BY MYLES OAKEY, EUROPE CORRESPONDENT
Disclaimer: Opinions reflect those of the writer and not necessarily the publication.
In a persuasive project pitch, the artistic director of Berlin-based Stegreif Orchester rode a bicycle onstage, barefoot, and opened with a group meditation.
The entrepreneur pitched his recontextualisation of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Schubert for a new, younger audience. With a bohemian aesthetic and philosophy that incorporates mindfulness into the audience’s concert experience, Stegrieif Orchester attempts to narrow the divide between indie-music culture and classical repertoire.
“Are there any questions?” asks the entrepreneur.
One is fired from Ensemble Offspring’s Claire Edwardes: “So do you plan on programming new works, or just music by dead white men?”
At the international stage of the “NEXT” in classical music, I intended to make sense of what we understand as “classical” and where it might be heading. The consensus, as much as I can make out, is that there is no consensus.
The question posed by Claire – which was possibly not entirely understood, or was intentionally diverted – shows that within the wide-reaching and inclusive embrace of classical music, individuals hold differing opinions, positions, intentions, motivations, and questions.
There appears to be a tension between priorities: new music advocates and commissioning artists; immediacy in action of those invested in community welfare, arts, and activism; entrepreneurship of “new” ideas that explore the intersection of music and technology to recontextualise new music practice, experience, and spaces; and those passionately keeping alive traditional Western classical repertoire.
To be honest, I get the sense that, even at the highest level, many organisations are focused on just trying to survive.
These priorities are not necessarily in conflict with one another; we are all existing together. But it is very possible for them to be contradictory. Upon the context of what is “NEXT”, classical music appears to not be entirely agreed.
Classical:NEXT, the world meeting place for classical and art music, has just wrapped up its eighth iteration. The event is an egalitarian platform for anyone involved in the classical music industry, and allows the big fish and the little fish to swim on up to one another and swap business cards. It is more than that, though. It’s a platform to showcase international new music performers, innovative and ethical projects, and a meeting place intended to unify a collective forward-facing vision for classical music.
As a listener, the musical performances are inspiring, and those featured are responsible for the associated sense of innovation. The Hermes Experiment and Ensemble Offspring were standouts for me in their commitment to commissioning and performing new music for unique ensembles. And Brooklyn-based National Sawdust and London-based nonclassical demonstrated what is possible at the intersection of artforms, genre, and technology. Expanding the impact of the event, this year saw first iteration of ROAM (Rotterdam Art Music Festival) that opens up the Classical:NEXT performances to the public, and also hosts its own events: delegates were offered three additional concerts by Stargaze, violinist Monica Germino, and an Anna Meredith collaboration with the Scottish Ensemble.
The quality of the event, organised by Piranha Arts and Rotterdam venue De Doelen, is exceptional in its program, layout, facilities, and digital and interpersonal networks. Yet for all its success, I hold some reservations about the leadership status of Classical:NEXT as incubator for change and innovation: while there are certainly mutual partnerships being made, and new projects and ensembles being picked up for tour, I am not convinced that gathering disparate parties under the same roof is a guaranteed model for collaboration and collective vision. The egalitarian nature of the networking expo does allow for free-flowing communication, and free-flowing gin if you’re by the Scottish delegate stand. But the environment does include a competitive air when time and resources are precious: a ‘what can you do for me?’ attitude. In advocating for collaboration, I would like to hear people asking ‘what can I do for you?’.
In general, the showcased artists are representative of contemporary and innovative practice of exceptional and inspiring quality – all of which existed, successfully, before their features at Classical:NEXT. The schedule of performance showcases, conference talks, product pitches, and networking promotes new ideas and showcases those on the innovative edge of classical.
The best of the conference sessions, such as Gender Equity, chaired by Claire Edwardes, with Paola Prestini and Rosanna Gunnarsson, share ideas and wake the consciousness of those who attend. The room was full, but that’s approximately 80 people of 1300 delegates. And while the time was allowed for small group discussion, time constraints kept it brief, and the schedule rolled onward. In this sense, the ideas largely flow one way, and don’t have the time to evolve within and between each of us. As it stands now, Classical:NEXT seems to promote the annual attendee increase as a signifier of success, but perhaps real-world outcomes could tell so much more. If Classical:NEXT wants to take responsibility for steering the ship, there ought to be an agreed destination: an event that identifies the most pressing artistic, social, and cultural issues, and prioritises dialogue and sets goals and targets at all levels.
The Classical:NEXT Innovation Awards – for which CutCommon was shortlisted in 2017 – do attempt to unify a forward vision by highlighting outstanding new initiatives. It is a democratic system whereby delegates vote for their chosen award winners from an official jury selected shortlist. In 2019, the year of what would be Clara Schumann’s 200th birthday, Classical:NEXT recognised women in their nominees for innovation awards. Notable international initiative Keychange was selected for one of the three awards.
Keychange campaigns for festival and music organisation to commit to 50/50 gender balance by 2022. This innovation award is a vote by the people, and represents a commitment to what is valued within classical music; and perhaps highlights one the most urgent challenges to diversify the voices within the sector. While voted on from a shortlist curated by an international jury, I do feel Classical:NEXT attributes significant credit to itself as an identifier of innovation, in a way that implies the necessity for their platform. For, where else would such projects be showcased and praised? For me, this consequently puts the responsibility back on Classical:NEXT to take action in relation to awarded initiatives such as Keychange. The flip-side of being the identifier of innovation is that there is also an expectation for that ethos to be consistent across the presentation of Classical:NEXT. The fact that the closing showcase to the awards, SPARK, was not a gender-balanced ensemble didn’t go unnoticed by delegates I spoke to. With a line-up of four male artists to just one female, the unfortunate positioning of this ensemble after a discussion on gender equality somehow served to taint what would otherwise have been a more positive performance. Perhaps just an unfortunate detail in programming – especially when we heard so many incredible gender-balanced ensembles earlier in the week – but an example of an area where Classical:NEXT could put into practice these innovations, and be a leader in the future.
Despite this, Classical:NEXT does do so many things right. The selection of an international jury (of six members and two specialist curators) and innovation award jury (of 30 journalists from 26 countries) is transparent and represents global interests. While not showcased at the event, grassroots organisation Umculo also received an Innovation Award. Umculo is a South African opera company that has created the space for young people of disadvantaged communities to confront and discuss issues of identity, sexuality, and violence. The forthcoming newly commissioned production centres on a current crisis in South Africa of rape of LGBTQIA+ women by young men. Holding her elegantly designed Innovation Award, Umculo’s founding director Shirley Apthorp – who had studied in Australia – used her moments on stage to plead for people to reach out with offers of partnerships and support.
The Innovation Awards, along with the opening night showcase by National Sawdust, bookended the whole event. On opening night, National Sawdust presented its organisational model as an “arts accelerator”, reminiscent of the juicy and enticing language of an Apple product press launch. I wonder what Classical:NEXT would look like with the Innovation Awards on opening night? To have Keychange, Umculo, and Chilean women’s new music collective Resonancia Femenina featured and celebrated – followed by a series of goal-orientated forums and networks to supply support through funding, partnerships, and press – would give shape and purpose to the entire event, and demand collaborative action within an agreed timeframe.
While three days of networking is more than enough time to suck the life out of anyone, it is not enough time to present a nuanced scope of the activity in classical music. What falls under Classical:NEXT is so diverse that what’s “NEXT” in the broader, global music community may only emerge through further years of collaboration, and discussion as to what classical music stands for as an industry and as a genre. One could speculate that it may even be determined by market demand and entrepreneurship, if left to its own course.
There is no doubt that Classical:NEXT facilitates new partnerships and achieves its status as a platform to recognise innovation. But, with the staggering number of creative minds coming together, it seems there are resources for more dialogue about what unified vision we have for classical music, and how it responds to our time and place.
This year, we have said we stand for women – and with that ought to come with action towards the diversification of artistic voices. Those voice we haven’t heard are “NEXT”.
READ NEXT: Classical:NEXT reminds artists to “treat music like a business”, writes Australian composer Lyle Chan.
Images supplied. Credit Eric van Nieuwland (unless stated otherwise).
