Some 93 orchestra players and choir singers with the Sofia Philharmonic participated in a performance of the Anthem of Europe, with each of them recording their part at home. Maestro Nayden Todorov, conductor and director of the orchestra, recorded his bit in front of Yoan Leviev’s monumental mural Man and Peace displayed in Hall 8 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia – an artwork whose message relates to freedom, unity and all the other values bringing us together, especially in trying days like these.

Live concerts and concerts streamed online are two completely different experiences that have different impact on people. They should not be compared and contrasted. Let us also not forget that we are living in the 21st century. The exact opposite may actually happen - concerts streamed online may help us reach audiences who, without necessarily having a good idea of it, have until now thought of our art form as obsolete, says Maestro Nayden Todorov in an interview to EUROPOST.

With masks over their mouths and gloves on their hands, country superstar Luke Combs and his band went to a music studio - in separate rooms - and recorded a new song reflecting the mood of a world dramatically altered by the spreading coronavirus. Singing lyrics like “I miss my mom, I miss my dad,” Combs performed “Six Feet Apart,” a song he wrote on 14 April during a Zoom writing session with songwriters Brent Cobb and Rob Snyder.

Maestro Nayden Todorov introduced some of the artists scheduled to be guests of Sofia Philharmonic during the 2020-2021 season as part of its online project Without Masks. World-renowned soprano Diana Damrau is to open the season under the baton of Pavel Balev on 5 September. Among the soloists are pianist Martha Argerich (Argentina), tenor Juan Diego Florez, Qidon Kremer, Valentina Lisitsa, Frederic Chaslin, Oleg Maisenberg, Maxim Vengerov, as well as the young but already very popular violinist Ray Chen. The postponed concert starring Shlomo Mintz will take place on 11 October.

One of the world’s most iconic music festivals, the Montreux Jazz, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s the first time since 1967 that the festival won’t take place, organisers said on Friday. The concerts were set to been staged on the shores of Lake Geneva from 3-18 July, featuring a line-up including Lionel Richie and Lenny Kravitz.

The pop star Lady Gaga and Global Citizen announced “One World: Together At Home,” a televised event for the coronavirus generation. Concert to thank the world’s medical workers will be shown on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and broadcast on major US TV networks. The big name line-up, all playing remotely, includes Billie Eilish, Lizzo and Live Aid veterans Elton John and Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on Sunday evening delivered from an empty Milan Cathedral streamed live to millions of people around the world in coronavirus lockdown. The "Music for Hope" performance, which was streamed on YouTube, has been watched more than 22 million times so far, news wires reported.

When The Beatles went their separate ways in the early 1970s, few thought that half a century later the pioneering band would still influence pop music culture. But, with Friday marking 50 years since their unofficial break-up, the so-called "Fab Four" are still popular and present, in spirit if not in the flesh.

Hungary’s MAV Symphony Orchestra is taking its music to the streets of Budapest to lift the spirits of residents quarantined in their homes amid the coronavirus pandemic, and it appears to be working.

"I believe in the force of praying together," Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli said on Tuesday. Bocelli will hold an Easter Sunday concert in the Milan Duomo starting at 19:00, Mayor of the Italian city Giuseppe Sala announced earlier. He added that the blind opera star would sing some "sacred music, the Duomo will be empty but in streaming we will regale the whole world with his voice.