News - NOSPR

Classical Futures Europe supports the promotion of emerging talent, pioneering new approaches to concert presentation and the development of new audiences and community participation in classical music. Classical Futures Europe is managed by the European Concert Hall Organisation and co-funded by the Creative Programme of the European Union.

In 2021, NOSPR joined a grant programme managed by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO), financed by the Creative Europe programme, enabling additional artistic-educational activity. It is an interesting programme aimed at promoting talented young performers, a pioneering approach to concert presentation, and increasing communities’ participation in events related to classical music, supporting best practices through cooperation of leading centres of musical life.

The programme has resulted in the preparation of four projects, which lead to NOSPR hosting such artists as Bomsori Kim, Santiago Cañón-Valencia, Magnus Holmander, and Diana Soh from June 2021 to the end of March 2022. In addition to concerts, each project comprises multiple educational elements: workshops, masterclasses, interdisciplinary programmes, and artistic residences. They will provide opportunity not only for listening to music in impressive and unforgettable performances, but also to trying one’s strength in joint music-making and composing. The first enterprise with the platform took place on 1st June 2021. It was the special concert Zaczarowany klarnet [The Enchanted Clarinet] – organised to celebrate Children’s Day at the seat of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice. The main performer was the Swedish clarinetist Magnus Holmander, who introduced children – as well as the adult members of the audience – to the magical world of clarinet music. He was accompanied by the pianist Magdalena Duś and Akademicki Chór Klarnetowy [The Academic Clarinet Choir] conducted by Roman Widaszek. The concert featured pieces by such composers as: Malcolm Arnold, Astor Piazzolla, Pedro Iturralde, Luigi Bassi, and Carl Maria von Weber along with tales of the music and the richness of the world of clarinet. It concluded not only with rapturous applause from the audience, but also with… magical disappearance of the instrument! There had already been, of course, no dearth of magic after such a dose of wonderful music. The concert did more than only prove Magnus’ masterful command of the instrument. It also showcased the artist’s unusual stage ease and openness, as well as ability to form close and warm relationships with the audience and the young clarinetists who were accompanying him during the concert and had participated in his workshop the previous day.

The Enchanted Clarinet was also proof of the significance of a performer’s excellence, personality and creativity in education, as well as of how important the freedom to experiment provided by increased funding for artistic-educational projects is for organisers of classical music enterprises.  The benefits for the artists participating in a project are those of additional opportunities for concerts, making their name in new musical environments, visits in new European musical institutions, often their first ones in a given concert hall, the first joint enterprises being perfect occasions for establishing and further intensification of contacts and successful promotional activity.

All initiative increasing our capability is particularly valuable now that we have returned to concert halls, to the world of live music, after a long break. On the one hand, we need a new energy and a new start to rebuild the musical landscape, while, on the other hand, we are more than ever convinced of the necessity and uniqueness of the direct perception of music. .

NOSPR’s participation in the Classical Futures Europe project will include three more projects until the end of March 2022, hosting such artists as Bomsori Kim, Santiago Cañón-Valencia and Diana Soh.