Classical:NEXT is back and bigger and better than ever. We share some highlights of the Berlin event that is the mecca for art music professionals.
Concert Formats and Audience Engagement
Beyond live showcases and pitch presentations demonstrating diverse approaches, Classical:NEXT’s conference sessions offer insights into how to implement these methodologies, including a workshop on concert design.
Don’t miss:
Power Sharing and Empowerment:
Why small and large institutions should team-up (14 May).
Chaired by Dorothee Kalbhenn (Programme Director, Konzerthaus Berlin) with Kian Jazdi (Musician and Project Designer).
360 Degrees: Creating New Concert Formats:
An open kitchen session on concert design (14 May).
Chaired by Hanni Liang (Pianist and Concert Creator), with Sergio Roberto Gratteri (Artistic Director, DAS HAUS)
and Hans Georg Hofmann (Artistic Director, Sinfonieorchester Basel).
The Musical Art of Curation:
Why curation, why now and how it can lead us to a new democracy (15 May)?
Chaired by Xenia Hanusiak (Cultural Attache and International Festival Director, The Netherlands Embassy), with Toks Dada (Head of Classical Music, Southbank Centre) and Mirjam Zegers (ArtEZ University of the Arts, Curator and Co-ordinator of the Course “Curatorial Practices in Music”).
Listening to the Audience:
What audience research can tell us about designing concerts for the future (15 May).
Chaired by Sarah Price (Lecturer in Music Industries, University of Liverpool), with Gina Emerson (Research Associate/Adjunct Faculty, RIFS Postdam) and Michelle Phillips (Senior Lecturer in Music Psychology, Royal Northern College of Music).
Everyone Says We Must Change, But How?:
A manager’s change management toolbox (16 May).
Chaired by David Bahanovich (Dean of Music, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London), with Manus Carey (Deputy Principal, Royal Northern College of Music).
The Complete Audience Toolbox:
A practical guide to getting larger audiences into the concert hall (16 May).
Chaired by Cecilie Szkotak Nielsen (Senior Consultant, RasmussenNordic), with Søren Mikael Rasmussen (CEO, RasmussenNordic).
Positive Impact Through Sustainable Concerts:
Workshop for more impact in music (16 May).
Chaired by Beat Fehlmann (Artistic Director, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz), with Lea Brückner (Violinist and Climate Ambassador) and Asbjørn Keiding (Director, Danske Ensembler, Orkestre og Operainstitutioner (DEOO)).
Navigating the Digital World
Whether delving into AI, audience engagement tools, DSP (online music platforms), or exploring new music journalism in workshops, Classical:NEXT offers professional delegates practical insights and strategies to navigate the digital era.
Don’t miss:
Classical Goes Digital – Oh Please…:
How to develop the huge opportunities of this fundamental disruption (14 May).
Chaired by Christopher Widauer (Consultant, NEWZIK), with Andreas Bintinger (Head of Services, UE Wien) and Anselm Rose (CEO, ROC Berlin) and Ernst Buchrucker (Managing Director, UNITEL Munich).
AI: Mind that Intelligent Child:
How is AI impacting the classical music industry now and in the future (15 May)?
Chaired by Florence Eves (Director of Social and Content, Premier Communications), with Urike Köstinger (CEO, Operabase), Rosie Castle (Campaigns Manager,
Edinburgh International Festival) and Emma Tracey (CEO & Co-Founder, Scéal).
(New) Audience Engagement: Digital Trends and Strategies: Engage through NextGen Apps, community features and new membership schemes (15 May).
Chaired by Sophie Garzon-Lapierre (Head of Business Development & Marketing, easy-connect/Ticket Gretchen GmbH).
If AI Only Had a Heart… Harmony for Artificial Intelligence and the Arts:
AI as an instrument for music’s preservation, promotion and prosperity (15 May).
Chaired by John Anderson (Founder, ODRATEK BV), with Sara Armsteiner-Simonischek (Director of Communication & Digital Mediation, Konzerthaus Berlin) and Fabio Antonacci (Associate Professor, Politecnico di Milano).
Can Classical Labels Expect Better Revenues from DSPs?:
How can they achieve this and get the ball rolling (16 May). Chaired by Yves Riesel (Consultant, Independent), with
Sean Hickey (Managing Director, Pentatone) and
Charles Adriaenssen (President, Outhere Music).
Data: the New Gold:
How to generate revenue using your and your audience’s data (16 May).
Chaired by Kathleen Alder (Founder, WildKat PR), with Sebastian Kahlich (Commercial Director, DEAG) and George Percy (Global Head of Digital, WildKat PR).
Orchestras Explored
Classical:NEXT offers a platform for diverse voices, including an all-female Latin American orchestra, a global orchestra summit led by Mark Pemberton, and discussions on innovative ensemble models and the future of symphony orchestras. This inclusive event welcomes not only labels, institutions and solo artists, but also large ensembles and orchestras.
Don’t miss:
A Vision for the Symphony Orchestra:
Transformative leadership and collective innovation in orchestral music (14 May).
Chaired by Karsten Witt (Managing Director, karsten witt musik management GmbH), with Simon Webb (Head of Orchestras and Choirs, BBC) and Fiona Stevens, (CEO, Concerto Köln).
Leading and Following in the Orchestra:
Models beyond the traditional hierarchy (14 May).
Chaired by Lorenz Blaumer (Artistic Director, Stegreif – The Improvising Symphony Orchestra), with Lorina Strange (Managing Director, Stegreif) and Hiromu Seifert (Jazz Drummer & Composer, Stegreif).
Are Orchestras Really for Everyone?:
How can we be truly inclusive in mechanisms of recruitment in orchestras (16 May)?
Chaired by Roger Wilson (Black Lives in Music, Director of Operations), with Charlotta Kivisto (Senior Manager, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra) and Flynn Le Brocq (Chief Executive, London Mozart Players).
Feminism in Classical Music:
It’s 2024 – why do we still have to talk about it (16 May)?
Chaired by Marlene Brüggen (Head of Artistic Planning, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin), with Alexandra Dariescu (Pianist) and Rebecca Zimmermann (Co-Founder, Alliances of Leaders in Music and Arts).
Exploring Change
Classical:NEXT is committed to addressing critical themes such as health, social change, inclusion of indigenous cultures and climate change as integral components of its programme.
Don’t miss:
Collaborating with First Nations Artists:
How to work sensitively across cultures (14 May).
Chaired by Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director & CEO, Ensemble Offspring), with Catherine Haridy (CEO, Australian Music Centre) and Felicity Wilcox (Composer).
Sound Mind, Sound Body:
Performance, education and wellness – a new creative paradigm (14 May).
Chaired by David Murphy (Conductor, Composer, Workshop Leader), with Satya Hinduja (Composer, Producer, Sound Artist and Founder, Alchemic Sonic Environment) and Zoë Armfield (Head of Learning, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic).
Transformation Unleashed:
Decoding the rhythms of social change (15 May).
Chaired by Nathaly Ossa Alzate (Producer, Freelancer), with Nikoletta Polydorou (Co-Founder and Executive Director, Sistema Cyprus) and Jesús Herrera (General Manager,
Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León).
UN / Sounding Out:
Artistic knowledge on climate change (15 May).
Chaired by Eduardo Abrantes (Lecturer/Researcher/Sound Artist, Independent), with Samuel Hertz (PhD Researcher/Composer, Centre for Geohumanities, Royal Holloway University of London) and Tania Rubio (PhD Researcher/Composer, Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität, Linz, Austria).
Classical Presenting in a Genre-Fluid Age:
How presenters can support and benefit from exciting new music trends (15 May).
Chaired by Judd Greenstein (Director, New Amsterdam Records) with Sophia Jani (composer) and Gabriel Prokofiev (Artistic Director, Nonclassical).
Connecting Silos – Artist-Focused Collaboration Between Labels, Promoters and Publishers: Cultivating synergy across music’s landscape (16 May).
Chaired by Clemens Trautmann (President, Deutsche Grammophon), with Natasha Baldwin (Executive Vice President Classics na dScreen, Universal Music Publishing).
Harmonising Cultures: Rethinking the Role of Concert Halls in a Globalised World: Navigating cultural diplomacy and collaboration in an era of evolving classical music landscapes (16 May).
Chaired by Hendrik Storme (Artistic Director, De Singel), with Natalia Klingbajl (Deputy Director forDevelopment, Narodowe Forum Muzyki Wroclaw) and Marian van der Meer (Concert Programmer/Artistic Co-ordinator, Het Concertgebouw).
The Place of Music in EU Policy and Funding:
Growing societal challenges – growing needs, growing offers (16 May)
Chaired by Ruth Jakobi (Secretary General, European Music Council), with Antje Valentin (Secretary General, German Music Board).
Setting the Stage for the Artists of Tomorrow:
Changing perspectives of music competitions and talent development (16 May).
Chaired by Florian Riem (secretary General, World Federation of International Music Competitions), with Rob Hilberink (Executive Director, International Conducting Competition Rotterdam / Liszt Utrecht).
Too Much Talking – Not Enough Doing:
Committing to change in a world of disruption (17 May).
Chaired by David Taylor (Consultant, Coach, Author).
Classical:NEXT takes place from 13 to 17 May in Berlin.
For more information, visit classicalnext.com