News

For the first time, Kultur lx – music department organized a virtual conference for classical musicians and music professionals: « next step Germany ». Two days of talks and discussions on-screen to focus on the German music market, one of the major territories. On 21 and 22 April 2021, five representatives of different expertise gave insights into their profession and explained their perspectives on current developments and – inevitably – the ongoing pandemic.

Artist manager Baris Toker (BT Arts) explained the key aspects of his young agency, actual challenges with ongoing cancellations, and how successful collaborations are getting started and maintained. An overview of the German festival history and the different existing formats today was provided by dramaturge Carsten Hinrichs, responsible for the programming at Musikfestspiele Potsdam-Sanssouci and also chief editor of the magazine Rondo. He explained very frankly the difficulties of programming in the second year of the pandemic, the role of concert streaming, and gave some valuable advice on how to apply successfully for a festival. The shift in the recording industry was in focus in the session with Kai-Uwe Diaz Philipp, senior communication manager at Sony Classical. From how to find a label to the continuing importance of the CD in the career of classical musicians, the participating artists got a lot of answers to their questions. Young baritone Samuel Hasselhorn shared his very personal perspective on the classical music scene, covering topics from building a strategy, making decisions, and the push of winning a major competition. Last but not least, PR manager Birgit Niemeyer (for artists) who was a partner in planning this event, revealed the secrets of successful media work and what it needs to find the right story.

15 participants from Luxembourg enjoyed well-filled six hours of expert knowledge and the opportunity to ask their individual questions. This exchange was a successful premiere and will see follow sessions in the future.