Leading industry voices debate the future of the genre in its existing form, its extension into alternative classical, and how we can embrace today's audience
Classical music is set to hit Texas's South by Southwest (SXSW) festival this year.
The festival, which takes place from 10-19 March in Austin, will host a panel called 'Classical Music - Embracing the Modern Audience' on 16 March. Industry voices including Nate Zeisler from the world-class Colburn School will join to debate the current state of Classical music, and what can be done to maintain its current upward trajectory of popularity amongst young people.
The panel will also explore the strengths and limitations of the live concert experience, how we can build on audience numbers and how technology can help to present the genre in an accessible and engaging way.
The panel will be followed by a fascinating night-long international showcase of classical and alternative classical artists including three pianists all performing on Kawai pianos. One of those performers is crossover pianist AyseDeniz Gokcin who will be dedicating her performance to the victims of the earthquake that devastated her native Turkey.
Kawai Artist AyseDeniz Gokcin
She comments, “Classical music has always been a facilitator for us to immortalise historic moments in music, encapsulating all the emotions possible: from grief to hope, anger to joy, and it’s a great opportunity to be able to have a platform to do this at SXSW.”
You can find more information on both events here.