6 January – The National Forum of Music (NFM) in Wrocław announces the appointment of Christoph Eschenbach as its next artistic director, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of 5 seasons.[2]
Orchestra members, chorus members, and music staff of English National Opera (ENO) announce their intention to take industrial action on 1 February, in protest at plans to make redundant the company's chorus, orchestra and music staff, with subsequent re-employment for six months per year.[6]
New Orleans Opera announces the appointment of Lila Palmer as its next general director and artistic director, effective 15 May 2024.[7]
Third Coast Baroque announces cessation of operations.[8]
18 January – The Fonds Podiumkunsten announces Laurens de Man as the recipient of the Nederlandse Muziekprijs for 2024, the first organist to receive this award.[9]
Birmingham Royal Ballet announces simultaneously the departure of Koen Kessels as its music director on 30 June 2024, and the appointment of Paul Murphy as its next music director, effective 1 July 2024.[13]
The Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège announces simultaneously the scheduled conclusion of the tenure of Gergely Madaras as its music director at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and the appointment of Lionel Bringuier as its next music director, effective with the 2025-2026 season.[14]
The Cincinnati May Festival announces that Steven R. Sunderman is to retire as its executive director as of 2 July 2024.[15]
Wigmore Hall announces Igor Levit as the recipient of The Wigmore Hall Medal for 2024, the youngest recipient in the award's history.[16]
The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of John Storgårds as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract through the spring of 2028.[19]
The Ernst von Siemens Foundation (Musikstiftung) announces Bára Gísladóttir, Daniele Ghisi, and Yiqing Zhu as the recipients of the 2024 Ernst von Siemens Composer Prizes.[22]
The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne announces the appointment of Marie Jacquot as its next chief conductor, the first female conductor ever named to the post, effective with the 2026-2027 season, with an initial contract of 4 years.[23]
Equity announces an interim agreement with English National Opera that forestalls previously declared intentions of industrial action.[25]
The Lahti Symphony Orchestra announces simultaneously that Dalia Stasevska is to conclude her tenure as its chief conductor at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and the appointment of Hannu Lintu as its new artistic partner, effective with the 2025-2026 season.[26]
Boston Lyric Opera announces the appointment of Nina Yoshida Nelsen as its next artistic director, effective 1 February 2024.[27]
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra announces that Madeleine Careau is to stand down as its chief executive officer at the close of the 2023-2024 season.[28]
31 January – The Spanish Ministry of Culture and La Comunidad de Madrid announce the appointment of Alondra de la Parra as the new artistic director of the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, effective with the 2024-2025 season.[30]
2 February – The San Antonio Philharmonic announces the appointment of Jeffrey Kahane as its inaugural music director, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of three seasons.[31]
5 February – At the Sankt Burchardi Kirche (St. Burchardi Church), Halberstadt, the newest chord change in the planned 639-year performance of John Cage's Organ2/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible) takes place, with the addition of a d' (D4), the first chord change since 5 February 2022.[32]
6 February – Washington National Opera announces simultaneously that Evan Rogister is to stand down as its principal conductor at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and the appointment of Robert Spano as its new music director, effective with the 2025-2026 season.[33]
8 February – Kings Place announces the appointment of Sam McShane as its next artistic director, effective 20 May 2024.[36]
15 February – The BBC announces a new partnership between the BBC Singers and the Voces8 Foundation for future sustainability of the BBC Singers.[37]
16 February – Orchestra members, chorus members, and music staff of English National Opera (ENO) call off their previously intended industrial action for February, after agreement in principle by ENO management to revise their original plans for redunancy and re-engagement of the musicians.[38]
22 February – The London Philharmonic Choir announces that Neville Creed is to retire as its artistic director at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and subsequently to take the title of chorus director emeritus.[40]
27 February – The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France announces simultaneously that Mikko Franck is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the close of the 2024-2025 season, and the appointment of Jaap van Zweden as its next music director, effective with the 2026-2027 season, with an initial contract of five seasons.[41]
The BBC Concert Orchestra announces the appointment of Matthew Swann as its next Director, effective 27 March 2024.[43]
The UK Home Office grants visas to the Afghan Youth Orchestra, after public protest at the Home Office's prior refusal of their visa applications just before the start of their scheduled UK tour.[44]
The Neuköllner Oper announces simultaneously the scheduled departure of Bernhard Glocksin as its artistic director, and the appointment of Rainer Simon as its next artistic director, effective August 2025.[47]
The Kronos Quartet announces simultaneously the scheduled retirements of violinist John Sherba and violist Hank Dutt from the ensemble in June 2024, and the appointments of Gabriela Díaz as its new violinist and Ayane Kozasa as its new violist.[48]
Los Angeles Opera announces that James Conlon is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the close of the 2025-2026 season, and subsequently to take the title of conductor laureate.[55][56]
American Youth Symphony announces permanent cessation of operations, effective 15 March 2024.[57]
Ars Nova Copenhagen announces the appointment of Sofi Jeannin as its chief conductor, the first female conductor to be named to the post, with immediate effect.[58]
St John's College, Cambridge announces the disbanding of St. John's Voices at the close of the 2023-2024 academic term, with consequent redundancy of its musical director, Graham Walker, and exclusion of soprano undergraduates from Cambridge chapel choral services.[62]
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Klaus Mäkelä as its next music director, effective with the 2027–2028 season, with an initial contract of five years.[66][67]
In a report in The New York Times, Klaus Mäkelä states that he is to stand down as chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic at the close of the 2026-2027 season.[67]
In a report in The New York Times, Klaus Mäkelä states that he is to stand down as music director of the Orchestre de Paris at the close of the 2026-2027 season.[67]
3 April – The Metropolitan Opera announces the appointment of Tilman Michael as its next chorus director, effective with the 2024-2025 season.[69]
3 April – The Theater Chemnitz announces the appointment of Benjamin Reiners as its next Generalmusikdirektor, effective with the 2025-2026 season.[70]
La Scala announces the appointment of Fortunato Ortombina as its next general director, effective with the 2025-2026 season.[78]
Welsh National Opera announces the truncation of two weeks from its 2024-2025 season, with the planned elimination of scheduled tours to Bristol Hippodrome in February 2025 and to Venue Cymru, Llandudno in May 2025.[79]
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Cristian Măcelaru as its next music director, with the title of music director-designate for the 2024-2025 season, and fully effective as of the 2025-2026 season.[85]
Opera Philadelphia announces the appointment of Anthony Roth Costanzo as its next general director and president, effective 1 June 2024, with an initial contract of three years.[86]
The first Arabic-language grand opera to be staged in Saudi Arabia, Zarqa Al Yamama, is premiered in Riyadh.[87]
26 April – The Flanders Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Martijn Dendievel as its next chief conductor, effective January 2026 season.[88]
14 May – The Netherlands Wind Ensemble announces the appointment of Brandt Attema as its next artistic leader, effective 1 September 2024.[97]
15 May – The Iceland Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Barbara Hannigan as its next chief conductor and artistic director, effective August 2026, with an initial contract of three seasons.[98]
7 June – The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra re-announces the appointment of Krzysztof Urbański as its next artistic director, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of four years, revised from the previous January 2024 announcement.[108]
The Malmö Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Martyn Brabbins as its net chief conductor, effective with the 2025-2026 season, with an initial contract of three seasons.[109]
Canadian Opera Company announces the departure of Perryn Leech as its general director, and the appointment of David Ferguson as interim general director, both with immediate effect.[110]
The Albany Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Emily Fritz-Endres as its next executive director, effective August 2024.[111]
18 June – The New Jersey Symphony announces that Gabriel van Aalst is to stand down as its president and CEO as of September 2024.[114]
24 June – Opera Carolina announces the appointment of Shanté Williams as its general director, the first woman and the first person of colour to be named to the post, effective 1 July 2024, in succession to James Meena, who is to stand down as general director and retain his post of artistic director.[115]
26 June – The BBC announces presenter changes at Radio 3 effective April 2025, including:[116]
The scheduled retirement of Sean Rafferty from In Tune
The naming of Petroc Trelawny as the new co-presenter of In Tune in place of Rafferty
The naming of Tom McKinney as the new presenter of the weekday Breakfast programme.
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Michelle Miller Burns as its next president and chief executive officer, effective 23 September 2024.[117]
The Minnesota Orchestra announces the scheduled departure of Michelle Miller Burns as its president and chief executive officer, effective 13 September 2024.[118]
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: Rough Magic (works by Eve Beglarian, William Brittelle, Caroline Shaw, and Peter S. Shin); Roomful of Teeth (New Amsterdam)
Best Choral Performance: Kaija Saariaho – Reconnaissance; Uusinta Ensemble; Helsinki Chamber Choir; Nils Schweckendiek, conductor (BIS)
Best Classical Compendium: Jeff Scott – Passion for Bach and Coltrane; Alex Brown, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds, Edward Perez, Neal Smith, A. B. Spellman, musicians; Silas Brown and Mark Dover, producers (Imani Winds Media)
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album: Walking in the Dark – Julia Bullock, vocalist; Christian Reif, pianist and conductor; Philharmonia Orchestra (Nonesuch)
Best Contemporary Classical Composition: Jessie Montgomery – Rounds (for piano and string orchestra); Awadagin Pratt, piano; A Far Cry (New Amsterdam)