Classical:NEXT is the must-attend event for music professionals seeking innovative ideas and new ways to present classical music. Returning to Berlin this May, it offers a network that sparks action. Here’s a glimpse of what’s in store.
Alongside Showcases, Sector and Regional Meet-ups, Project Pitches, Expo, Mentoring Sessions, Film Showcases and the Innovation Award—highlighting some of the most inspiring and forward-thinking projects worldwide—the Conference sessions at Classical:NEXT offer a valuable opportunity to connect and engage in discussions around the most pressing topics in the classical and art music scene.
Don’t miss these sessions:
Opening Keynote: Dr. Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason (12 May)
The official welcome to Classical:NEXT
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason (Author and advocate for music, arts and education, UK) with Fabienne Krause (Managing Director, Classical:NEXT, Germany), Aliena Haig (Senior Communications Manager, Classical:NEXT, Germany/UK)
Taking Action
Make it happen! (12 May)
Breaking the Cycle of “We Should”
Chaired by Kian Jazdi (Co-Founder and Artistic Co-Director, Liedstadt Festival, Germany), with Dorothee Kalbhenn (Program Director, Konzerthaus Berlin, Germany), Beat Fehlmann (Intendant, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Switzerland), Hannah Bregler (Head of Programme Development, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Germany)
Attract and retain talent through supporting parents
and carers (12 May)
Practical strategies for building inclusive, flexible workplaces
in music
Chaired by Anna Ehnold-Danailov (Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA), UK)
From knowledge to action (13 May)
How to succeed in your net zero journey in classical music
Chaired by Lea Brückner (Violinist and Climate Ambassador, Germany/Czechia), with Jacob Sylvester Bilabel (Founder, Green Culture Anlaufstelle, Germany), Jean-Frédéric Caron (Executive Director, Orchestre de l’Agora, Canada), Aliena Haig (Senior Communication Manager, Classical:NEXT, UK)
Show me the money… (13 May)
Navigating the challenge of public funding cuts
Chaired by Mark Pemberton (Consultant, UK), with
Aurélie Foucher (Executive Director, Scène Ensemble, France), Dr. Juliana Hodkinson (Vice Chair, Neue Musik Berlin, UK)
Orchestras and Ensembles in Focus
Reframing the orchestra’s role in society through community partnerships (12 May)
A hyper-local approach to community place-making
Chaired by David Burke (Chief Executive, London Philharmonic Orchestra, UK), with Claudia Clarkson (Regional Partnerships Manager, London Philharmonic Orchestra, UK)
Seeing the woods and the trees (12 May)
Artistic leadership of socially and musically diverse ensembles
Chaired by Sigrún Sævarsdóttir-Griffiths (Academic Leader of Social Arts Practice, Guildhall School of Music and
Drama, Iceland)
Evolving the orchestral model (13 May)
Exploring alternative ways of working to reposition in a
modern world
Chaired by Toks Dada (Head of Classical Music, Southbank Centre, UK), with Linda Begbie (Chief Executive, Manchester Collective, UK), John Harte (Chief Executive, Aurora Orchestra, UK), Jonathan Harper (Chief Executive, Paraorchestra, UK)
Is your brand an audience barrier? (13 May)
Why your orchestra’s branding isn’t attracting new audiences
Chaired by Cecilie Szkotak Nielsen (Head of Research, RasmussenNordic, Denmark), with Søren Mikael Rasmussen (Director, RasmussenNordic, Denmark)
Thinking Globally
Why classical music is not just European (13 May)
Rethinking the history of music through a global lens
Chaired by Vincent Sneed (Music Educator and Researcher, Gwinnett County Public Schools, United States)
A window into Ibero-American classical music (13 May)
RIOS Network of Orchestras and Score Catalogue, initiatives
of IBERMUSICAS
Chaired by Francisco Varela (Director, RIOS (Iberoamerican Network of Symphony Orchestras), Argentina)
An alliance for classical music (13 May)
How artist management, labels and music conservatories collaborate
Chaired by Alexander Hollensteiner (Managing Director, Askonas Holt Berlin, Germany), with Avi Avital (Mandolin Player, Israel), Sarah Wedl-Wilson (Permanent Secretary for Culture, City Berlin, UK), Valerie Groß (Senior Director A&R Classical, Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Germany)
Digital Ways Ahead
Discoverability and cultural diversity in the digital age
(13 May)
Where do we stand and what are the future trends?
Chaired by Esther Gottschalk (Director, Dutch Composers Association Nieuw Geneco, Netherlands), with Zahra Mani (Vice-President, European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA), Pakistan/UK), Dr. Jannick Kirk Sørensen (Associate Professor, Aalborg University, Dept. of Electronic Systems, Denmark)
Future listeners: Beyond the concert hall (13 May)
Using VR to break down barriers to the orchestral experience
Chaired by Marta Génova (Senior Producer, Immersive and Interactive, Philharmonia Orchestra, Spain), with Sebastian Hagemeister (CTO, Meta Camera, Germany), Henrik Oppermann (Founder, Schallgeber Immersive, Germany)
Philharmonia Orchestra: Virtual orchestra (12–14 May)
VR showcase with performances from global leaders in 360-degree camera technology and spatial sound engineering, shaping innovative orchestral sound experiences.
Pathwaves futures world-building workshop (13 May)
Come play at future intersections of technology, literacy
and creativity
Chaired by Suzanne Stein (Project Co-Lead and Lead Facilitator, Pathwaves, Canada), with Patti Schmidt (Creative Producer, Envision, Canada), Rhyna Thompson (Co-lead, Pathwaves/Envision Management and Production, Canada)
Social Engagement
From listening to playing (14 May)
Reimagining musical participation for art music audiences
Chaired by Dr. Ciaran Frame (Composer and researcher, Australia)
Rethinking accessibility (12 May)
How to make classical music meaningfully accessible for
disabled people
Chaired by Paul Hawkins (Head of Skills Development, Attitude is Everything, UK), with Sally Currie (Interim CEO, Drake Music, UK), Roger Wilson (Co-founder, Black Lives in Music, UK)
Musical repertoire: agent for inclusion and social change (13 May)
Empowering communities through music and collective action
Chaired by María Juliana Velásquez Trujillo (Institutional Relations Manager, Red de Músicas de Medellín, Colombia), with Diego Zapata (Executive Director, Red de Músicas de Medellín, Colombia), Paulo Salazar (Education Coordinator, Red de Músicas de Medellín, Colombia)
Bridging sports, psychology and music (14 May)
Using self-determination theory to demonstrate social impact
Chaired by Fiona Stevens (Lecturer, Hochschule Darmstadt, UK/Germany), with Michelle Robinson (Doctoral Researcher, Loughborough University, UK)
