Classical music steps into the spotlight at midem 2013

The music industry’s annual trade fair, midem, is strengthening its classical offering this year with the introduction of a series of conference sessions and a trio of evening events showcasing young artists. Over the course of the four days (January 26 to 29), James Jolly, Gramophone’s editor in chief and BBC Radio 3’s Andrew McGregor will host a series of 10 conference sessions focusing on a host of different topics that go together to create the classical scene. Among the panellists will be Jim Selby, CEO of Naxos USA, Didier Martin, director of Naïve Classique (Gramophone’s 2012 Label of the Year), Mickaël Arcos, software engineer at Abeille Musique, Jerald Miller, founder and president of Nu Jazz Entertainment, Matthias Röder, director of the Karajan Institute and Niall O’Rourke, creative director of Decca Classics.

Lang Lang will deliver the keynote address on ‘Visionary Monday’ and talk about his mission as a true ambassador for classical music. ‘I want to help classical music reach new markets and a broader audience. With its focus on tech, brands and artists, midem is the best place to make it happen,’ he said.

He talks about his approach in this short video…