Booking now open!
Friday, 13 July 2012
Southbank Centre, London
Commissioning and Patronage in a Digital Age
An international line-up of music promoters, programmers, and producers, curators, funders, artists and composers join together for a day of talks and discussions to consider models for commissioning, including finance, risk, rights, joint ventures, and commissioning as a creative process.
In partnership with
Programme and speakers
Arrival / registration / coffee 10.30 – 11.00
Tea/coffee will be provided
Commissioning in an Age of Digital Distribution 11.00 – 12.00
- Chaired by Susannah Simons, ACE/BBC’s The Space
- Matthew Herbert, Composer and Music Producer
- Maija Handover, sounduk, Sonic Journeys
- Peter Gregson and Daniel Jones, The Listening Machine
New technology, from smart phone apps to online streaming, has opened up new possibilities for artists and promoters alike. This session looks at how digital media is used for wider distribution of new works (through live streaming and online documentation) and at how new technologies can form an integral part of the actual work of art. What are viable models, the impact on audiences and the implications for commissioners?
New Models of Patronage, Part 1 12.15 – 13.15
The Changing Nature of Patronage and Philanthropy
- Chaired by Susanna Eastburn, Arts Council England
- Vernon Ellis, philanthropist and Chairman of the British Council
- Theresa Lloyd, author of Why Rich People Give and Cultural Giving
How is cultural patronage changing? Who are the individuals who commission and support new work? What sort of relationship are they looking for? What motivates them, and what can commissioners do to make it easier to find and work with them?
Lunch 13.15-14.00
Please note lunch is not provided within the ticket price.
During lunch hour:
Presentation by Anne Rushton, Executive Director, NMC Recordings, about the Music Map 
New Models of Patronage, Part 2 14.00 – 14.45
Commissioning & Collecting Sound and Performance in the Visual Arts
- Paul Hobson, Contemporary Art Society
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Vincent Honoré, David Roberts Art Foundation
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Susie Allen / Deana Vanagan, Artwise Curators
As Tate Modern prepares to open its Tanks as a dedicated site for performance, sound and time-based work, how are collectors and patrons in the visual arts responding to the growth in these arts practices? How does cultural patronage in the visual arts economy operate in contrast with that in the performing arts? As the role of performance documentation becomes more important, are there opportunities for developing new models of patronage?
New Models of Patronage, Part 3 14.45 – 15.30
Mobilising Communities to Fund Commissions
- Chaired by Vanessa Reed, PRS for Music Foundation
- Ed Harsh, New Music USA (via video link)
- Henrietta Norton, wedidthis.com
- Gwendolyn Tietze, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
As Kickstarter and similar online platforms come of age, what are the lessons for mobilising supporters and fans to contribute to new projects? Are supporters becoming commissioners themselves? How are composers and artists taking their own initiative? How can the commissioning process add value for supporters and audiences – what do they get in return?
Break 15.30 – 16.00
Tea/coffee will be provided
Commissioning as a Creative Process 16.00 – 17.15
- Chaired by Graham McKenzie, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
- Jan Bang, Punkt Festival, Norway
- Barry Esson, Arika
- Gillian Moore, Southbank Centre
Does the commissioner have a creative role to play? How can the creative process add value to new work for both commissioner and composer / artist? Is new work the result of the commissioning process, or can it be the commissioning process itself? What are the risks involved in commissioning and how – or should – they be managed?
Start the Debate website essays and videos by Alwynne Pritchard / Roar Sletteland; Johannes Kreidler / Matthew Lee Knowles; and Peter Wiegold on the symposium microsite www.thirdearsymposium.com
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The End of Literacy? Brunel University’s new Institute of Composing present a thought-provoking debate, 6pm, Purcell Room (Tickets for this performance should be booked separately through Southbank Centre box office)
The opening concert of the New Music 20×12 weekend will be at 8pm in the Purcell Room – UK premiere of Connor Mitchell’s 12 minute opera -Our Day about Olympic gold medallist Mary Peters, set against the troubles in Northern Ireland in 1972. This concert also includes performances of four other short operas which had their premieres in Belfast in June – The Girl Who Thought She Could Fly by Christopher Norby and Frank McGuinness, Jackie’s Taxi by Ed Bennett and Stacey Gregg, Driven by Deirdre McKay and Richard Dormer and May Contain Flash Photography by Brian Irvine and Owen McCafferty. Tickets available from Southbank Centre box office.
