The »Classical Futures Europe« initiative supports promising young classical musicians all over Europe. Funded by the EU programme »Creative Europe«, 15 leading concert halls have joined forces to promote exciting projects involving young musicians – some of them in the Elbphilharmonie. What singles out the initiative as special is the fact that every sponsorship is tailor-made, linking artists, concert halls and audiences all over Europe. Cathy Wilkinson of the Elbphilharmonie’s artistic planning section explains below how this works.
The Projects :»Classical Futures Europe« at the Elbphilharmonie
»Everyone benefits – concert halls, artists and the audience« :Cathy Wilkinson, a member of the Elbphilharmonie’s programme planning team, talks about the initiative »Classical Futures Europe«.
What makes »Classical Futures Europe« different from other grant programmes for artists?
»Classical Futures Europe« is a fairly new initiative. The main difference from other such programmes is the choice of candidates: only musicians are nominated who do not come from the country of the host concert hall. In the case of the Elbphilharmonie, that means no-one from Germany is nominated. The idea behind this is to make young talents internationally known. At the same time, the European partner institutions are encouraged to communicate with one another. In this way we foster and extend an international network of exciting artists, of experience and recommendations. In the final event, everyone benefits: concert halls, artists and audiences.
What kind of concerts and projects does Classical Futures Europe sponsor?
It’s not just about standard concerts. We work together with the artists to create individual and as far as possible unusual programmes and additional formats that speak to new target groups. For example, the artists sponsored get involved in music education. And they have the chance to develop further and further their career, e.g. through professional video recordings. Each sponsorship is tailored to fit the individual artist – this produces the best results.
What significance does »Classical Futures Europe« have for young artists?
The musicians are closely involved in the planning: the focus is first and foremost on their own professional development. An education project, for example, gives them the opportunity to practise and present themselves, while an unconventional format brings them into contact with people who otherwise might not have come. Such situations often yield encounters that really get under one’s skin. These are special experiences that the artists don’t forget.
But in the meantime digital presentation has become just as important in the music industry. Particularly during the coronavirus lockdown, we produced lots of concert streams, documentaries and videos that were broadcast on our different channels.
Date of interview: 28 June 2021
