Toronto, Ontario (Top40 Charts/ Universal
Music Group) - Costa Pilavachi has been appointed Senior Vice President, Classical Artists & Repertoire, for Universal
Music Group International (UMGI), effective immediately. The appointment was announced today by Max Hole, Executive Vice President, Universal
Music Group International, to whom Mr. Pilavachi will report. On July 1, Mr. Hole becomes Chief Operating Officer, UMGI.
Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company. UMGI is the division which manages its businesses in more than 50 countries outside North America.
Mr. Pilavachi has previously served as worldwide President of three major classical music labels: Philips Classics, Decca and EMI Classics. During his earlier tenure at Universal Music, he was responsible for signing some of the company's most successful classical artists.
Based in London, Mr. Pilavachi will advise, sign, develop and work with emerging and established artists across Universal Music Classics' operations worldwide. These include the longest-standing recording company, Deutsche Grammophon, and the legendary Decca label, which owns the greatest opera catalogue in the world.
Mr. Hole said, 'Costa's vast experience and intimate knowledge of classical artists and repertoire will be invaluable in helping me to manage our classical music operations, which are a central part of our worldwide business. There is no one better qualified for the task, and I'm delighted to welcome Costa back to Universal Music.'
Costa Pilavachi commented: 'My new role will focus exclusively on artists and repertoire and I very much look forward to supporting and complementing the fine work of the Decca, DG and Universal Music Classics teams worldwide. The artists signed to Universal Music are second to none and I am thrilled at the prospect of working with them.'
Costa Pilavachi began his music career in Canada in artist management, and was later appointed Artistic Administrator of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, working with its Music Director, Seiji Ozawa. He joined the record industry in 1989 at Philips Classics in the Netherlands, and became the label's President in 1997. He moved to London to oversee the merger of the Philips and Decca labels, and led the combined group until 2006, when he was appointed President of EMI Classics. Most recently, he has been Artistic Advisor to Seiji Ozawa and the Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto, Japan, among other activities in the music world.
Among the distinguished past and present artists on Universal Music Group classical labels are Claudio Abbado, Roberto Alagna, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Cecilia Bartoli, Leonard Bernstein, Andrea Bocelli, Pierre Boulez, Alfred Brendel, Joseph Calleja, Riccardo Chailly, Pl�cido Domingo, Gustavo Dudamel, Julia Fischer, Elina Garanca, Ren�e Fleming, Juan Diego Fl�rez, H�l�ne Grimaud, Hilary Hahn, Janine Jansen, Jonas Kaufmann, Magdalena Kozen�, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Anna Netrebko, Jessye Norman, Luciano Pavarotti, Maurizio Pollini, Thomas Quasthoff, Andreas Scholl, Sir Georg Solti, Bryn Terfel, Herbert von Karajan, Rolando Villaz�n, and Krystian Zimerman.
