How COVID-19 made Germany’s classical music industry more sustainable

By Gaby Reucher

The pandemic prompted many German classical music festivals and orchestras to adopt more sustainable practices.

How COVID-19 made Germany’s classical music industry more sustainable

    

The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on the classical music industry in Germany, and around the world — yet there are lessons to be learned from the crisis. At least that's how Christian Höppner, Secretary General of the German Music Council, sees it: "We should now view the pandemic period as an opportunity and make cultural life fit for the future; from the point of view of sustainability, as well." It's not just about protecting nature and the environment, but also about sustainably promoting young musicians, he added.

The financial aid provided by Germany during the pandemic has been exemplary, according to Höppner. Nevertheless, many musicians have given up their profession and sought more crisis-proof work. Some prospective students who had passed notoriously difficult entrance exam even chose not to start studying music. "That would have been unthinkable before COVID-19. Then, passing an entrance exam was like winning the lottery. There has since been a very strong reorientation," says Höppner in an interview with DW.

Christian Höppner in a blue suit with a red bow tie and glasses.

Christian Höppner of the German Music Council says the pandemic has provided an opportunity for change

Sustainability from the office to the orchestra

A number of German festivals and orchestras are leading the way when it comes to how they treat both the environment and their artists. The entire staff of the Dresden Music Festival, for example, is participating in the city's "Culture for Future" pilot project on sustainability in cultural enterprises. "It starts with our attitude. We have to keep sustainability in mind in every planning process," explains artistic director Jan Vogler in an interview with DW. This is done in the office, in marketing initiatives and even in concert design.

More tickets are being sent out digitally, as are newsletters, brochures, program booklets and the festival magazine. The buffets for the artists feature regional cuisine, and glass bottles are used instead of plastic ones. The festival also relies on electric vehicles to transport artists and their instruments. It's still early in the process, says Vogler, but the team is enthusiastic about the new green steps.

A reduced carbon footprint

When air traffic came to a near global standstill in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, orchestras were forced to cancel their tours. The question arose as to whether ensembles actually needed to do so much jet-setting.

Naturally, following the loosening of coronavirus restrictions, many people are longing to hear live music again, says Höppner. "But no one can avoid asking themselves how sustainable what we're actually doing is anymore" he adds.

The fact that the music touring industry needed a reboot was apparent before the pandemic, says Steven Walter, artistic director of the Beethovenfest Bonn. He would like to move away from having large orchestras go on tour and also have musicians travel less and instead spend more time at a destination — for example staying at a festival for one or two weeks and leaving their mark. "For us, this is also interesting artistically — to develop specific projects and ideas for a unique profile for the festival," says Walter.

Compensating for CO2 emissions

Yet avoiding air travel isn't always possible for the Dresden Festival or the Rheingau Music Festival, which aim to bring international artists to audiences around the world. Nevertheless, it is possible to make artists' travel more sustainable, says Dresden Music Festival artistic director Jan Vogler. "We try to take advantage of Dresden's location: Berlin, Prague and even Vienna are nearby," he adds.

Orchestras are also scheduling tours so that distances between venues are as short as possible. Recently, the Berlin Philharmonic toured Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, taking a bus between destinations. "In fact, artists also prefer this," says Vogler, "Before, they were often sent zigzagging nonsensically around the world. As long as it was feasible, no one thought about the fact that it was often an ordeal for them to manage these travel routes and the concerts."

A forest for Bach

Offsetting CO2 emissions is one way of compensating for distances driven and flown. The money goes to environmental protection projects. This allowed the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen to be certified as climate neutral in 2020, even before the pandemic. Now, the ensemble only travels by train within Germany.

The Leipzig Bach Festival, which prior to the pandemic attracted a large international audience of 73,000 visitors to Leipzig, has also made environmental commitments. Director Michael Maul is raising funds to support the "Forest for Saxony" project and to have a "Johann Sebastian Bach Forest" planted near a former lignite mining area.

Music streaming as a solution?

Streaming and videoconferencing have been a major part of the current digital transformation, which was accelerated by the pandemic. Many industries, including the music industry, turned to streaming. Together with the Thuringia Bach Festival and the Köthener Bach Festival, the Leipzig Bach Festival founded their own platform last year to present selected concert streams that will continue after the coronavirus pandemic.

In the longer term, however, streaming, with its high energy consumption, is not all that sustainable either. Jan Vogler of the Dresden festival tries to combine meetings with concerts. "It's almost no longer conceivable for me to leave directly after a London or Paris concert. I usually stay an extra day and meet the partners we work with there."

COVID-19 restrictions in the arts industry inevitably raised the question: What is the value of culture?

"Is the music business dominated by a few big stars who make millions from it, or is culture really the daily bread one needs to live?" If the latter is true, then musical life has all the more reason to be underpinned by sustainable structures, says Christian Höppner. This is also done in relation to educating musicians.

Currently, music lessons are often substituted for short-term projects done at many schools, and funding for up-and-coming artists also tends to flow into temporary projects that are not sustainable. The pandemic, however, has shown how quickly young talent is lost.

"As an organizer, you have a responsibility in terms of human resources to protect the artists," says Beethovenfest Bonn director Steven Walter. This also applies to dealing with talent. "You can't burn them out and then drop them. It's about investing in their careers in a sustainable way, even when things aren't going so well at the moment."

This article was originally written in German.

Musicians are abandoning the industry for a stabler career

Classical artists share truths about arts reopening

Pianist Anna Tsybuleva; guitarist Miloš; organist Anna Lapwood. Picture: Instagram/Richard Johnson/Nick Rutter

By Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM London

 

The arts and live music are gradually being restored. But the long-term impact on musicians has been disastrous and many are leaving the profession entirely, say the classical industry’s leading figures.

“A friend of mine recently started working on an opera production for the first time in 15 months and noticed that two of the cast with whom he was chatting during a coffee-break had cuts and bruises on their arms; it turned out that one had been working as a bricklayer and one as a gardener,” conductor Ian Page tells Classic FM.

Since the pandemic began, musicians have been surviving by taking on any work they can get. Now that live music is finally reawakening, is a swift return to business-as-usual on the cards for the country’s classical artists?

Not so much, say guitarist Miloš, organist Anna Lapwood, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston, conductor Ian Page, clarinetist Julian Bliss, pianist Anna Tsybuleva, conductor and saxophonist Christian Forshaw, and classical music small business owner Katie Beardsworth.

We spoke to these leading classical figures about the truth behind live performance’s big ‘bounce-back’, and how the realities of Brexit are affecting the revival of UK arts.

Read more: ‘I went from singing arias to being a hospital porter’

Milos, guitarist – playing at Royal Albert Hall on 17 July

On the arts reopening: “Nothing can replace that magical feeling of hearing music happening in front of you, experiencing the electricity in the room and breathing together with your favourite artist. It might take some time before everyone feels comfortable enough to enter a concert hall or a theatre… but now more than ever we need those bums on the seats and all the support and love we can get.”

On Brexit: “The full extent of Brexit has not yet been fully felt, I’m afraid. This is a scary time for all... but when you add Brexit to the mix it becomes a very big concern for musicians. Simply put, there is absolutely no clarity nor plan. British-based artists are in a very difficult place right now. I don’t always understand the point of it all... it’s hard not to feel betrayed.”

Miloš is a classical Montenegrin guitarist based in London. Picture: Esther Haase

Ian Page, conductor – performing with The Mozartists at Cadogan Hall on 8 July

On the financial impact of COVID-19: “For individual artists, many are still having to survive by taking other work completely unrelated to their training and areas of expertise. A friend of mine recently started working on an opera production for the first time in 15 months and noticed that two of the cast with whom he was chatting during a coffee-break had cuts and bruises on their arms; it turned out that one had been working as a bricklayer and one as a gardener.”

On Brexit: “Brexit’s like an even bigger nail in the coffin during these unprecedentedly difficult times. Not only have we been set back by the pandemic, but now we face extra costs and bureaucracy to perform in Europe or to engage European artists. This will make international collaboration much harder and have a significant and detrimental financial impact on our industry. Even in the 18th century, Mozart’s education was predicated on the fact that he had freedom of movement to spend 15 months in London as well as time in France, Holland, Italy and several other countries.”

Anna Lapwood, organist and conductor – performing at St-Martin-in-the-Fields on 21 June

On the arts reopening: “I think one of the biggest challenges as a performer is the uncertainty – gigs are returning, but in the back of your mind you’re trying to predict ‘is this really going to go ahead or not?’. I’ve had performances that have been postponed two or three times and it’s difficult from a psychological perspective. Musicians are such goal-oriented people, so when those goals are constantly shifting around it has a huge impact on the preparation process.”

On COVID-19 support for the arts: “Support isn’t just financial – the thing we’ve all been craving from DCMS is logistical support surrounding guidance, providing clarity and ensuring everyone has enough notice to implement changes. Just this week, new guidance was published the day after restrictions eased, stating that amateur choir rehearsals are limited to 6 singers. Not only was the tightening of restrictions a total shock, it was also announced so late in the day that many choir leaders found out whilst they were setting out the chairs for their rehearsals.

“There’s also the lack of parity between restrictions placed on musical events and those placed on things such as sports/pubs/restaurants. It is pretty hard to get your head around people being allowed to sing in a football stadium but a small group of singers not being allowed to sing in a well-ventilated church.”

Julian Bliss, clarinetist – playing at London’s Wigmore Hall on 25 May

On the financial impact of COVID-19: “Other sources of income are always good, if they complement the core of what you do. But a number of musicians I know ended up getting jobs in completely different fields just to make ends meet, which is sad and very unsettling. I think we have all realised that relying solely on one stream of income can be risky.”

Anna Tsybuleva, pianist – performing at Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, China on 9 July

On the arts reopening: “I know of many incredibly talented musicians who have abandoned the profession entirely in favour of a more stable line of work, which is such a terrible and long-lasting consequence of these times. I have been fortunate in a sense, because this artificial pause on ‘normal life’ has enabled me to spend time with my young daughter, which has been a true blessing. But it is my hope, of course, that all musicians can be back making music for live audiences again as soon as possible – it is our food, our oxygen, and our true privilege to connect and communicate in this special way.”

Christian Forshaw, composer and saxophonist – new album ‘Historical Fiction’ released on 17 September

On the financial impact of COVID-19: “Sadly I and many of my colleagues fell through the cracks and didn’t receive any government support during the whole pandemic. I was fortunate to be able to continue my work as Professor of Saxophone at the Guildhall School, but lost all of my other income.

On Brexit: “Brexit has added an infuriating layer of difficulty when planning tours and performances abroad. That kind of work would have been a lifeline as we come out of lockdown, but sadly we are faced with yet another barrier in re-establishing our performing careers.”

Jennifer Johnston, operatic mezzo-soprano – currently in teaching jobs

On COVID-19’s impact on freelancers: “Freelancers who have no job security at the best of times, despite being part of a world-leading powerhouse cultural sector, are turning to other sorts of work to make ends meet, whether driving a delivery van, teaching, working on farms, or in nursing homes on minimum wage.”

On Brexit: “The cultural sector is now decimated, and there is a further hidden enemy, whose impact has been masked by the onset of the pandemic: Brexit. For our touring musicians, Brexit serves as a death-knell to the days of freedom to tour the EU endlessly. British musicians are hit from both sides: almost no work at home because of the pandemic, no work abroad because of Brexit. A ‘bounce-back’ may happen, but it may be too late for many smaller arts organisations whose margins are tiny and for freelancers who have sought more secure employment elsewhere.”

150 opera singers fight for the arts in Parliament protest

Singers perform Verdi in a campaign for support during the COVID-19 pandemic, at London's Parliament Square.

Katie Beardsworth runs Polyphony Arts, an independent classical artist management business

On COVID-19’s impact on artists: “We receive emails every day from promoters who really want to book our artists but are struggling to make commitments given all the uncertainty they are facing. I particularly feel that what is often not highlighted in all this is that most artists do not feel that their careers are at a stable and steady point. Progression is a huge aim for most musicians.

On diversity and creativity in the industry: “On the flip side of this, there is a positive side to this industry disruption. The artistic community’s response to the pandemic has been monumental. Artists have produced online work, worked on their profiles, and sought their own support like never before.

“The classical music industry needed to take a step back from the culture of unspoken hierarchy which exists and hampers the progress of artists that are minorities and/or from less advantaged backgrounds. There has been a big ‘levelling’ in all this, and I think artists that were previously struggling to find their path to success have a real opportunity here, to take their own space and find their own voice.”

81-year-old Italian man serenades sick wife outside her hospital window

81-year-old man serenades wife beneath hospital window. Picture: Facebook / Valerio Marangon

By Sian Moore, ClassicFM

This is the kind of love that warms the cockles...

An 81-year-old Italian man has been filmed serenading his hospital-bound wife with an accordion, after he was told he couldn’t visit her due to coronavirus restrictions.

Sitting in the courtyard outside her hospital window, Stefano Bozzini found a way to show his love for his partner of 47 years, Carla, without entering the ward.

As Carla and several nurses watched on from a window, Bozzini gave a rendition of Engelbert Humperdinck’s ‘Spanish Eyes’, a piece of music he told The Guardian his wife “was so in love with”.

“I did it for Carla – to show her how much I love her and to thank her for all she has given me,” he said.

Posted by Valerio Marangon on Sunday, November 8, 2020

Read more: NHS doctor and violinist husband serenade neighbours in balcony duet >

Carla was taken to a hospital in Castel San Giovanni, Italy, so that medical staff could carry out tests for suspected cancer.

“I wasn’t able to see her in hospital and so went to the courtyard with the accordion – my heart told me to go,” her husband explained.

“After she heard the music she looked out of the window, so at least I got to see her.”

He added: “I played others that everyone knows, one song after the other, I didn’t stop. A lot of the sick people in the hospital were looking out of their windows.”

A beautiful Scarlatti sonata, played on a BUTTON accordion

Credit: SERGII SHAMRAI / YouTube

Read more: Doctor picks up violin to give emotional serenade after patient’s COVID-19 recovery >

Stefano, a former member of the Italian army’s Alpini mountain infantry speciality, wore his uniform hat while giving the street performance.

He had earned the nickname “Gianni Morandi”, after the Italian pop singer, from his comrades because he was always playing the accordion, The Guardian reports.

Stefano and Carla first met when they were in their 20s and have three children, but they lost their youngest to cancer at the age of 25.

Carla has since been discharged after spending 10 days in hospital.

(C) 2020 by ClassicFM London

Why are iconic arts venues like the Royal Albert Hall facing closure?

Royal Albert Hall faces £20m shortfall. Picture: Getty

By Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM London

1K

The Royal Albert Hall is a beacon of UK arts and music, hailed by the government as a “crown jewel” venue. So why does it need £20m to survive?

The Royal Albert Hall is in an “extremely perilous” state, its chief exec has said. The independent Kensington concert venue has launched an appeal to raise £20,000,000 for its survival, following overwhelming damages by the coronavirus pandemic.

Since its enforced closure in March, the great hall has lost £18m in income and £6.5m in refunded ticket sales. Now, after six months with no income, its reserves are exhausted.

What about the £1.75bn arts package?

Well, indeed. After finding out it wasn’t eligible for any of the government’s emergency grants, the Albert Hall applied for a repayable loan which, if confirmed, will arrive in December.

Chief exec Craig Hassall said this still leaves the hall in a “perilous” position. 

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"Six months on from enforced closure, and circa £18 million down in lost income, we are not eligible for any of the Government’s emergency grants,” he said in a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee meeting, in which he was consulted on decisions around allowing arts venues to reopen.

“This leaves us in an extremely perilous position, with no way of replacing our lost income, apart from a Government loan which may or may not materialise.”

Read more: What are the latest rules for rehearsals, concerts and live music venues? >

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Why can’t venues like the Albert Hall put on shows yet?

Since 15 August, concert halls and theatres have been permitted to open their doors to live audiences, as long as they are socially distanced. Unfortunately, this means inviting in less than half the capacity a venue would normally be allowed to take in.

As Andrew Lloyd Webber once again pointed out yesterday, shows need at least 70 to 80 per cent capacity in order to break even. And that’s before they can start making any money.

Venues also need time to plan shows – around four to five months, for most operas, musicals and plays. It’s therefore impossible to plan the staging of a Christmas ballet, for instance, when venues don’t know if regulations might change again at the last minute.

What venues desperately need, is a date in the diary for when they can reopen with full audiences. That’s Stage Five of the government’s five-stage roadmap, a timeframe for which is not clear.

Read more: Will pantomimes and ballets be cancelled this Christmas? >

The Royal Albert Hall. Picture: PA

So, where’s the money going to come from?

It’s been a frustrating time for arts venues, as many remain unable to put on shows, and a much-hoped-for government funding boost is yet to make it to the hall’s main stage.

RAH’s chief exec said concerns over the hall and other independent, non-government-funded venues were raised “months ago”, and that the venue now faces “a bleak future”.

“We raised concerns months ago about the potential for independent, unfunded organisations such as the Royal Albert Hall to miss out on Government support, and especially having been held up by Government as a ‘crown jewel’ that must be saved.

“We are fortunate to have supportive members and private donors who have given generously, but unfortunately, the Rescue Package fanfare has given many potential donors the false sense that we are being sufficiently supported elsewhere,” he said.

“The Royal Albert Hall now faces a bleak future unless it can secure not only a repayable Government loan, but also urgent donations to plug our current £20 million shortfall.”

London's iconic arts venue. Picture: PA

Are there venues that won’t survive this pandemic?

It’s a real possibility. The Albert Hall was warned in July it would go bust next year, without support. London’s Royal Opera House faces a similar reality, with its chief exec Alex Beard warning a few months ago that it would not survive past Autumn with its current reserves, while the Southbank Centre has warned of 400 job losses.

Then there are smaller, regional venues. Southhampton’s Nuffield Theatre has already announced it has gone into administration – although it appears now that that had less to do with the pandemic, and more to do with Arts Council England withdrawing all its funding in the middle of lockdown.