Landscape Sketch of the Arts: session classical music - Detailed programme

Before noon, you can choose between these four topics.

What does it mean to work in the classical music business? The distinction between amateur and professional became increasingly blurred, business models vary widely and non-classically trained creators are developing professional practices. Who is allowed to participate and who is excluded? Is there enough room - literally and figuratively - for newcomers, or do established values take up the disproportionate space? What barriers do young musicians and composers face in building a professional career? To what extent do the conservatoires prepare them for this? How is the collaboration in the sector today? And what about working internationally? Do recent discussions on sustainability have implications on how we work in and with foreign countries? Do we go for less and better, or does intensive international practice remain the norm for professional practice?

Producing and presenting: that's where the centre of gravity lies within classical music today. It’s not an illogical priority, but what about artistic development? On the one hand, classical musicians seem to be increasingly presenting themselves as creators. While on the other hand, performing repertoire remains the norm. How do musicians and creators view this issue? What are we missing as a sector in the current, results-oriented model? Does classical music benefit from more room for development? What could that give us, and why is this not there today? Do schools put enough effort into developing an artistic vision and personality, or does technical excellence overshadow such competences?

Inclusion, or rather the lack of it, has been a major issue in the sector for years. What about the diversity of our audiences? Who finds their way to classical music, who does not, and why? What physical and symbolic barriers are there? How welcoming are existing audiences to new faces? How do we tackle this, do we have the necessary space and resources for it? Who bears the responsibility? Working on inclusion is mainly seen as a necessary but difficult task: but what (artistic) opportunities are we overlooking?

Arts and education are very important to each other. Creativity, critical sense and imagination are crucial in the development of all young people. How do education and art find each other in designing interesting teaching materials, experiencing contemporary art or working with artists in the classroom? How can we free up the necessary time and resources for this in schools, arts organisations and artists? Is there room for experimentation? And what inspiring practices and methods can strengthen collaboration? In short, how can art become an integral part of the life and learning of children and young people?

(only in Dutch)

The Trio Malatya is a Ghent-based chamber music ensemble. It was founded in 2022 by three young musicians: Yassine Posman (clarinet), Jacob Van Durme (cello) and Taha Posman (piano). They study as an ensemble at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and the Dutch String Quartet Academy. Together they intend to tackle the diverse repertoire for clarinet, cello and piano from Beethoven and Brahms to contemporary composers such as Lachenmann and Janssens.

In the afternoon, you can choose between the following four topics:

Classical music is a sector in transition. On various fronts, it is experimenting with other ways of working:  other forms of presentation, the shift from mere repertoire to storytelling, etc.. What drives these developments, and where does the uniqueness of the sector lie? What is classical music today, and how do committee members and reviewers interpret that concept? And for whom are we actually doing it? How does the audience fit into the picture?

Producing and presenting: that's where the centre of gravity lies within classical music today. It’s not an illogical priority, but what about artistic development? On the one hand, classical musicians seem to be increasingly presenting themselves as creators. While on the other hand, performing repertoire remains the norm. How do musicians and creators view this issue? What are we missing as a sector in the current, results-oriented model? Does classical music benefit from more room for development? What could that give us, and why is this not there today? Do schools put enough effort into developing an artistic vision and personality, or does technical excellence overshadow such competences?

A diverse sector starts with ourselves. How heterogeneous are our teams today? What is the reason for that? The question can be extended to repertoire: what can be heard on our stages today and what cannot? Who decides what is being performed, and on what grounds? How do we relate today to a canon that is predominantly white, male and Western? Is a broader view of repertoire indeed the key to a more diverse and inclusive field? And how do we avoid tokenism and opportunism? How do we approach it with integrity?

Digital technology is everywhere, and the classical music sector cannot ignore it either. Working digitally can offer new opportunities - in terms of communication and promotion, but also artistically. What are the financial implications of these digital experiments? Is our infrastructure adapted to new programmes with more technical needs? What are the risks of artificial intelligence (AI)?