Classical musicians obituaries

Acclaimed for her fearless performances in operas by Strauss and Bizet, Ewing also partly inspired Passing, a film written and directed by her daughter, Rebecca Hall.

The sheer volume of loss felt by the music world in 2020 is almost overwhelming. Here is NPR's tribute to dozens of the musicians — founders and innovators across genres — who died this year.

From composers and conductors to instrumentalists, singers and critics, the classical music world said goodbye to many masterful musicians last year.