This is the shortlist for the Classical:NEXT 2016 Innovation Award. These nominees were named and voted for by the Nominating Committee from the longlist. You can see the full 30-strong longlist here.
The winner of the award was determined by an online vote open to the entire Classical:NEXT community, i.e. the almost 3,000 delegates who have registered for any of our editions, from 2012 to 2016, and who are linked via the online networking platform C:N NET. You can also register for a C:N NET-only account.
Voting is now closed. The winner of the Classical:NEXT 2016 Innovation Award will then be announced on site at the closing ceremony of Classical:NEXT in Rotterdam on 28 May 2016.
The projects in the shortlist that are looking for your votes are:
Photo: Tobias SchultEnsemble Resonanz: Urban String (Germany)
Urban String concerts enjoy a unique, club-like atmosphere. Each evening is especially curated by ensemble musicians, who also provide short introductions to the pieces. Some programs feature guests soloists who add to the group musically, while almost every event features a DJ or electronic musician.
Photo: Erased Tapes RecordsErased Tapes (United Kingdom)
Young and fresh. The approach of classical-, electronically- and pop-music combined with a clear and esthetical concept is innovative and unique.
Photo: Matthias HeydeHuman Requiem by Rundfunkchor Berlin (Germany)
Music, up close and personal – with its Human Requiem, a scenic realisation of the Brahms requiem, the three-time Grammy-winning Rundfunkchor Berlin and Jochen Sandig entered a whole new dimension, tearing down the division between stage and audience.
Mannes School of Music (United States)
Mannes School of Music is the century-old music conservatory at The New School (NYC) and is dedicated to advancing the creative role of music in all aspects of a rapidly changing society. Mannes seeks to develop citizen artists who engage with the world around them through music, in traditional, new, and emergent forms of practice.
Photo: Yutaka NakamuraDAISUKE MURANAKA & ORCHESTRA AFIA: "NATURE AND MUSIC" (JAPAN)
AfiA’s concert series with thematic programming attracts new audiences and particularly appeals to those who have not attended concerts before and offers pre-concert events that engage with audiences over the music and nature concept.
Photo: Floto+WarnerNational Sawdust (United States)
A new multimedia performing arts organisation and venue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Despite its opening night being as recent as October 1, 2015, National Sawdust has already entrenched itself in the conversation and incubation of new music.
Nova et Vetera (Colombia)
Nova et Vetera is an independent agency and producer working in Colombia and expanding into the rest of Latin America. This small organisation takes on different roles depending on the characteristics of the project at hand.
Photo: Salih KilicOperadagen Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
This audience-friendly festival presents boundary-crossing performances, often with an actual theme such as refugees and equality. The line-up encompasses a wide range of performing arts, from sound walks, folky comedies and live games to state of the art music theatre by top directors such as Christoph Marthaler.
Photo: Andrej GrilicPodium Festival Esslingen (Germany)
By focusing on specific contextualisations of each performance in the festival, with a clear focus to speak to young audiences, the PODIUM Festival serves as a laboratory for new performance formats and communication strategies for classical music.
Photo: Swanhild KruckelmannTonali Competition (Germany)
Tonali is an initiative which involves young excellent classic talents in educational projects in schools. It is a competition in performing classical music and in gaining new audiences.
Photo: Kelle Ramsey
Van Beethoven – The Virtual Reality Orchestra by Los Angeles Philharmonic (United States)
Innovative outreach program. The orchestra found a very inventive way to take the concert hall to the streets, using cutting-edge technology.