Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra hosts Association of British Orchestras' Annual Conference in January
• Liverpool set to welcome Europe’s biggest annual classical music conference, 18-20 January 2012
• Over 200 delegates will gather in Liverpool from across the UK and beyond
• Conference programme will focus on orchestras’ impact on society and measuring the value of culture
• Media Partner Classic FM will share conference highlights with its 6 million listeners
• Delegates will hear a performance by Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra of Shostakovich’s mighty ‘Leningrad’ Symphony, broadcast LIVE on BBC Radio 3
The Association of British Orchestra's (ABO) Annual Conference returns to Liverpool for the first time since 2003, from 18-20 January, hosted by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Over 200 delegates from the UK and beyond, drawn from ABO members, venues, broadcasting and media, agents, publishers, education, the Musicians' Union, many musicians and players and a host of other delegates will descend on the Liverpool Marriott Hotel City Centre for a 3-day conference programme of agenda-leading debate, discussions and presentations with guest speakers and panellists.
The conference will be officially opened on 18 January by the Minister of State for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries, Ed Vaizey MP.
Cllr. Wendy Simon, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism, will then officially welcome delegates to Liverpool.
The conference’s Principal Media Partner for the 10th year is Classic FM. Liverpool Philharmonic is also celebrating the 11th year of its award-winning partnership with the UK’s biggest commercial radio station. Classic FM will broadcast news and interviews from the Liverpool conference to its 6 million listeners across the UK and online at classicfm.com.
The ABO conference agenda focuses on the impact that orchestras have on society, how the value of culture is measured and articulated, and on the impact of UK orchestras’ education work and the impending changes to music education following the publication of the National Music Plan.
As part of the conference programme, Liverpool Philharmonic’s Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko will participate in a discussion with Richard Morrison, Music Critic of The Times, moderated by Darren Henley, Managing Director of Classic FM, on how the conductor and critic measure the success of the orchestra and the concert.
Peter Garden, Liverpool Philharmonic’s Executive Director (Learning) is a speaker, along with internationally acclaimed cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, on the impact on young people’s lives of In Harmony Sistema England, with a special focus on In Harmony Liverpool. Musicians of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will also take part in discussions throughout the conference programme.
The opportunity to enjoy live music performance is an important part of the conference, and delegates will attend a performance by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra of Shostakovich’s mighty 'Leningrad' Symphony (19 January) conducted by Vasily Petrenko.
For this concert, Liverpool also hosts the UK premiere of the extraordinary Chinese-born composer Qigang Chen's Enchantements Oubliés. Chen was the composer behind the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
The concert will be broadcast LIVE on BBC Radio 3, the third concert from Liverpool Philharmonic to be broadcast on Radio 3 during January.
Mark Pemberton, Director of the ABO said: 'We are delighted to be coming back to Liverpool for our conference and look forward to 3 days of stimulating discussion with our delegates and our hosts, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra'.
Michael Eakin, Chief Executive of Liverpool Philharmonic and Chairman of the board of the ABO added: 'In the years since the ABO conference was last here in 2003, Liverpool has been transformed and has shown that by putting culture at the centre of its regeneration, the arts are capable of shaping the strategic growth of a major city.
'Liverpool Philharmonic has been proud to play our part in Liverpool’s regeneration, just as the UK’s orchestral sector has done in our national life and continues to do so. The ABO conference will showcase some of these impacts on a national level, and enable the sector to debate how we continue to demonstrate our value to society at a regional, national and international level.'
Notes to Editors
Association of British Orchestras Annual Conference, 18 – 20 January 2012
Liverpool Marriott Hotel City Centre, Queen’s Square
Principal Media Partner, Classic FM
Wednesday 18 January, 2-3pm
Official Conference Opening and Welcome
Ed Vaizey MP, Minister of State for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries
Cllr. Wendy Simon, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism
Followed by Q & A with Ed Vaizey, moderated by Sarah Crompton, Arts Editor in Chief of The Telegraph
Thursday 19 January, 7.30pm
Concert at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Adams The Chairman Dances
Qigang Chen Enchantments Oubliés UK premiere
Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 'Leningrad'
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko conductor
Concert broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 at 7.30pm
Friday 20 January, 10-11am
Liverpool Marriott Hotel City Centre, Queen’s Square
In conversation with Vasily Petrenko and Richard Morrison, Music Critic of The Times, moderated by Darren Henley, Managing Director of Classic FM
Full ABO Conference Programme at www.abo.org.uk
Further information from Jayne Garrity, Liverpool Philharmonic
tel: 0151 210 3791 mobile: 07967 364241, email:
