32 Australian delegates attended the international forum in Holland, supported by the Australia Council.

The Australia Council in partnership with Sounds Australia and the Australian Music Centre has supported the largest ever delegation of Australian artists to attend the international forum and conference for professional musicians, Classical:Next, which was held in the Dutch city of Rotterdam between the 25 and 29 May. In total, 32 delegates, including representatives from Australian ensembles and organisations, as well as individual artists, were able to attend the prestigious forum.

These included ambassadors from APRA AMCOS, Chamber Made Opera, Chronology Arts, Ensemble Offspring, Halcyon, Inventi Ensemble, Melbourne Recital Centre, Musica Viva Australia, Sydney Festival, Zephyr Quartet, Synergy Percussion, Taikoz and Wirripang. Other delegates included Recorder virtuoso and celebrated curator Genevieve Lacey, Director of Music Programming at the MRC Marshall McGuire, and pianist and contemporary performance pioneer Zubin Kanga.

The record number of Australian attendees was made possible by a $15,000 grant provided by the Australia Council to support registrations. This followed a roundtable discussion in 2014 which canvassed interest from the musical community in Classical:Next, and the international relationships that could be forged by supporting the attendance of some of Australia’s...