What is Classical:NEXT?

The international meeting and platform for all art music professionals

Conference / Expo / Showcases / Films / Networking

Classical:NEXT is the global networking and exchange hub dedicated exclusively to classical and art music, for all professionals – artists, managers, presenters, orchestras, labels, educators, press, media, filmmakers, publishers and more.

Classical:NEXT consists of an interactive conference, project pitches, showcase concerts, expo, innovation award and networking.

By taking part in Classical:NEXT, you join over 1,500 professionals from 50 countries worldwide.

We help the global scene optimise what this art form is and can be, as well as how it is presented, disseminated and received. We believe in planting seeds for positive change: Change for audiences, for society and for the professional art music ecosystem. We strive to unite all professionals who identify with classical and art music, providing them with a place to meet and connect, do business, brainstorm, create and be inspired.

A unique music meeting, which is..

… a “user generated content” platform
… a community project
… for all sectors
… for all countries
… for institutions and individuals on every budget level

Call for proposals
out now!

Classical:NEXT is a community effort with a jury selected programme.

Make a proposal for our 2025 edition in Berlin (12–15 May) for …

Showcase concerts
Club showcases
Conference sessions
Project pitches

Deadline: 4 October 2024

A Unique Music Meeting

Last edition: Classical:NEXT 2025 in Berlin

1500

Professionals

50+

Countries

100+

Speakers

100+

Artists

What?

Classical:NEXT is made up of four main components: Showcases, Conference, the Expo and networking.

The Showcases are a series of short concerts featuring a wide range of artists and productions, offering artistic directors, concert bookers, journalists, and others a unique opportunity to gain an overview of current artistic activity, and to make new discoveries in a short amount of time.

Film Showcases offer creators the opportunity to screen innovative classical or art music films, connect with international professionals, spark cross-industry collaborations, and inspire new conversations.

The Conference offers presentations, seminars, discussions, one-to-one and roundtable mentoring sessions and other formats to help delegates tackle burning issues and to keep up with changes, trends and innovations around the world.

Project Pitches are targeted, fast-moving opportunities for creators and those on the lookout for new creations, a “seek-and-find” for collaboration and inspiration.

The Expo presents the work of labels, publishers, agents, festivals, associations, and more, providing a vibrant meeting point for all delegates and serving as the main hub for networking.

Building partnerships and meaningful connections is at the heart of Classical:NEXT, with global networking woven into every aspect of the event. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect, learn and share ideas with colleagues from around the world.

New to Classical:NEXT? We recommend starting with this great primer for C:N newbies written by Frank J. Oteri.

Oder ein Bericht aus deutscher Sicht gefällig? – Philipp Krechlak schreibt über die ‘Musikkonferenz mit Weltblick‘.

Why?

“Classical:NEXT unites the global classical and art music community, creating a worldwide movement to explore potential paths forward into the future.”

– Classical:NEXT mission statement

Classical:NEXT enables art music professionals from all sectors to work better together. A unified classical and art music scene increases relevance and effectiveness in both business and creative aspects and positive change within the professional scene, as well as society as a whole.

How?

Over the course of four days, hundreds of delegates meet, discuss and learn about, as well as from, each other. In addition to being a networking event, Classical:NEXT has established itself as a key opportunity to promote and explore new talent, new creative ideas and future-oriented business practices.

95% of delegates would like to come again and would recommend Classical:NEXT to colleagues.

– Classical:NEXT Online Survey

Who?

Classical:NEXT community members are cultural multipliers ranging from grass-roots DIYers to the most established companies and institutions, including Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera, Spotify, Universal, China National Symphony Orchestra, The Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and more.

Join now and connect with delegates from more than 700 companies.

Classical:NEXT 2026
see you in Budapest!

8-11 April 2026

Days

Hours

Minutes

advertising

Facts & Figures

Since our first edition in 2012, more than 5,000 professionals from all sectors have engaged with Classical:NEXT, making it the largest international gathering for art music innovators. The 12th edition took place in Berlin, 12–15 May 2025, gathering 1,500 professionals from 54 countries.

Classical:NEXT Online

Classical:NEXT is not just an annual meeting: it is a year-round worldwide movement for all sectors and all approaches in art music. Stay connected and network via our online community and directory. Keep in touch with contacts old and new.

The Jury

Hand-picking the most promising and innovative ideas for our programme, the Jury is made up of independent and international members who select the Showcases, Conferences and Project Pitches from community proposals. Below are the members of the Classical:NEXT 2026 Jury:

Cristina Uruc

ROMANIA | Executive Director,
George Enescu Festival and Competition

Cristina Uruc, interim manager of ARTEXIM, the organiser of the George Enescu Festival and Competition (Bucharest, Romania), started her career in the world of organising concerts, cultural events, and shows in 2007. Over the next six years, she accumulated extensive experience in all stages of production and organisation at one of the world’s biggest classical music festivals. She was the general project manager of the International New Music Week Festival, as well as the tour manager of the famous early music ensembles Il Giardino Armonico and Coro e Orchestra Ghislieri. From April 2021, Cristina served as artistic consultant at the Sibiu State Philharmonic. She studied composition at the National University of Music in Bucharest under the guidance of the composer Livia Teodorescu-Ciocănea (bachelor’s and master’s), and in 2019 she was awarded the title of “Doctor of Music” at the same institution, under the coordination of the composer Dan Dediu.

David Zsoldos

HUNGARY | Founder & CEO, Papageno

David started off as a successful pianist, giving solo and orchestral concerts in prestigious venues from Salzburg to Los Angeles. He earned his piano and musicology degrees from the Liszt Academy, Budapest. As a journalist, media & classical music expert, and manager, he’s been working with many high profile projects and institutions. He founded several successful projects, including Radio Klasszik, the first commercial classical music radio station in Hungary, the Kodály International Music Competition, and Papageno, one Europe’s leading media outlets covering classical music and opera.

He is president of the Hungarian Music Council. He previously served on the board of the European Music Council (2018-2025), and of Jeunesses Musicales International (2017-2023). Since 2022, he has been a member of the jury of the prestigious International Classical Music Awards.

Kelly Lovelady

AUSTRALIA | Conductor

Kelly Lovelady is an Australian conductor, curator and cultural activist with a passion for experimental programming, concert dramaturgy and composer advocacy. She is the founding Artistic Director of Ruthless Jabiru: a chamber orchestra of Australasian musicians in the UK forging projects which explore humanitarian and social justice stories through new music. Lovelady has devised, self-produced and conducted massed musical and cross-artform projects for festivals around the world and is in demand in the UK and abroad as both a Musical Director and Assistant Conductor with a focus on contemporary repertoire and composer collaboration.

Louis Siu

HONG KONG/UK | Executive Artistic Director, Toolbox Percussion

Louis Siu is a 2024/25 Clore Leadership Fellow at Southbank Centre, where he contributed to delivering Multitudes, an electrifying new arts festival powered by orchestral music, and worked under Artistic Director Mark Ball to develop global collaborations. As Executive Artistic Director of Toolbox Percussion, he drives interdisciplinary and site-specific contemporary music projects. Rooted in classical music, Siu served as a Teaching Artist with the San Francisco Symphony and Principal Percussionist with the Macao Orchestra. His curatorial work includes A Double Listen: Yama no Oto (Japan), Hong Kong/Takeoff (Hong Kong Arts Development Council), and Ryoji Ikeda’s 100 Cymbals Asia premiere (Hong Kong). His projects have appeared at major venues and festivals across the USA, Korea, China and Australia.

He holds a Bachelor of Music from San Francisco Conservatory, a Master’s in Arts and Cultural Enterprise from Central Saint Martins, and a diploma from Stanford Graduate School of Business’s Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders. He received an Asian Cultural Council Fellowship (2005) and is an ISPA International Society for the Performing Arts Fellow (2023–2025), elected to its Advancement Committee in spring 2025.

Nathaly Ossa Alzate

COLOMBIA | Cultural manager

Nathaly is an international cultural manager passionate about harnessing music, education, and the arts for social transformation. She currently manages a network of Cultural Centres in her hometown of Medellín, Colombia. Her professional journey has taken her across Australia, Spain, Norway, and the UK, among others, building an international perspective on the power of culture to drive change.

Previously, she served as Head of Programs at the Academy for Impact Through Music (AIM), an innovation lab for changemakers addressing social inequality through music education. She has also held leadership roles with the Spanish Association of Symphony Orchestras (AEOS), the International Federation of Musicians, Bachtrack.com, the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, and DeTour Artists. She holds a Bachelor’s in Law, a Master’s in Cultural Management (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), and a Master’s in Education and Social Change (University of Oslo). In 2021, she received the Santander Scholarship Women | Emerging Leaders at the London School of Economics and is also an alumna of the Global Leaders Program.

Samu Gryllus

HUNGARY/AUSTRIA | Composer

Samu Gryllus DLA is a composer who often works with musicians from diverse music-social backgrounds. His main interest lies in multidisciplinarity within the performing arts, with a focus on performed musical identity. He pursued his university studies with Anthony Braxton, Alvin Lucier, Michael Jarrell, Klaus Peter Sattler, Daniel Ott, and Walter Zimmermann. He has composed chamber operas on commissions from Sophiensaele Berlin, Trafó Budapest, Theater an der Wien, the Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation, as well as the Hungarian State Opera. He teaches as a Senior Artist at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Co-founder and curator of the Transparent Sound New Music Festival, Co-Founder of MuPATh – Music.Performance.Art.Theater association, member of the W.H. Performing Band, the hermina Collective and the International Society for Contemporary Music. Since 2010, he is an expert in Soundpainting — a sign language used in education and the performing arts.

Sebastián Errázuriz

CHILE | Composer, producer & conductor

Since 1999, the work of Sebastián Errázuriz has been programmed by leading orchestras in the country and abroad. His talent and versatility have earned him numerous awards in music, film, dance, and theatre. He was responsible for composing the music for the opening ceremony of the Santiago 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games. His forays into opera have achieved great critical and popular acclaim. In March 2008, he premiered his opera Viento Blanco at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago and in March 2013, Gloria at the GAM. In 2025, he toured Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela and Portugal with his opera Patagonia, performing it with the local orchestras ORCAM and Orquestra Sem Fronteiras. In January 2026, he will present Gloria del Canto in a co-production between Teatro del Lago and Teatro Biobío.

Sophia Rahman

UK | Artistic Director, Whittington Festival & Pianist

Pianist Sophia Rahman is Artistic Director of Whittington Festival in Shropshire, UK. A champion of under-represented composers, Sophia made the first UK recording of Florence Price’s piano concerto, for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Her recordings of Rebecca Clarke and Dorothy Howell have also featured on BBC Radio 3. Sophia played harpsichord in Chamber Domaine’s Brandenburg Project at Deal Festival in 2024, a three-concert series repeated at the Wigmore Hall in June 2025. Sophia has appeared at Gstaad, IMS Prussia Cove and Kuhmo festivals, and collaborated with Klaus Mäkelä, Augustin Hadelich and Steven Isserlis, whose class at IMS Prussia Cove she has played for since 2011. Her interest in this work originated as a class pianist for the legendary cellist and teacher William Pleeth at the Britten-Pears School. Sophia won the Royal Overseas League’s collaborative and chamber music piano awards in consecutive years.

“I found that the Expo worked particularly well. It gave me a look into different countries, continents as well as organisations and the current work each of them are occupied with. The expo was for me the best place to meet people and learn about their current directions and projects by having in-depth and broad conversations.”

– Tang Tee Khoon, Arts Presenter & Concert Violinist, Singapore