{"id":13523,"date":"2024-09-11T18:10:22","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T22:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/demosite2.asurtec.com\/?p=13523"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:46:22","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T14:46:22","slug":"innovative-leadership-models-in-orchestras-what-i-learned-at-classicalnext","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oc.ca\/en\/innovative-leadership-models-in-orchestras-what-i-learned-at-classicalnext\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovative leadership models in Orchestras: What I learned at Classical:NEXT"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

By\u00a0Boran Zaza<\/a>, Director of Communications & Development at Orchestras Canada.<\/p>\n

\n

Classical:NEXT<\/a> (C:N) is the largest global gathering of art music professionals. Traditionally, it has taken place in different European cities each year — as of 2024, C:N has made Berlin, Germany its permanent home. C:N features conference sessions, showcases, meetups and project pitches. Over 1400 art music professionals from 49 countries attended this edition \u2013 their biggest gathering yet<\/strong>, after a hiatus in 2023 to consider \u201cwhat\u2019s next?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"From May 13 to 17, I had the privilege of attending C:N for the first time, thanks to generous funding from the Canada Council for the Arts through the <\/span>Supporting Artistic Practice: <\/span>Professional Development for Arts Professionals<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/span><\/a> program. As someone in the \u201cconference organizing\u201d business, I must say that I was quite impressed by the magnitude of this event, the variety of sessions offered, and the plethora of experiences present at the same space! There is something for everyone at C:N. My main interests were conference sessions focusing on the future of orchestras<\/strong>, of which there were many. Three key orchestra-specific themes emerged from the sessions that I attended: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Leadership models in orchestras\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Environmental sustainability\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. New audiences: How to retain them?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The topic of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging was also present, especially at the global orchestras meetup<\/a> that I attended. Feminism in classical music was another topic of discussion and interest, about which I attended a fascinating session<\/a>. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    In this first blog post, I will focus on the first theme: Leadership models in orchestras.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    No Conductor, No Chairs, No Sheet Music\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    On the opening day of the C:N in Berlin\u2019s newest concert hall, Saal Pierre Boulez (opened in 2017), five showcases took place. The one that stuck with me the most was <\/span>Stegreif, the Improvising Symphony Orchestra<\/span><\/b><\/a> from Germany. Stegreif is a collective of 30 musicians, who \u201c<\/span>combine the heritage of classical compositions with improvisation and regard the classical symphony as the starting point for a new concert experience<\/span><\/i>\u201d. Stegreif\u2019s showcase was called \u201c<\/span>The Symphony of Change<\/span><\/a>\u201d, was based on the works of 4 female composers: \u00a0Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), Wilhelmine von Bayreuth (1709-1785), Emilie Mayer (1812-1883) and Clara Schumann (1819-1896). Stegreif started by performing each piece as originally composed, then the original transcription diverged and opened space for improvisation, complemented with choreography. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Credit: Classical:NEXT, #Cnext24
    Photo: twinematics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Their performance was immersive: in the oval concert hall, musicians walked around barefoot between the audiences, all leading and following one another without a conductor. Their energy was contagious… it felt like a big classical music party among friends! Even the cellos had stools with wheels that allowed them to move around. This reminded me of the Montreal-based ensemble Collectif9<\/a>, which also performs standing up with neither sheet music nor a conductor. Stegreif has taken that concept of having no conductor and the musical freedom while playing to a whole different level to create a truly immersive experience, and their ensemble is made up of about 2\/3 classical musicians and 1\/3 jazz musicians \u2013 I had never seen anything like this before! <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The next day, still buzzing from this unique musical experience, I attended a conference session titled Leading and Following in the Orchestra: Models Beyond the Traditional Hierarchy<\/strong>, presented by Stegreif. The three speakers were the Artistic Director, Lorenz Blaumer, the Managing Director, Lorina Strange, and their Jazz Drummer and composer, Hiromu Seifert. In this session, Stegreif spoke in detail about their philosophy, how they work together, their artistic mediation and community outreach efforts, governance, and pay equity, among other topics. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Here are my top learnings from this presentation:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Photo: Boran Zaza<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    1. Collective leadership happens on-stage, and most importantly, off-stage<\/span><\/b>
    \n<\/span>The end result that we see on stage when attending a performance by Stegreif is impressive, with musicians leading and following one another on stage seamlessly. Achieving this result requires the involvement of all musicians in decision-making, artistic and otherwise, on and off stage. All the musicians participate in shaping the performance, and rehearsals are led by different people (even for the same work). The musicians also participate in \u201cFuture Days,\u201d where they share (and sometimes argue) about their values and artistic goals. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Inward mediation is as essential as the outward mediation <\/span><\/b>
    \n<\/span>You probably know about     artistic mediation and community outreach<\/a>. But what is integrated mediation? <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Integrated mediation is the interplay of collective management culture, artistic work, and mediation. It has 2 components: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n