Classical:Next Preview

A collaborative future for the sector

Iván Fischer’s keynote opens the conference programme, setting the tone for everything that follows – thoughtful, forward-looking and rooted in genuine artistic conviction.The closing keynote comes from Dagmar Slagmolen of Via Berlin, whose work proposes that musical structures (rhythm, polyphony, breath, silence) can function as tools for embodied research, making space for what words alone cannot yet express. Between those two bookends lies a programme shaped by collaboration, generosity and a shared determination to keep classical and art music vital and relevant.

Audiences & Concert Innovation

Evolving the Classical Music Experience

Developing the Classical Music Experience to Grow the Audience for the Artform

Chaired by Toks Dada (UK), Head of Classical Music, Southbank Centre

Gateway Drugs: How Game and Film Music Bring in
New Listeners

How a new generation is discovering music, and how to hold their interest

Chaired by Graham Ball (UK/Germany), Head of Marketing, Orchestral Tools, with Ádám Balázs (Hungary), film composer; Emilie LeBel (Canada), Composer & Advisor, Toronto Symphony Orchestra; and Alex Moukala (Italy), composer.

Beyond Repertoire: Reaching the Curious & Connected Audience

Engaging the Curious & Connected: Strategy, Storytelling & Digital Tools

Chaired by Amy Nelson (UK), Senior Marketing Strategy Manager Classical & Jazz, FUGA, with Sascha Braunreuther (Germany), Sales and Label Marketing Manager, Naxos Digital Services; David Weuste (USA), Executive Director, First Inversion; and Katy Rogers-Davies (UK), Live Marketing & Partnerships Manager, LSO Live.

The Art of Programming

Towards a Curatorial Theory of the Classical Concert

Chaired by Miguel Ángel Marín (Spain), Head of Music Department, Fundación Juan March, with Joanne Karcheva (Bulgaria/UK), Brand and Communications Director, Manchester Collective.

The Canvas of Sound

Exploring the Overlap of Visual Arts and Classical Music

Chaired by Tobias De Pessemier (Belgium), International Relations & Visibility Coordinator, Platform 0090, with Karl Van Welden (Belgium), Transdisciplinary artist, Studio Karl Van Welden; and Kirsty Harris (UK), Classical Programmer, Barbican Arts Centre.

Opera Is Dead. Long Live Opera

Reinventing the Opera House as Innovation, Technology,
and Community

Chaired by Claudio Rimmele (Germany), Creative Director & Curator, Observism, with Victoria Dietrich (Germany/Switzerland), Digital Development and Audience Engagement, Opernhaus Zürich.

Advertising as Art

Nobody Believes Influencers Anymore. Integrity is Key, as is Art.

Chaired by Brendan Jan Walsh (Netherlands), CEO, Apple Egg.

Making a Lasting Impact

Balancing Brand and Box Office in Cultural Organisations

Hugo Mintz (UK), Head of Communications & Digital, Edinburgh International Festival; Kate Carter (UK), Director of Audiences, Edinburgh International Festival; Job Noordhof (Netherlands), Head of Marketing, Communication & Sales, Royal Concertgebouw; and Anna Tiszolczi-Bertalan (Hungary), Head of Marketing and Audience Relations, Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Equity, Access & Inclusion

Practical Strategies for Gender Representation in Composition

From Mentorship to Mainstage – Actionable Solutions for the Classical Sector

Chaired by Alyssa Kayser-Hirsh (USA), Executive Director, Luna Composition Lab, with composers Katharina Nohl (Germany), and Therese Ulvo (Norway).

Beyond Representation

Global Perspectives on Cultural Representation and Inclusion

Chaired by Bill Neri (USA), Director of Ensemble Advancement, Sphinx Organisation, with Catherine Haridy (Australia), CEO, Australian Music Centre.

New Music Technology and its Role in the Orchestra

Tech and Its Creative Possibilities for Orchestral Music-Making

Chaired by Helen Edwards (UK), Senior Producer (Artist Development), Paraorchestra, with Siobhan Clough (UK), Assistant Music Director, Paraorchestra; Liza Bec (UK), Creative Director, BMV Records; and Sally Currie (UK), Interim CEO, Drake Music.

Expanding Access to Deepen Excellence

Shared Values across Cultures in Youth Orchestras

Chaired by Dorian Jones (Australia), CEO, Melbourne Youth Orchestras, with Camila Roa (Chile), Head of Management and Institutional Development, National Youth and Children Orchestras Foundation of Chile (FOJI).

The Nightmare On the Road To a Dream Job

Training, Admission Procedures, and Job Profiles in Classical
Music Today

Chaired by Christopher Widauer (Austria), CEO, YOUNISON, with Deborah Borda (USA), CEO emerita, New York Philharmonic, and José Blumenschein (Germany), Concertmaster, WDR Sinfonieorchester.

Economics & Industry

Orchestrating Resilience

Building Sustainable Funding through Influence and Communications

Chaired by Simon Woods (UK/USA), President and CEO, League of American Orchestras, with Deborah Borda (USA), CEO Emerita, New York Philharmonic; Jamie Njoku-Goodwin OBE (UK), former Director of Strategy at No.10 Downing Street and Chief Executive, UK Music; and Anselm Rose (Germany), CEO & Managing Director, ROC Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre Berlin GmbH.

Revenue Generation & Commercial Strategy in Practice

Case-based Strategies for Venues and Commercial Stakeholders

Chaired by Ulrike Köstinger (Austria) CEO, Operabase, with Hannes Tronsberg (Germany) CEO, Future Demand, and Franziskus Linsmann (Germany), Project lead, actori GmbH.

Fair Deal for Music

How to Bring the Audience of Recorded Music and its
Creators Together

Chaired by Sebastian Solte (Germany), Founder, Artistic Director, bastille musique, with Chris O’Reilly (UK), Chief Executive, Presto Music.

Hands-On: How Do I Get my Recordings Out These Days?

Case Studies and Discussion for Labels, Artists, and
Interested Parties

Chaired by Timo Hagemeister (Germany), Music Manager.

Stream Better

The Fair Music Platform in the Classical Music Ecosystem

Chaired by Davide Grosso (Italy/France), Director of Programmes & Partnerships, International Music Council, with Samir Kabbouch (France), CEO, Kapela.

Cultural Journalism in Crisis: Who Decides What Matters?

Protecting Critical Thought in a Post-Truth World

Chaired by Olivia Brown (UK), PR Consultant, Stay Tuned, with David Karlin (UK), Director, Bachtrack; Cinci Baglyas (Germany), Concert Flutist & Digital Content Creator; and Dr. Martin Andris (Germany), Head of Media Relations & Press Spokesperson, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

Sustainability

Sustainable Practices for a More Profitable Classical
Music Sector

What if sustainability were not a cost, but the smartest long-term investment in classical music?

Chaired by Endre Papp (Hungary), Sustainability Communications Consultant, ReStageGroup, with Natália Oszkó-Jakab (Hungary), Director, Valley of Arts Festival / Hungarian Tourism Programme Foundation, and Orsolya Erdődy (Hungary), Managing Director, Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Communicating Sustainability: Building Trust, Not Noise

What Audiences Expect – And How Arts Organisations
Can Respond

Chaired by Katy Raines (UK), Founder & CEO, Indigo Ltd.

Cultural Administration as a Driving Force for Transformation

Building Cultural Ecosystems, Leaving Behind Institutional Egoism

Chaired by Dorothee Kalbhenn (Germany), former Program Director, Konzerthaus Berlin, with Birgit Schneider-Bönniger (Germany), Head of Sports and Culture, City of Bonn, and Angélique Tracik (Germany), Head of the Department of Culture, City of Düsseldorf.

Artist Wellbeing & Career Development

The Conscious Artist® Workshop: Redefining Resilience

A Path to Mental & Physical Wellbeing in the Performing Arts

Chaired by Pallavi Mahidhara (USA/Spain), Concert Pianist, Educator, Podcast Host.

Creating Together

Redefining Artist Norms though Collaborative Music-Making

Chaired by Abimaro Gunnell (UK), Songwriter and Music Leader, Multi-Story Orchestra, with Paul MacAlindin (UK), Executive Artistic Director, The Glasgow Barons, and Kedar-Re Thompson (UK), Young Creative, The Multi-Story Orchestra.

Outsider Leadership

If no one expects you to follow the rules, what can you do differently?

Chaired by Fanny Martin (France/Croatia), Executive Director, Music Biennale Zagreb, with Fiona Stevens (UK/Switzerland), Executive Director, Basel Sinfonietta.

Technology & Innovation

Beyond the Metronome

Reimagining Technology in Classical Music Pedagogy

Chaired by Michael Casimir (USA), Musician, Section Violist, Saint Louis Symphony.

Rethinking Innovation

East Asian and Western Paradigms of Classical Music Creativity

Chaired by Dr. Weida Wang (UK/China), Independent Music Industry Scholar & Creative Producer, Independent, with Timothé Deman (France), Journalist & Writer, Independent; Aidan Chan (UK), Doctoral Student, Royal College of Music London; and Marielle Garagnani (France/Denmark), Innovation consultant for classical music institutions, Founder, DOTS.

Exhibiting the Intangible

Curating Music in Museums

Chaired by Zsuzsanna Szálka (Hungary), Curator, House of Music Hungary, with Simon Posch (Austria), Managing Director, Haus der Musik Museum GmbH; Márton Horn (Hungary), Director, House of Music Hungary; and Jade Bouchemit (France), Deputy Director, Musée de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris.