May 03.2018

Initiator: Arne Herman

The established musical canon has served as an implicit framework for aesthetic orientation and social identification throughout history. As the dominance of this regulative force influences (top-down) policy discourses and (bottom-up) public opinion alike, programmers, composers and performers feel increasingly obliged to adhere to the canon’s fixed boundary conditions in order to sustain themselves. The present-day symphonic landscape thus presents itself as a scattered and imbalanced pluriverse, dominated by government-funded orchestras that mostly play canonised repertoire, complemented by small-scale alternatives that promote new music to a niche audience, and tinted by some variations in between. This seminar takes on the question of how the current symphonic landscape in the broadest sense can be (re-)organised in a sustainable way. That is, without having to compromise its artistic integrity and without losing sight of its practical performance climate.

Contributions by:

• Benjamin Haemhouts
• Wim Henderickx
• Stefan Prins
• Arne Herman
• and many others

Venue: ARIA, Lange Sint-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerp - Graduation hall

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