October 2025: the main classical music anniversaries to celebrate
Every month, composers and musicians to remember! Classical music and opera have brought out tens of thousands of artists, are performed in thousands of venues and their composers have written scores in great numbers throughout 10 centuries of history. From January 1 to December 31, there are therefore many opportunities to remember a composer or discover an artist, to explore a genre or to expand a work' s knowledge.
October 2025 : essential commemorations
2025 is, as every year, an opportunity to celebrate many centenarians or multi-centenarians related to classical music and opera. In October 2025, some well-known or not so famous artists, composers or musicians, are to be commemorated: Alan Styler (100th anniversary, Birth), Alois Piňos (100th anniversary, Birth), Marija Aleškevičiūtė (100th anniversary, Birth), Bernard Germain de Lacépède (200th anniversary, Death), Bryan Drake (100th anniversary, Birth).
There are many more: 1925, 1825, 1725...
What's next? Every month, dozens of anniversaries are good reasons to discover a work, to rediscover a musician. November 2025? ... In a year? October 2026...
Day by day, all celebrations for October 2025
Work for chamber orchestra
“Viola Sonata, Op. 147” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1975 (50th anniversary)
Paul Dukas , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, French composer
160th anniversary (Birth)
Alan Styler , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, British opera singer (1925-1970)
100th anniversary (Birth)
Eiichi Itō , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Japanese music conductor
100th anniversary (Birth)
Henry Février , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, French composer (1875-1957)
150th anniversary (Birth)
Alois Piňos , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Czech music educator, composer and university educator
100th anniversary (Birth)
Marija Aleškevičiūtė , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Lithuanian opera singer (1925-1979)
100th anniversary (Birth)
Léon Ehrhart , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, French composer (1854-1875)
150th anniversary (Death)
Ernesto de De Curtis , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian composer
150th anniversary (Birth)
Cyril Rootham , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, English organist, teacher, conductor and composer
150th anniversary (Birth)
Diamante Maria Scarabelli , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian soprano singer (1675-1754)
350th anniversary (Birth)
Bernard Germain de Lacépède , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, French naturalist (1756-1825)
200th anniversary (Death)
Johann Anton André , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, German composer (1775-1842)
250th anniversary (Birth)
Ede Bartay , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Hungarian composer (1825-1901)
200th anniversary (Birth)
Isabella Colbran , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Spanish opera singer and composer
180th anniversary (Death)
Yo-Yo Ma , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, American cellist (born 1955)
70th anniversary (Birth)
Bryan Drake , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, New Zealand singer
100th anniversary (Birth)
Josef Traxel , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, German opera singer
50th anniversary (Death)
Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Czech violinist, composer and violist
160th anniversary (Death)
Irene Dalis , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, singer
100th anniversary (Birth)
Alain Altinoglu , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, French conductor
50th anniversary (Birth)
Camille Saint-Saëns , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, French composer, organist, conductor and pianist
190th anniversary (Birth)
Dmitry Bortniansky , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Ukrainian-born Russian Classical composer and conductor
200th anniversary (Death)
Bernard Plantey , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, French opera singer (1925-1998)
100th anniversary (Birth)
Günter Benndorf , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, opera singer
100th anniversary (Birth)
Arthur Nikisch , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Hungarian conductor (1855-1922)
170th anniversary (Birth)
Luciano Pavarotti , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian operatic tenor
90th anniversary (Birth)
Marianne Beate Kielland , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Norwegian singer
50th anniversary (Birth)
Emil Gilels , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Soviet pianist (1916-1985)
40th anniversary (Death)
Herbert Sharpe , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, English music professor (1861-1925)
100th anniversary (Death)
Work for orchestra
“La Mer” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1905 (120th anniversary)
Bernhard Crusell , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Swedish-Finnish clarinetist, composer and translator (1775-1838)
250th anniversary (Birth)
Zdeněk Fibich , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Czech conductor, music educator, composer and choirmaster (1850-1900)
125th anniversary (Death)
Elina Vähälä , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Finnish violinist
50th anniversary (Birth)
Sylvius Leopold Weiss , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, German composer and lutenist
275th anniversary (Death)
Alexandro Marie Antoin Fridzeri , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian musician, mandolin virtuoso
200th anniversary (Death)
Opera
“Don Sanche, “le Château de l'Amour”” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1825 (200th anniversary)
Salle Le Peletier
Peter von Winter , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, German opera composer
200th anniversary (Death)
Vittorio Gui , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian conductor, and composer (1885-1975)
50th anniversary (Death)
Heinrich Schütz , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, German composer and organist (1585–1672)
440th anniversary (Birth)
John Taverner , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, English Renaissance composer and organist
480th anniversary (Death)
Joseph Siegmund Bachmann , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, German organist, composer
200th anniversary (Death)
Opera
“Tannhäuser” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1845 (180th anniversary)
Semperoper
Louise Bergauer , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, opera singer from Austria (1825-1889)
200th anniversary (Birth)
Egon Wellesz , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Austrian, later British composer, teacher and musicologist (1885-1974)
140th anniversary (Birth)
Virginia Zeani , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Romanian opera singer
100th anniversary (Birth)
Alessandro Scarlatti , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian composer
300th anniversary (Death)
Elaine Shaffer , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, American musician
100th anniversary (Birth)
Manos Hatzidakis , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Greek composer, pianist and conductor (1925-1994)
100th anniversary (Birth)
Opera
“The Gypsy Baron” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1885 (140th anniversary)
Luciano Berio , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian composer (1925-2003)
100th anniversary (Birth)
Work for orchestra
“Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1885 (140th anniversary)
Work for orchestra with soloist
“Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1875 (150th anniversary)
Oralia Domínguez , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, singer
100th anniversary (Birth)
Hans Knappertsbusch , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, German musician (1888-1965)
60th anniversary (Death)
Johann Strauss II , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Austrian composer (1825-1899)
200th anniversary (Birth)
Opera
“Le voyage dans la lune” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1875 (150th anniversary)
Théâtre de la Gaîté-Lyrique
Domenico Scarlatti , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian composer, son of Alessandro Scarlatti
340th anniversary (Birth)
Maksym Berezovsky , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Ukrainian composer
280th anniversary (Birth)
Simon Gjoni , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Albanian composer
100th anniversary (Birth)
Marcel Cellier , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Swiss musician (1925-2013)
100th anniversary (Birth)
Andreas Hammerschmidt , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Czech/German composer and organist
350th anniversary (Death)
John Scott Trotter , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, American arranger, composer, band leader (1908-1975)
50th anniversary (Death)
Giuse Gerbino , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian operatic mezzo-soprano (1925-2004)
100th anniversary (Birth)
Chiyuki Murakata , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, concertmaster, conductor
100th anniversary (Birth)
Opera
“Paganini” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1925 (100th anniversary)
Catterino Cavos , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Russian composer
250th anniversary (Birth)
Roberto Brambilla , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music, Italian composer
50th anniversary (Birth)
Work for orchestra with soloist
“Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, Op. 44” , Celebrations (October 2025), Classical music
Premiere in 1875 (150th anniversary)