Artists to Watch | Classical:NEXT 2019
Every year in May one of the biggest global classical and art music fairs is held in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Classical:NEXT is a meeting for labels, distributors, media, orchestras, artists, and managers. The mission of Classical:NEXT is to unify the global art music scene, to enable it to work better together. It focuses on innovation, increasing relevance and effectiveness in both business and creative aspects of the industry.
Stingray Classica is a media partner of the 2019 edition of the festival and will attend Classical:NEXT from May 15 to 18. In addition to talks and conferences about music, there is also room for listening to music! The Classical:NEXT showcases are selected by an international jury of experts to present a wide range of high-quality artists and productions in every category, from classic to contemporary and traditional to experimental. If you are visiting Classsical:NEXT, here are five acts not to miss. Stingray Classica will also make recordings of these great shows in case you cannot be there!
May 15, 20:30 – Young DoelenEnsemble (the Netherlands)
Since 1990, the DoelenEnsemble brings listeners classical music from the 20th and 21st century. With a broad and striking repertoire, they play a wide range of genres, from chamber music to large scorings with regular presentations of theatre music. DoelenEnsemble concerts are of an internationally-recognized high standard, challenging audiences with their choice of pieces. Young and up-and-coming composers play recent masterpieces in which thematic connections give a completely new context to individual pieces.
May 16, 20:00 – Asko | Schönberg Ensemble (the Netherlands)
Asko | Schönberg performs music from the 20th and 21st centuries in both concert settings and in interdisciplinary productions. The ensemble's highly qualified musicians perform works from solos to larger-scale repertoire. Asko | Schönberg occupies an unassailable position in the arts through its enormous versatility and constant forward momentum. Collaboration between musicians, composers and creators is a key element of their work. They examine musical and theatrical formats, techniques and possibilities through a dynamic working process that results in exciting discoveries, new insights, and innovative methods of presentation.
May 17, 12:45 – The Hermes Experiment (United Kingdom)
Winners of the Tunnell Trust Awards 2017, Park Lane Group Young Artists 2015/16, and winners of Nonclassical’s Battle of the Bands 2014, The Hermes Experiment is a UK-based contemporary quartet made up of harp, clarinet, voice, and double bass. Capitalizing on their deliberately idiosyncratic combination of instruments, the ensemble regularly commissions new works as well as creates innovative arrangements and ventures into live free improvisation. The ensemble has commissioned over 50 composers at various stages of their careers.
May 17, 21:30 – Clarinet Factory (Czech Republic)
Considered to be one of the most unique ensembles to feature on the Czech scene in the last 25 years, the style of the Clarinet Factory hovers between contemporary and classical music, jazz, and world music. As winners of the Classic Prague Awards in 2017 for Best Crossover Project, the quartet combines their classic music training and clarinet art with jazz, minimalism, and improvisation to create music without borders, capable of communicating directly with all audiences.
May 18, 13:00 – Spark (Germany)
Spark re-thinks the classics. The quintet places Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart and their peers in a fresh new context, forging links with the sounds and lifestyle of the present day. Classical at heart, outwardly willful, inquisitive and nonconformist, the five musicians pitch their tent on the open ground between classical works, minimal music, electro, and avant-garde. With enthusiasm and abandon, they mix styles and explore a galaxy of sonic options, with a well-stocked arsenal of instruments that offers an array of over 40 instruments, including recorders, violin, viola, violoncello, melodica, and piano.
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