Global arts leaders gather in London as the IAMA International Conference returns to the capital
The 34th IAMA International Conference returns to London this April, after a seven-year hiatus from the capital. It will take place at the Royal College of Music between 9 and 11 April 2025.
Chaired by Donagh Collins, Chief Executive of Askonas Holt, the conference will take as its central theme the often-overlooked role of the audience in artistic decision-making. Key sessions will explore what Gen-Z audiences value, new opera commissions, concert hall programming and patron expectations.
Matías Tarnopolsky, President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, will lead the distinguished lineup of speakers, delivering the keynote address at the opening session. Other notable participants include: Andrew Moore (Artistic Director, Royal College of Music), Catherine Arlidge MBE (Director of Artistic Planning, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra), Annelise Miskimmon (Artistic Director, English National Opera), Kazuki Yamada (Conductor), Burkhard Glashoff (Managing Director, DK Deutsche Klassik), Anthony Roth Costanzo (General Director and President, Opera Philadelphia), Hannah Donat (Director of Artistic Planning, BBC Proms), Frauke Roth (General Manager, Dresden Philharmonic), and Christian Thompson (Artistic Director, Orchestre de Paris).
Running concurrently on 9 to 10 April 2025 is the third edition of Audio Classique, a conference strand that brings together record companies, distributors and media platforms from around the globe for networking and business opportunities. Curated this year by Matthias Lutzweiler (CEO of Naxos), Audio Classique will examine topics such as physical sales and distribution—a format some may consider outdated, but which remains significant in certain markets. Moreover, many artists still value physical recordings as a tangible representation of their work.
The closing party is at Sinfonia Smith Square, where the conference will honour three exceptional contributors to this community. Stephanie Challener, owner of Musical America, and Andrew Green, a respected journalist specialising in
artist management for over 30 years, will each receive the IAMA Award. IAMA’s Honorary Life Membership goes to Cornelia Schmid, Honorary President of KD Schmid and former IAMA Chairman. She preceded Ben Rayfield of Rayfield Allied, who began his tenure this January.
IAMA’s International Conference expects to welcome over 600 delegates from over 35 countries during its three-day event. “We are really hoping the weather will be good enough to put a spring in the step of all who attend,” commented Atholl Swainston-Harrison, IAMA’s Chief Executive.
For more information, visit https://www.iamaworld.com/34th-iama-international-conference-and-audio-classique.aspx