Echo 2026: Classical music sector day
Classical music is often seen as timeless, but how does it relate to the urgency of societal issues? How can we enrich classical music and make it resonate with the complexity of today's society?
During the annual sector day we zoom in on classical music in times of turmoil.
Musicians and music programmers face the challenge of positioning themselves in relation to sensitive issues such as geopolitical conflicts, diversity, and climate change. Our sector is experiencing double pressure in this regard: the obligation to remain relevant and, at the same time, the fear of polarization or alienating your audience.
The reactions of the audience are diverse: from enthusiasm about committed programming to the desire to regard the concert hall primarily as a safe, politically neutral haven.
How does artistic freedom balance with social responsibility? What is open communication and what can we learn from each other's perspectives?
Explore these questions with us during the sector day.
Programme
Listen to different perspectives during four plenary sessions. Find the full programme here.
09.30am: Welcome
10am: Introduction - Music centre De Bijloke
10.15am-11am: State of the Union by Makis Solomos
11am-12pm: Session 1 - Reluctant revolutionaries? (ENG)
12pm-1pm: Session 2 - The elephant in the concert hall (Dutch)
1pm-2pm: Lunch
2pm-3pm: Session 3 - Higher powers (Dutch)
3pm-4pm Session 4 - The art of listening (ENG)
4.30pm-5pm: State of the Youth by Golnaz Shariatzadeh
5pm: reception
8pm: Concert Nadar Ensemble & Elena Evstratova
State of the Union & Youth
Makis Solomos is a professor of musicology at Paris VIII University and head of the Musidanse research unit. He has published numerous works on contemporary music creation. His research focuses on the origin of sound, the concept of musical space, new musical techniques, changes in music listening, etc. He is a specialist in the music of Xenakis, to whom he has devoted several publications. His recent research focuses on the ecology of sound.
Golnaz Shariatzadeh is an interdisciplinary artist and composer whose work centers on sound. Their work moves fluidly between animation, sculpture, drawing, and expanded sonic forms – drawing on complex cultural impressions from her childhood in Iran, they have developed a language of fantasy that remains central to their work today, using imagined narratives to examine, refract, and at times critique the violence embedded in the mundane.
Register now
Register for free using the button at the top right.
Concert with discount code
Don't Leave the Room - Nadar Ensemble & Elena Evstratova
In 1969, the Russian poet Joseph Brodsky (1940–1996) wrote a poem that would become known by its opening line: Don’t leave the room. In six quatrains, he urges the reader to stay indoors. After all, why go outside when you have four walls, a bed, and enough cigarettes?
Over the years, much has been speculated about the meaning behind Brodsky’s words. Is it an ode to voluntary seclusion, a call for self-censorship, an ironic warning to steer clear of the KGB? Or perhaps a quiet, coded plea to break the silence and resist?
In this interdisciplinary concert, interpretations converge — and are refracted through new, contemporary lenses.
After registering, Echo participants will receive a discount code for the concert.
More information
For questions and more information, please contact our colleague Ward Bosmans.
Image: Frank Emmers
