Askonas Holt

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Dame Felicity Lott has died. Flott was born in Cheltenham to a family of keen amateur musicians. At the RAM she met Graham Johnson who, in 1976, invited her to sing in the first of his hugely influential Songmakers’ Almanac. Graham introduced Flott to a vast repertoire of song which went on to be a major part of her output, especially at Wigmore Hall. She became a member of its Board in 2006 and continued to lead its French Song Exchange with great energy, giving her last masterclass there in April. Flott made her operatic debut in ‘75 singing Pamina at ENO, followed in ‘76 with her debut at the ROH. That same year saw the start of a long and fruitful association with Glyndebourne where she made her debut as the Countess in John Cox’s production of Capriccio. The South Downs soon became her forever home and she became part of the Glyndebourne family both on stage and off. Away from performing she loved to walk on the coast close to her beautiful home and garden which she created with her husband Gabriel. Flott was tall and statuesque with a natural elegance, making her perfectly suited to the aristocratic roles with which she was so closely associated. She became a favourite on international stages and was loved by the greatest conductors. Her passion for the French language nurtured a lifelong love of French roles and repertoire. She was awarded the Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government and gave her final opera performances at the Bastille in ‘24 as La Duchesse de Crakentorp and her final solo recital at the Théâtre de l’Athénée last year. Robert Rattray brought Flott to Lies Askonas more than 50 years ago, and was her manager for many decades. She used to say that her guilty pleasure was playing the Beach Boys very loudly in the car, singing along and driving too fast. A heartening image on an incredibly sad day. Our thoughts are with Emily, Gabriel and Deborah. Read the full announcement at askonasholt.com.

The @rsnoofficial today named @thomassondergard Music Director Emeritus from the 2027/28 season following the conclusion of eight seasons at the helm, and the 18th year since his debut with the orchestra. Thomas was appointed Principal Guest Conductor in 2012, a position he held for six seasons until his appointment as Music Director in 2018. During his tenure, he took the orchestra on several international tours including to the USA and throughout Europe, enhancing the RSNO’s reputation as a world-class touring orchestra. This month sees Thomas and the RSNO tour China giving five performances across the country with stops in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai and Tianjin. Following a return this summer to the BBC Proms with the RSNO and pianist Kirill Gerstein, Thomas opens his fourth season as Music Director with the Minnesota Orchestra. Next season also brings returns to the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln with Benjamin Grosvenor, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Alina Ibragimova and to Royal Danish Opera for Falstaff, and hetakes the RSNO on a European tour in November. In the 2027/28 season, Thomas returns to Scotland to conduct the orchestra in four programmes. Thomas is succeeded at the RSNO by Lithuanian conductor Giedrė Šlekytė who today becomes Music Director Designate and takes up the role in September 2027. Thomas commented, “I’m honoured to be opening yet another chapter in my long relationship with this wonderful orchestra. The RSNO has been, and will continue to be, enormously important in both my artistic and personal life. The orchestra, Scotland, and the many close friends I’ve made here during my years as Principal Guest Conductor and Music Director all hold a special place in my heart. I look forward to continuing to make great music with the RSNO, while they embark on this exciting new chapter with Giedrė.” #MakingMusicHappen #artistmanagement #conductor

A petició del públic, el tenor Xabier Anduaga va oferir un bis de “Pourquoi me réveiller” durant la funció de Werther del passat 10 de maig al Gran Teatre del Liceu. L’ària completa ja es pot veure al canal de YouTube del Liceu. — A petición del público, el tenor Xabier Anduaga ofreció un bis de “Pourquoi me réveiller” durante la función de Werther del pasado 10 de mayo en el Gran Teatre del Liceu. El aria completa ya puede verse en el canal de YouTube del Liceu. — At the audience’s request, tenor Xabier Anduaga performed an encore of “Pourquoi me réveiller” during the May 10 performance of Werther at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. The full aria is now available on the Liceu’s YouTube channel. _ Amb el suport de @bankinter _ #LiceuOperaBarcelona #GranTeatreDelLiceu

Cut through the noise of Monday with @elisabethbrauss performing Schubert’s Impromptu G Flat Major. This month saw Elisabeth return to the @elbphilharmonie performing this work alongside Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen. This was followed by her debut with @sinfonialahti joining forces with Kirill Karabits for Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.1. Watch the full video via the link in our bio. Credit: @ardklassik #MakingMusicHappen #artistmanagement #piano #Schubert @melaniedigitally

Sir Simon Rattle has been honoured for his outstanding contribution to the arts with the Bayerischer Maximiliansorden, the Bavarian Order of Merit. The award was presented to Sir Simon by the Bavarian Minister-President Dr Markus Söder at a ceremony at the Prinz Carl Palais. The Bayerischer Maximiliansorden dates back to 1853 when it was founded by King Maximilian II, and is the highest recognition awarded by the State of Bavaria for scientific and artistic merit. It was awarded until 1932, then was reintroduced in 1981 and is now presented every two years. The number of living holders of the award is limited to 100, and members meet once a year to exchange ideas. Past recipients include Wagner and Brahms. © Bayerische Staatskanzlei #MakingMusicHappen #awards #artistmanagement @brsorchestra

Askonas Holt is pleased to welcome Amy Holyland to the roster for worldwide general management. The British mezzo-soprano is a current Harewood Artist at English National Opera where earlier this season she sang Sister Lillianne in their award-winning production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, also covering the roles of Sister Helen Prejean and Begbick in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Also for ENO she has sung Maddalena in Rigoletto, Flora in La traviata, Second Lady in The Magic Flute, and Daughter 5 in Akhnaten. She has also joined Glyndebourne at the Festival and on tour as mezzo soloist in Mozart’s Requiem under Robin Ticciati as well as covering Baba the Turk inThe Rake’s Progress, Bradamante in Alcina, and Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro. On the concert stage, Amy has sung Verdi’s Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall and Tippett’s A Child of Our Time at King’s College Cambridge, with upcoming highlights including Verdi’s Requiem with the Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, and the Dream of Gerontius at Chester Cathedral. Next week sees Amy join the Bayerische Staatsoper for the world premiere of Brett Dean’s Of One Blood, covering Female Consort III. A recipient of Glyndebourne’s John Christie Award, Amy is an alumna of both the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. 📸 Ben Reason #MakingMusicHappen #newsigning #artistmanagement #mezzosporano @amyholyland

April’s New Release Playlist is here featuring 8 Askonas Holt artists across 7 albums! Listen now via link in bio. Albares - Latin American Trumpet Concertos @pachofloresofficial , @domingo_hindoyan and @liverpool_philharmonic @onyx_classics Invocation @elsa.dreisig and Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova Orchestra and Choir Erato Jaeden Izik-Dzurko Piano Recital @jaedenizikdzurko @naxos_uk De Hartmann: Esther @kirillkarabits and @bsorchestra @pentatonemusic Magische Töne @dirkkaftan_conductor and Hungarian State Opera Orchestra @sonyclassical German Opera Scenes and Arias @thomassondergard and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra @bisrecordsofficial Byrd and the Bird @giovanni_antonini_official @alpha_classics #MakingMusicHappen #newrelease #playlist

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Benedetti was the epitome of Edwardian elegance...a barnstorming performance” - Bachtrack “music lived in the moment” - The Times This month saw @nickybenedettiofficial return to the @philharmonia_orchestra performing Elgar’s Violin Concerto to critical acclaim. May brings further performances of the concerto with Nicola joining forces with the @rsnoofficial and heading out on tour to @dresdnermusikfestspiele with the @londonphilharmonicorchestra . Listen back to the concert now via the link in our bio. 📸: David McCaffrey #MakingMusicHappen #artistmanagement #violin #elgar

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Michael Tilson Thomas, one of world’s most celebrated conductors, educator, composer, and pianist. MTT – as he was universally known – died yesterday in San Francisco after a long illness with glioblastoma, aged 81. Askonas Holt was privileged to represent Michael from 2014 and collaborate with him for many years prior through the touring of the San Francisco Symphony. Read our full statement at the link in our bio. @mtilsonthomas #MTT 📷 © Art Streiber

Askonas Holt is delighted to welcome Marina Viotti to the roster for worldwide general management. The Grammy-award-winning mezzo-soprano – recently dubbed by The New York Times as “the opera star with heavy metal chops” – appears regularly at the world’s more renowned opera houses, including the Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro Real Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu and Staatsoper Berlin. She became a household name after her appearance during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in 2024, performing with French heavy metal band Gojira before delivering ‘Habanera’ from Carmen. Highlights of the current season include returns to Opernhaus Zürich for Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, to Staatsoper Berlin as Rosina in Il barbiere in Siviglia, and to the Salzburger Festspiele to sing Marchesa Melibea in Barry Kosky’s new production of Il viaggio a Reims. She also returns to her signature role of Carmen at both Dallas Opera and Greek National Opera. On the concert stage this season, Marina joined forces with the Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles for a recital at the Bayreuth Baroque Festival, and sang Mahler’s Symphony No.2 with the Netherlands Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw. She also teamed up with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre for a tour of Switzerland of excerpts from works by Offenbach. Marina’s 2026/27 season includes three appearances at the Bayerische Staatsoper, including as Charlotte in a new production of Werther under the baton of Karina Canellakis, and as Juno in Claus Guth’s production of Semele alongside Jakub Józef Orliński and Jessica Niles. She returns later in the season singing Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, a role she also sings at the Opéra national de Paris. Marina first studied the flute, experimented with jazz, gospel and heavy metal, and obtained a Master’s degree in philosophy and literature. In 2025, she was awarded Chevalière de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. 📸 Emilie Brouchon #MakingMusicHappen #newsigning #artistmanagement #mezzosporano @marinaviottimezzo

🇺🇦@ukrainianfreedomorchestra 2026 Invincible Tour 🇺🇦 I’m proud to announce the fifth international tour of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra that starts in Warsaw on August 16th and ends in New York on August 26th. Five years into this terrible war, Ukraine's spirit remains unbroken and unbreakable. The program for our 2026 Invincible Tour speaks to this courage and to this moment in history. I am honored to once again lead these extraordinary musicians, soldiers of music, across Europe and to the United States to bear witness to an invincible Ukraine and to a culture that will never be silenced. And I’m thrilled to have @renebarbera , @lisedavidsen , @juliakleiter , @solomanhoward , @nattra98 , and @ailynperezsoprano as our soloists. We play for those who are fighting, for those who have been lost, for a better future and for all who believe that freedom will prevail. Slava Ukraini!🇺🇦 For complete information on our concert dates and programs please visit our website, ukrainianfreedomorchestra.org. /// 🇺🇦 Тур «Незламні» 2026 Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra 🇺🇦 Я з гордістю оголошую про п’ятий міжнародний тур Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, який розпочнеться у Варшаві 16 серпня та завершиться в Нью-Йорку 26 серпня. На п’ятому році цієї страшної війни дух України залишається незламним і непереможним. Програма нашого туру «Незламні» 2026 говорить про цю мужність і про цей історичний момент. Для мене велика честь знову очолити цих надзвичайних музикантів — воїнів музики — у подорожі Європою та до Сполучених Штатів, щоб засвідчити незламність України та культури, яку неможливо змусити замовкнути. Ми граємо для тих, хто бореться, для тих, кого ми втратили, за краще майбутнє і для всіх, хто вірить, що свобода переможе. Слава Україні! 🇺🇦 Для отримання повної інформації про дати концертів і програми відвідайте наш сайт: ukrainianfreedomorchestra.org

Ahead of his return to the @viennaphilharmonic this week, Sir Simon Rattle was presented with the 2026 Golden Mahler Medal by the International Gustav Mahler Society in recognition of his outstanding and groundbreaking interpretations of the composer’s works. Simon’s dedication to Mahler has remained consistently high throughout his artistic career. His concert and recording activities have resulted in a far-reaching body of work in which Mahler’s music plays a key role. Between 1978 and 2021, over 30 recordings of Mahler’s symphonies were made under Rattle’s direction with nine different orchestras, including three recordings each of the large-scale Second and Eighth Symphonies. 📸 Roland Unger #MakingMusicHappen #awards #artistmanagement @musikverein.wien