digital media

January 16, 2018

First @ClassicalNEXT 2018 Conference Speakers Official

Know-how from print to video and from business to art

Rotterdam/Berlin As the early bird registration deadline approaches (19 January), the global art music meeting Classical:NEXT has announced the first speakers and conference topics for its 2018 edition in May. Delegates will be presented a wide array of insights, tackling the role of print programmes, of engagement through video and of reconciling business and artistic demands better.

Classical:NEXT

An international expert panel of seven has selected the most forward-thinking approaches from hundreds of proposals, offering solutions to the crucial issues of classical and art music today. Successful network formats and interactive workshops are to be continued. Although less than a third of the conference programme is announced, a trend is already recognizable: The 2018 programme of Classical:NEXT will go deeper into the specifics of topics – building skills and offering insights the expected 1,200+ delegates can take home and use in their everyday work.

For 2018 speaker Dr. Stefan Rosu, artistic director & ceo  of the South Netherlands Philharmonic this couldn’t be more important today: “Concentrating on core-competencies and exploring new ways to collaborate are in my opinion the key factors to the long-term survival of the professional classical ensemble. Classical:NEXT is currently THE platform to discuss those issues.”

Learn more: http://www.classicalnext.com/program/conference/overview

 

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December 14, 2017

Live Screenings to recrute orchestras new audiences

Concerts of orchestras performing live music and a movie on screen have become more popular in the last few years. These formats are expensive (scores, performing rights, technichal equipment etc.). However, they are very successful. Orchestras are reaching out to a far more diverse audience, compared to a ‚normal‘ classical concert.

Movie screen behind the orchestra

An interview with Mae Crosby – a specialist in live film concerts – about the topic situation and on the great potential of this art form is a must-read:  http://symphonyinternational.net/just-a-fad-film-screenings-with-live-orchestra/

July 8, 2017

41st Nordic #Orchestra Conference, Oulu, Finland

The 41st Nordic Orchestra Conference will be held in Oulu, Finland on September 20-22, 2017. All orchestra managers and other representatives of Nordic orchestras are warmly welcome to take part. We are very happy to invite you to join us in Oulu in the centenary of Finland´s independence. In the conference we will be discussing for “Best practices in community involvement”, “How to survive the inevitable change in the orchestra field”, “Opportunities and challenges in private funding” and “Challenges of digitalization”. Our key note speakers are Ragnar Lund (SWE), Hannes de Vries (NL), Søren Friis Møller (DK) and Katri Saarikivi (FIN).

Welcome to Oulu!



The conference sessions will be held at Oulu Music Centre and Oulu City Theatre. In addition to the in-depth talks, we can hear a concert by the Oulu Symphony Orchestra conducted by Johannes Gustavsson and enjoy a delightful social life with our wonderful orchestral “family”.
Welcome to the conference!

To be sure of getting a room at our conference hotel, the Radisson Blu Hotel Oulu, please send your registration before August 25th. Tel. 020 1234 730, sales.ouluradissonblu.com.
Code SINFONIA. A single room 105 €, a double room 125 €.

The fee for the full conference is 520 €. If you want to join the tour from the river delta to country side, smoke sauna and traditional Finnish dinner on Friday, you will pay additional fee
75 €. Please send your registration before August 30th.

Please pay the fee to our IBAN Account:
Suomen Sinfoniaorkesterit ry
FI83 5724 1120 0177 95
OKOYFIHH
Please mention the participant´s name.

More information:

The Association of Finnish Symphony Orchestras:
Helena Värri, Executive Director +358 50 556 9781, helena.varrisinfoniaorkesterit.fi
Elina Tuomola, Secretary +358 40 594 3079, elina.tuomolasinfoniaorkesterit.fi

Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
Leena Pälli, General Manager +358 44 703 7210, leena.palliouka.fi
Katariina Kummala, Marketing +358 44 703 7220, katariina.kummalaouka.fi
Virpi Länkelä, Sales +358 44 703 7221, virpi.lankelaouka.fi

The Association of Finnish Symphony Orchestras reserves all rights to changes in the conference programme.

YOU WILL FIND THE REGISTRATION FORM BELOW THE PROGRAMME INFORMATION.

Wednesday 20th of September
Tulindberg Hall, Oulu Music Centre, Leevi Madetojankatu 1-3, Oulu

09:30 – 10:30 Registrations in Oulu Music Centre
10:00 Bus from Radisson Blu Hotel to the Tulindberg Hall

10:30 – 10:45 Welcome, Mayor of the City of Oulu Päivi Laajala

11:00 – 11:45 Country reports / panel hosted by Gordon Alsing, (DK)
Denmark: Asbjørn Keiding
Finland: Helena Värri
Iceland: Arna Kristín Einarsdóttir
Norway: Rolf Lennart Stensø
Sweden: Mikael Brännvall

11:45 – 12:00 Coffee

12:00 – 13:00 100 years of Music in Finland
Minna Lindgren, Music Writer and Journalist

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 15:00 Opportunities and challenges in private funding
Key Note Speaker Ragnar Lund, Researcher and Lecturer, KHT Royal Institute of Technology

15:00 – 16:15 Best practices in community involvement in the nordic countries
Annika Kukkonen (FIN), Uffe Savery (DK), Marco Feklistoff (SWE), Arna Kristín Einarsdóttir (IS), tba (NO)

16:30 Bus to the hotel

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19:00 Dinner at the City Hall, Kirkkokatu 2a, Oulu

Thursday 21st of September “Times are changing.”
Tulindberg Hall, Oulu Music Centre, Leevi Madetojankatu 1-3, Oulu

9:30 Bus from the hotel to the Tulindberg Hall

10:00 – 11:00 From democratization of culture to cultural democracy. Organizational and managerial changes for symphony orchestras.
Søren Friis Møller, External lecturer, PHD, B.A, Copenhagen Business School

11:00 – 11:15 Coffee

11:15– 11:45: The renewal process of the state subsidies in Finland
Helena Mustikainen, Project Director of Sitra Fund

11:45 – 12:30 The change in the orchestra field in the Netherlands and how they survived it.
Key Note Speaker: Hannes de Vries, Co-owner at GE#sharp artists events, Member of the board of the International Artist Managers´ Association

12:30-13:30 Lunch

13:30 – 13:50 Auditions from the musician’s perspective.
Lucy Abrams, Clarinetist, Oulu Symphony Orchestra

13:50 – 14:15 Coffee

14:15 – 15:00: HR Policies on senior musicians.
Hanna Fontana, HR manager of Finnish National Opera and Ballet

15:00 – 15:15 Summary

15:30 Bus to the hotel

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18:30 Bus from the hotel to the Madetoja Hall

19:00 Oulu Symphony Orchestra concert at the Madetoja Hall

Johannes Gustavsson, conductor
Jamie Barton, mezzosoprano

Juha Pisto: Symphony no 1 (first performance)
Lili Boulanger: D’un soir triste
Gustav Mahler: Rückert Lieder

Intermission hosted by the International Artist Managers´ Association (IAMA) Chairman Aino Turtiainen-Visala, Introduction of “The Heirs of Sibelius” project by Kalevi Aho.

Bus to the hotel leaves after the concert. Dinner by your own cost.

Friday 22nd of September
Oulu City Theatre, Vinttikamari, Kaarlenväylä 2, Oulu

9:00 – 10:00: Music as a gateway to empathy in the digital realm
Key Note Speaker Katri Saarikivi, Cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Helsinki

10:00 – 10:45 Can orchestra field benefit from the game industry and vice versa?
Tony Manninen, CEO of Ludocraft, designing games and play

10:45 – 11:00 Coffee

11:00 – 12:00: The future leadership in the orchestra field
Vesa Puhakka, Professor of Management at the University of Oulu´s Business School.

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

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14:00 Gathering at the hotel

14:15 Oulu Tour from the river delta to country side.
Additional fee 75 €. Please wear sporty casual, waterproof, windproof, everything proof. Bring your swim suit. Towels provided by the host.

Experience:
– M/S Angelina river boat – smoke sauna – traditional Finnish dinner

22:30 – Bus back to the city

YOU WILL FIND THE REGISTRATION FORM HERE:

Signup form

May 14, 2017

How selected #Orchestras integrate #digital tools

Orchestras around the globe are looking for pathways in the very fast changing digital environment. Only some orchestras can make money from media business, at least only, if they do it on their own behalf.

Home of Berlin Philharmonic and the DCH Ltd.

A good example is the Digital Concert Hall (DCH) of the Berlin Philharmonic. Find more information on this topic in this presentation, which has been hold at 4th International Orchestra Conference in Montreal on May 12, 2017:

Orchestras Integrating Digital Tools

April 13, 2014

Multimedia: Topic trends for Orchestras on the internet

Social media – apps, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and many more – are no longer virgin soil for many orchestras and opera houses; or if they are, they will need to adapt, and fast.

 

Orchestras on the internet

Orchestras on the internet

 

These media will be key to keep old audiences and reach new ones, develop revenue streams and create powerful marketing opportunities. Digital Concert Hall of the Berlin Phil has been one of the most successful developments in this field (more than 600.000 “likes” on Facebook). But other orchestras are stepping forward, too. For example the Detroit Symphony claims itself with free webcasts as the “most accessible orchestra” in the world. At the same time, however, social media do have their pitfalls and follow their own rules that differ from print media or even Web 1.0 media. While aiming to convey spontaneity, they nonetheless require careful planning, and, as dialogic instruments, must be more than a platform to hand out information.

One has to look specifically at some cases of video trailers, from musicians’ home stories to sneak previews that whet viewers’ appetites for more. But caution: to be successful, media presentations have to be of solid quality – or risk ending up being well-meant rather than well-done. Some orchestras, such as the London Symphony Orchestra or the South Carolina Philharmonic, seem to be ahead in the game: often more relaxed and humorous, their tweets and Instagram posts present the ensembles as accessible and fun, successfully connecting with the mainly young users and dispelling the stuffy image of classical music.

The internet has also transformed ticketing. Booking a ticket has become possible from virtually anywhere, and it often allows a quicker and more convenient selection of seats. Even so, some teething problems remain: print@home tickets require scanner technology not every theatre can afford and the use of ticketing services, in Europe such as CTS Eventim, can increase prices.

Another popular tool is YouTube (for example the London Philharmonic Orchetra amongst many others) in particular. Orchestras reach out to audiences with an attractive age profile (mostly 13 to 35 years), increase the possibilities of direct communication as well as quantitative and qualitative audience research. Yet in Germany and many other central Euopean states hardly any orchestra fully utilises the potential of YouTube, typically offering only a small number of videos and neglecting feedback on user comments.

January 23, 2013

ABO conference: Classical music has to promote potentials better

It has been a very interesting opening of the annual conference of the Association of British Orchestras (ABO) in the Grand Theatre Leeds (UK) on January 23, 2013.

Richard Mantle, GD of Opera North, adressing the ABO conference

Richard Mantle, GD of Opera North, adressing the ABO conference

Get some fresh impressions and good ideas:

Dan Jarvis (MP), shadow minister of culture from the Labour Party in his keynote complained about the government cuts in the arts sector from 2012. Arts councils have lost some 30 percent of their money. Cultural and music education in schools is still shrinking.  The importance of cultural education for the economy and society is underestimated by most politicians. This has to be changed. The development of culture institutions have been the key to city-center-refurbishment in many UK cities during the past 20 years. The importance cultural issues have to be put more into the common discussion, Jarvis pointed out.

Max Hole, chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group Int., talked on the issue “How I learned to love classical music but fear for its future”. He highlighted that the massive losses of vinyl, cassette and CD sales during the last 20 years have not been compensated by digital sales, streaming and downloads yet. But the development of digital media and of the internet offers great opportunities for the industry. Spotify as a legal platform has got some 18 million users, of whom one third pay for downloads. The count of users has doubled in only one year. For example the recording market in Sweden has grown about 14 percent in 2012, Hole argued. This development shows the huge potential of the market. The record companies will stay relevant for the whole industry, the artists and the audiences with diverse and special services. The quality of services at least does fight internet piracy by quality, too.

The way of listening to music is changing drastically due to the boom of mobile devices. But the music industry is not yet making the best of it. There are many best practice examples how to build better links to the audience. Especially the social web gives the unique opportunity to bring listeners and fans of an artist and the different products (recordings, performances, ticket sales, “likes” and recommendations to friends) together. Industry tries to develop this potential with new platforms as http://www.sinfini.com, which is an online magazine as well as a shop. In this context the use of new Apps get important, too.

Hole continued to say that the word “classical” still scares potential audiences. Great performance on stage is of course essential, but not enough any longer. In many cases there is to much “protocol” – when to clap, when not, the stiff dress code, no drinks in the hall, starting promptly etc. Hole remembered that Mozart in a letter to his father had been enthusiastic about the audience clapping within the movement. Why is this banned in classical music today, but not in jazz? There should be much more different concert formats for different target groups in future. Hole saw many potentials to be developed such as connecting with audiences, video answers from the artist on questions from the audience, re-performances of commissioned music.