Conference
Audience engagement in new music

08.30-09.00

Registering, coffee

09.00-09.15

Welcome

09.15-10.00

The Wider Picture: New music for the concert hall and beyond by Mary Miller, director of the New Opera in Bergen

10.00-10.15

Framing the presentations by Heather Maitland

10.15-11.15

BEST PRACTISE: NEW CONCERT FORMS / COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING

Artists in Motion by Sven Rånlund, RANK, Gothenburg
Contemporary music, wander and context - the work of ohrenstrand.net/berlin  by Thomas Bruns, Berlin
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival by Sheralyn Bonner

11.15-11.30

Coffee break

11.30-11.45

Framing the presentations by Heather Maitland, moderator

BEST PRACTISE PRESENTATIONS: LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION

LS Collective by Amy Majumdar, London Sinfonietta
Elbphilharmonie Compass by Annika Schmitz, Laeiszhalle and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Big Bang - International Music Festival for children by Wouter van Looy

Lunch

13.45-14.15

Building the Composers’ Factory by European Composers’ Forum

14.15-15.45

GROUP DISCUSSIONS

A) The work of the ensemble is refreshed and revitalised by putting responsibility for programming and production in the hands of young people
Moderator Andrew Burke and Amy Majumbar 

B) Combining the different aspects of audience engagement within an art institution
Moderator Annika Schmitz

Audience engagement and educational work are very differentiated and versatile fields of activity. In this group discussion we will focus on methods and ideas on how to connect the different people working in these fields and how to strengthen the different aspects of it within an institution.

Some questions could be: Does education work have to be embedded in the artistic core programme or does it stand outside the usual framework? Is it important that the person in charge for education is an allrounder or is team-work necessary? Who is qualified for promoting the programme - the artistic director, the PR department or the person in charge of the education programme? How do new ideas in ticketing go together with experimental concepts for education workshops?

Lots of topics to tackle and an opportunity to question existing structures.

C) Building the Composers’ Factory Moderator: Niels Rosing-Schow, European Composers’ Forum (ECF)

The Composers’ Factory is a new initiative of ECF, which aims to bring together and develop good practice amongst the various individuals and organisations working on creating new music in schools. 

This group discussion will follow up on the presentation by ECF briefly outlining the philosophy behind the idea and some of the specific practical steps which are envisaged.  You will be invited to consider how best you think that this might work and what part you might like to play in it.

D) Should we approach Children’s Concerts as education? Moderator: Wouter van Looy  

With certain evidence concerts for young audiences are easily categorized as educational. Educational institutions often produce them, concert halls leave the programming of children’s concerts to their educational department. As a result we often see second class musicians playing or singing for young audiences.

Slowly a tendency appears to treat children’s concerts as artistic full. New forms are developed setting artistic goals in order to search for a non-educational confrontation of children with all forms of music. In this round table discussion we question the possibilities and traps for a future development of children’s concerts.

E) "Arranging for Explorers - audience development in the era of the open minded non-believers" Moderator: Sven Rånlund
A few, loyal enthusiasts are often seen as the core audience for concerts with new music. But how can we as free promoters also address a broader crowd of curious, kick seeking, social minded explorers?

This group discussion will focus on methods and practical experiences of communication with the majority of the audience who, among other genres, like new music. An opportunity to share do’s and don’ts of promoting.       

F)  "music and... " Moderator: Thomas Bruns     
starting from the examples thomas has given in his morning presentation the group is invited to discuss new concert forms particularly with regard to an active and self confident audience. One specific result of the spread out society is the number of different ways to deal with music. The pluralistic concert concept combines multi approaches in one event and is maybe an attractive offer for more then one sub-group of visitors. Furthermore the discussion group will focus on the contextualisation of contemporary music in relation to concert projects. The well known formel "music and...." is taken as an metaphor for activities which don't accept the isolation of the contemporary music. 

G) Communication and marketing Moderators: Sheralyn Bonner and Graham McKenzie
Collaboration, Communication, Conversation

Over the past 3 years Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf//) has had a unique opportunity to assess and develop all aspects of the organisation. This has enabled us to reposition this 33 year-old Festival to all its numerous 'audiences' - as we have evolved from programming and presenting new music to become a creator, collaborator and commissioner of new music. Developing our communications strategy, in its widest sense, has been a fundamental element of this process.

Leading on from the hcmf// presentation, the group discussion will consider the challenges that are inherent in maintaining 'existing' audiences, seeking out and engaging new audiences, creating new kinds of conversations and building communities - especially through online communication and social media.

15.45-16.00

16.00-17.00

18.00-01.00