Polyphony in the 21st century

With the exclamation Hear it New! as a subtitle, National Sawdust, an organizer from Brooklyn, opened this year's Classical:NEXT. Industry representatives met for the eighth time in the De Doelen concert hall in the city of Rotterdam for four days of intensive exchange. This mixture of international trade fair, conference and concert formats offers the diverse "classical music" sector topics and space. Personal contact, intensive networking and the opportunity to discover new initiatives are what make this conference so attractive for the more than 1,300 participants, regardless of whether they represent institutions with small or large budgets. The joint "Swiss Music" stand offered a large number of Swiss labels, ensembles, festivals and associations the opportunity to present themselves internationally. As in previous years, it was organized by the Fondation Suisa, Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Performers' Cooperative.

For the first time, a Higher Music Education Pre-Conference with representatives of the music industry, one of the rare encounters between education and market providers in the classical music sector. The involvement of universities is essential; the network meeting of the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC) was chaired by John Kieser, New World Symphony (CAN).

The dense conference program included in-depth discussions about the ongoing challenges of the digital market. For example, many institutions and ensembles are still faced with the question of how to achieve successful digital marketing. Streaming the live concert (London Symphony Orchestra)? CD production or a monthly track for fans (National Youth Choir GB)? Podcast, app, rehearsal videos or professional multi-media presence including curated backstage offerings? Clever communication should reach new (younger) listeners, support fundraising (good storytelling is essential for successful crowdfunding) and not neglect the loyal fans.

The goal of all communication efforts is still undisputed: The "live concert" should remain the centerpiece in the future. Critical voices on issues relating to the dark social web or algorithms that cannot be influenced were not heard here.

One focus was on panels on diversity and gender equality. The exchange format "Women in Music Breakfast" (Southbank Centre London) was very much focused on the topic of gender equality. Composers Brigitta Muntendorf and Anna Meredith spoke with Gillian Moore about the obstacles to professional development and ways to overcome them. Both musicians work as multimedia artists, have developed their own ensembles and formats due to a lack of other opportunities and rely on established groups of fans and supporters.

Lydia Connolly (HarrisonParrott) asked whether equality was already in sight on the concert platform. Even though success stories such as those of Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Alondra de la Parra and Simone Young are now familiar to a wider audience: In the UK, 5.5 percent of all classical concert programs (listed by the Royal Philharmonic Society) have been and still are conducted by female conductors - a frustrating finding. James Murphy rightly emphasized that it is not time for a change and that those responsible must finally get out of their comfort zones and act if they do not want to continue to push the same old products and programmes onto an oversaturated market as relics of a patriarchal system.

According to Australian conductor Nathalie Murray Beale, rejecting attributions (for example as a "black female composer") is not expedient and costs too much energy. Role models are essential, women should talk about how (difficult) the path to success is - keeping quiet does not help, the public should be sought and used to repeatedly name the inequalities.

In the panel "Composer Gender Equality", Claire Edwardes, Artistic Director of Ensemble Offspring (Australia), also explained that there is simply no reason not to design contemporary music formats and programs in a balanced way. But here, too, reality shows (see Donne Women in Music 2018) that the leading orchestras and concert halls consistently perform only around 5 percent works by female composers.

The conference was complemented by show cases (touching: "Duets with Jim" by Dutch singer Andrea van Beek; full of verve: the Stegreif-Orchester Berlin), evening concerts (special: "Stalin's Piano" with Sonya Lifschitz and Robert Davidson) and club programs (including a Swiss act: reConvert).

This year's Innovation Awards went to the PRS Foundation for its international "Keychange" initiative to achieve a 50:50 situation in music institutions and festivals, Umculo, a Berlin-based initiative for opera productions with South African communities, and the Chilean collective Resonancia Femenina.

The next Classical:NEXT will take place from May 13 to 16, 2020.