Classical:NEXT has put out a call for exciting artists, engaging projects and future-orientated topics for its next conference. Taking place in Rotterdam from 25-28 May 2016, it will mark the second time that Rotterdam has hosted the international classical music meet-up at the de Doelen concert hall.
The 2015 edition saw 72 performers entertaining over 1,000 delegates (up 10 per cent on the previous year), including acts like Estonia’s Ensemble U:, Cello8ctet from the Netherlands and Switzerland’s Kaleidoscope String Quartet.
That conference included the inaugural Classical:NEXT Innovation Award, with Southbank Centre’s The Rest is Noise festival and Lucerne Festival’s inflatable Ark Nova concert hall sharing first prize.
Announcing the call out Classical:NEXT director Jennifer Dautermann said: ‘Being an initiative by the community, for the community, we are interested in a year-round interconnectivity – the call for proposals is a key way for veterans and new contacts alike to engage with Classical:NEXT, and will ultimately lead to yet another inspiring, pleasant and worthwhile event.’
Proposals can be made in four categories: live showcases, defined as new repertoire or fresh approaches from both soloists and ensembles; video showcases, a sister-project to the live showcases that allows larger works to be displayed; project pitches, formatted as nine-minute videos shown to the conference; and conference sessions, which allow people to share their passions, projects and problems with the Classical:NEXT audience.
The opera and music theatre festival Operadagen Rotterdam and the Music Theatre Now competition are running concurrent to Classical:NEXT 2016 and, as a result, the conference will have a music theatre focus, with proposals from this discipline especially welcomed.
An independent jury will assess all proposals, which can be submitted online at classicalnext.org before midnight on Friday 25 September.