunities for music lovers to commemorate composers, conductors, performers and operatic artists, to celebrate the first performances of essential works or the opening of emblematic concert halls. From January to December, there are 365 opportunities to revisit a repertoire, a recording or simply to explore 10 centuries of classical music. Something to satisfy all the inquiring minds.
December 16: Essential anniversaries
Throughout 10 centuries of history, there are thousands of anniversaries. For December 16, there are no less than 92 dates to remember: births, deaths, premieres, inaugurations... Among them: Ludwig van Beethoven (250th anniversary, Birth), Ludwig August Lebrun (230th anniversary, Death), William Wallace (80th anniversary, Death), Marc Bourdeau (60th anniversary, Birth), Levy Sekgapane (30th anniversary, Birth)... to name only some of the artists, composers or performers, known or less known throughout the world.
All important anniversaries to commemorate a December 16
Leonid Borisovitsj Zatoelovskiy, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Ukrainian conductor and composer
Death (age 83)
Aafje Heynis, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Dutch singer
Death (age 91)
René Saorgin, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, French musician
Death (age 87)
Mieczysław Makowski, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, composer, music theory, pedagogue, pianist
Death (age 80)
Mark Kopytman, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Composer and musicologist
Death (age 82)
Franghiz Ahmadova, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Azerbaijani opera singer and music educator (1928-2011)
Death (age 83)
Cornelis Opthof, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Canadian opera singer
Death (age 78)
Ruth Welting, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, American operatic soprano
Death (age 51)
Niels Møller, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Danish opera singer
Death (age 73)
Lara Ömeroğlu, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Turkish classical pianist
Birth (27th anniversary)
Mei, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Japanese violinist
Birth (29th anniversary)
Levy Sekgapane, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, musician
Birth (30th anniversary)
Anna Martvoňová, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, singer
Death (age 68)
Gianni Poggi, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian opera singer
Death (age 68)
Eva Prytz, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Norwegian opera singer
Death (age 70)
Marcel Quinet, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Belgian composer and musicologist
Death (age 71)
Alexandra Büchel, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Swedish singer
Birth (38th anniversary)
Sofía Cancino de Cuevas, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Mexican composer and singer
Death (age 85)
Narine Yeghiyan, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, opera singer
Birth (39th anniversary)
Thomas Schippers, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, American conductor
Death (age 47)
Luigi De Donato, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian singer and opera singer
Birth (45th anniversary)
Andrea Portera, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian composer
Birth (47th anniversary)
Iryna Aleksiichuk, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Ukrainian composer
Birth (53th anniversary)
Isabelle van Keulen, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Dutch violinist
Birth (54th anniversary)
Anke Sieloff, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, German singer and opera singer
Birth (55th anniversary)
Tito Schipa, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian opera singer (1888-1965)
Death (age 76)
Benoît Mernier, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Belgian organist
Birth (56th anniversary)
Ian Wilson, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Irish composer of classical music
Birth (56th anniversary)
Johannes Fønss, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Danish opera singer and actor
Death (age 80)
Hanuš Svoboda, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Czech music educator, composer and organist
Death (age 88)
Giuseppe Nessi, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian opera singer
Death (age 74)
Catharina Dorothea Sewing, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Dutch opera singer
Death (age 93)
Marc Bourdeau, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Canadian pianist
Birth (60th anniversary)
Edward Barnes, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, American composer and record producer
Birth (62th anniversary)
Magda Nador, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Hungarian singer, opera singer and music educator
Birth (65th anniversary)
Marco Frisina, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian priest and composer
Birth (66th anniversary)
Timothy Sullivan, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Canadian composer
Birth (66th anniversary)
Nikolaj Giljov, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, opera singer
Birth (66th anniversary)
Manuel Barrueco, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Cuban musician
Birth (68th anniversary)
Vyacheslav Khramov, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, opera singer
Birth
Cesare Sodero, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian conductor
Death (age 61)
Trevor Pinnock, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, English harpsichordist and conductor
Birth (74th anniversary)
Oldřich Hemerka, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Czech conductor and composer
Death (age 84)
Work for chamber orchestra
“String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73”, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history
Premiere
Robert Primožič, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Slovene opera singer and director
Death (age 50)
William Wallace, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Scottish composer and writer (1860-1940)
Death (age 80)
Philip Langridge, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, British opera singer
Birth
Albert Assayag, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, French conductor and pianist
Birth (82th anniversary)
Piero Gamba, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian musician
Birth (84th anniversary)
Enid Hartle, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, British opera singer
Birth
Gaetano Pini-Corsi, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian opera tenor
Death (age 70)
Adalgisa Gabbi, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian singer
Death (age 76)
Rodion Shchedrin, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Russian composer
Birth (88th anniversary)
Naozumi Yamamoto, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Japanese composer and conductor
Birth
Kenneth Gilbert, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Canadian musician
Birth
Leo Schützendorf, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, actor, bass-baritone, bass, musician, opera singer, singer
Death (age 45)
Nathalie Hansen, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Norwegian opera singer
Death (age 61)
Bibigul Tulegenova, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Soviet-Kazakh opera singer, actress, and educator
Birth (91th anniversary)
Donald Grobe, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, opera singer
Birth
Bohumír Nepomucký, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, opera singer, teacher
Death (age 65)
James McCracken, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, American opera singer
Birth
Mildred Miller, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, singer
Birth (96th anniversary)
Pongrác Kacsóh, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Hungarian composer
Death (age 51)
Menahem Pressler, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, German-born American classical pianist
Birth (97th anniversary)
Camille Saint-Saëns, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, French composer, organist, conductor and pianist
Death (age 86)
99th anniversary (2021)
Jacques Manheit, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, (1859--1918) opera singer, voice teacher
Death (age 59)
Nelly Corradi, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian actress and singer
Birth
Varfolomey Iraklievitsj Kraveysjvili, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Soviet opera singer
Birth
Ivan Zajc, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Croatian composer
Death (age 82)
Emilie Jauner-Krall, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Austrian singer and opera singer
Death (age 83)
Severine Morgenstierne, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Norwegian opera singer
Death (age 74)
Rózsi Delly, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Hungarian opera singer
Birth
Paul d'Ivry, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, French composer
Death (age 74)
Andrea Mongelli, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian singer
Birth
Noël Coward, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer (1899-1973)
Birth
Work for orchestra
Premiere
Folke Andersson, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Swedish actor
Birth
Carlo Ercole Bosoni, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian composer and conductor
Death (age 52)
Zoltán Kodály, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue
Birth
Čeněk Vinař, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Czech music educator, composer, choirmaster and organist
Death (age 37)
Henri-Jean Rigel, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, French composer and musicologist
Death (age 80)
Virginia Ferni Germano, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian singer, soprano
Birth
Théophile-Adolphe Manoury, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, French baritone
Birth
Bernhard Pollini, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, German intendant
Birth
Moritz Deutsch, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, German composer
Birth
Gaetano Brunetti, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Italian composer
Death (age 54)
Ludwig August Lebrun, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, German oboist and composer
Death (age 38)
Johann Adolph Hasse, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, German composer, singer and teacher
Death (age 84)
Georg Simon Loehlein, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, German pianist, composer and music educator
Death (age 56)
Ludwig van Beethoven, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, German classical and romantic composer
Birth
Sebastian Aguilera de Heredia, Anniversaries (December 16), Classical music history, Spanish monk, musician and composer
Death (age 66)