Classical:NEXT is the annual meeting of classical and art music professionals from all sectors. Last year in May 2013 almost 1,000 international professionals from all over the world traveled to Vienna to attend its second edition.
In its third round, Classical:NEXT will again take place in Vienna from the 14th – 17th of May 2014. The conference schedule of 25 sessions and 6 video showcases is now online on the organization’s website.
A reduced Guide Rate is available for delegates until Friday, the 7th of March.
Classical:NEXT 2014 Trailer
Additional Stands Available | Who-Is-Coming List Online
Three months before the start of Classical:NEXT 2014, over 350 delegates from more than 30 countries have already registered for the leading classical music meeting. With its practical conference sessions and video showcases, Classical:NEXT attracts an increasing number of professionals from the live and education sectors.
Expo stands are in particular high demand with bookings now already exceeding the numbers of the previous year by a third. In response to this, the organization has released a small, additional contingent of stands at the MAK (Austrian Museum of Applied Arts) – first come first served!
Note that the reduced Guide Rate for delegates is only available until the 7th of March. Only if you register by then, you will be listed in the printed Classical:NEXT Guide.
Photo: © MAK
Video Showcases 2014
In addition to the conference and evening showcase concerts, six video showcases have been selected for Classical:NEXT 2014 and will be presented in a slightly new format. Representatives from large ensembles or complex productions will produce short, group presentations to give a quick overview of their work, be it a performed reenactment of a renaissance portrayal of Orlando di Lasso, a “4D opera” about Nikola Tesla or a concert series for the deaf and hearing-impaired by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, represented by Suzanne Hay:
“This exciting new project enabled us to explore working with a new audience. During the showcase our trumpeter Andy Everton and I will share personal stories of the participants and our video will feature clips from the concerts as well as key interviews from artists and the audience. Having attended the first Classical:NEXT in Munich, I very much look forward to returning in 2014 and to sharing our journey.”
Photo: © Sebastian Schels
Conference Program and Daytime Schedule
Classical music never veers too far from the path of invention as the organizers recently pointed out in a blog of the international arts manager magazine. Nowhere will this drive to break the mould be more palpable than at Classical:NEXT. The latest round of program updates are a testament to this, with 25 sessions featuring international expert speakers from a broad range of topics that are equally attractive for the live, recording, educational and more sectors. The outstanding program is meant to establish Classical:NEXT as a platform for the development of new formats, joint initiatives across sectors and the exchange of new tools and methods.
Just to name a few highlights of this year’s program:
William Norris of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will speak about its nightly concert series, The Night Shift will aim at a younger audience, while the director of Wigmore Hall, John Gilhooly OBE and the director of the Konzerthaus Vienna, Matthias Naske, will join journalist Carsten Dürer to discuss the opportunities offered within special concert programs that are tailored to an older audience. Franz Patay of the International Music + Media Centre (IMZ) will explain how to successfully finance your audio-visual music production.
Audience Development, Big Data and Education
A key aspect of the conference will be the engagement and analysis of the audience: Mark Pemberton of the Association of British Orchestras will ask “Who’s listening?” and illustrate how you can learn more about your audience and thus better argue the public value of your work. Both Susanna Eastburn (Sound and Music) and Anna Kleeblatt (formerly Bavarian State Opera) will give insight into “big data” analysis and digital databases and how they can help engage your audience as well as optimise your marketing.
The education sector will be equally present at Classical:NEXT. Andrea Thilo (TV moderator and producer of “Rhythm Is It”) and Kai-Michael Hartig of the Körber Foundation will invite delegates to an interactive group discussion on the relation of educational and business aspects at music companies or concert halls, while Reiri Ray Kojima will organise an international network meeting of education and engagement professionals. Initiatives such as the journalism portal Sinfini will be put under the microscope and Etienne Abelin will introduce the music visualisation project “Music Animation Machine”:
“Classical:NEXT has really brought together a new community of classical music innovators. We are enjoying the many doors this has opened in the past years and I can’t wait for this year’s edition!”
The rich program of Classical:NEXT is still not complete. The remaining sessions and concerts, a mentoring program for one-to-one advice and roundtables are still to be announced, as are the film screenings, the public festival and the opening and closing artists.
Links:
www.classicalnext.com