IMZ is at the AEC Congress “Strengthening Music in Society”

IMZ is at the 45th AEC Annual Congress and General Assembly “Strengthening Music in Society” from 8-10 November discussing the future of orchestras in Graz/Austria.

Organised by the AEC Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen, this congress offers a whole gathering of workshops, discussion forums, best practice presentations, panels and plenaries to further investigate the question of how to put the intention of strengthening music in society into concrete action and how to implement and to embed it into the day-to-day work of higher music education institutions. In terms of content, this will include: the role of symphony orchestras and of primary school classroom music education; globalisation issues, as well as power balance in a teacher-student relationship which is characterised by one-to-one tuition.

Representatives from the IMZ and the IMZ Academy - IMZ President Arild Erikstad and IMZ Academy Director Peter Maniura - will be part of the following panel discussion:

Parallel Sessions II - Strengthening Society through Music
"What is symphony orchestras’ societal responsibility, how can symphony orchestras reach out to new audiences, and which competencies will tomorrow´s orchestra musicians need?”
Panel discussion with Arild Erikstad, NRK and IMZ, Jane Williams, LSO and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Jennifer Dautermann, Classical:NEXT and Peter Maniura BBC and IMZ Academy. Moderator, Eirik Birkeland, AEC President.

In this parallel session, a panel of experts with background from symphony orchestra, higher music education, and media will present their thoughts and discuss questions as:
+ What is symphony orchestras’ societal responsibility?
+ How can symphony orchestras reach out to new audiences?
+ How can the orchestras develop new ways of working without losing quality?
+ Which are the most important and promising initiatives for renewal within the field?

+ Which competencies will tomorrow´s orchestra musician need?
+ Are the Orchestra academies of the Karajan-model a training arena for reproduction of competence, or do they contribute to renewal?
+ How can higher music education institutions contribute to renewal?
+ How can higher music education institutions, symphony orchestras and media collaborate in development of new competencies and renewal of the orchestras work?


On the whole, this year's congress theme is also related to the AEC's new, EU funded Creative Europe project: Strengthening Music in Society (SMS). The project idea of AEC-SMS is based on the conviction that the concept of freedom of the arts and expectation of an artist to take social responsibility is not a contradiction, but a tension that needs to be lived. The objective should be to insist on, to promote and to live for the freedom of the arts without abandoning to take responsibility for life quality and the well-being of our diverse and democratic societies. However, with this enduring tension in mind, the AEC Congress 2018 will discuss and explore constructive and forward-looking approaches for our work for Strengthening Music in Society.


Check out the full programme and be part of this insightful, eclectic congress from 8-10 November 2018!