Applications for the Classeek Ambassador Programme 2023-24 are now open!

The Classeek Ambassador Programme is a one-year career enhancement programme for promising young classical artists, ready for a career at the highest level. 

This year, there will be two spaces open to applicants from around the world, looking to pursue an international career in the classical music industry. We will have one space for instrumentalists, and for the first time, we will also have one space open to composers. 

 page to find out more about the programme, entry requirements and how to apply.

Entry onto the scheme for the remaining artists of the programme is via nomination by one of Classeek’s internationally renowned Artist Ambassadors. This year, ambassador nominations will be presented by Sir András Schiff, Steven Isserlis, Renaud Capuçon, and Sonia Simmenauer.

Classeek Ambassador Programme 2023-24

Applications now open!

We are delighted to announce the appointment of world-renowned cellist Steven Isserlis, as a Classeek Ambassador.

Acclaimed for his unique and distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, author and broadcaster, Steven is very much a passionate advocate for young artists. Sharing Classeek's mission of Discovering, Following and Supporting artists globally, he has been a mentor to many young musicians, and has been a strong advocate for the importance of music education.

“Nourishing and encouraging young musical talent is an important part of my life; so I am very happy to become an Ambassador for Classeek. I hope that we will collaborate in various ways in order to assist in the emergence and development of young talent.”

“When I met Steven I was immediately struck by his energy and commitment towards the younger generation. He will be a great addition to our roster of Ambassadors and we’re thrilled with this collaboration.”

 - Catarina Amon, Classeek Founder & CEO

We are very proud to have Steven join us as a figure of our Ambassador Programme, a powerful advocate for the importance of the future of music, and a valuable mentor providing advice and guidance to artists on their musical journey. We are thrilled to have Steven on board!

Announcing Steven Isserlis' Ambassadorship

Classeek Ambassador

Ahead of our new collaboration for our upcoming concert streams, Classeek Founder and CEO talks with The Violin Channel about the inspiration for Classeek, her advice for young artists, and the role of career development programs in the industry. 

Read the full interview on the Violin Channel

The Violin Channel will be streaming our upcoming concerts, featuring the artists of our Ambassador Programme, including pianist Julia Hamos, and violinist Bilal Alnemr performing alongside Guiseppe Mentuccia. 

- 23rd March, Recital: Bilal Alnemr & Giuseppe Mentuccia

 You can find out more about the upcoming streams 

Catarina Amon talks with The Violin Channel

Insights with Classeek's Founder & CEO

, we announced earlier this month that this year there will be a new ICMA award, the Classeek Award. The award winners have now been announced and we are delighted that double bass player Marc-André Teruel is the first recipient of the ICMA Classeek Award. 

, double bassist Marc-André Teruel has won numerous prizes so far within his career, and he has already achieved great international success both as a solo artist and passionate chamber musician. He regularly gives concerts in the most renowned concert halls, including the Wiener Konzerthaus, Wiener Musikverein, Salzburger Mozarteum, Auditorio Nacional de Música Madrid, Grand Auditorium de Radio France Paris, to name just a few. 

Marc-André will be presented with the ICMA Classeek Award on 21st April, and will perform with the NFM Philharmonic alongside their music director Giancarlo Guerrero, in Wrocław at the ICMA Gala Concert.

The other nominees for the ICMA Classeek Award were a selection of promising artists from our 2022-23 Ambassador Programme application, including pianists Callum McLachlan and Zhu Wang, violinist Julia Blachuta, cellist Ivan Skanavi and clarinetist Arthur Stockel. 

In addition to the new ICMA Classeek Award, we will also be supporting the winner of the ICMA Young Artist Award, Sào Soulez Larivière, with a place on our 2023-24 Ambassador Programme for young artists. We are very happy to welcome Sào to our programme next year!

ICMA Classeek Award

Announcing the 2023 award winner

We are proud to announce our new collaboration with the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA). This year for the first time, the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) will present a new award, the ICMA Classeek Award, to be presented during the Award Ceremony and Gala Concert at the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw (Poland), in April 2023. 

At Classeek, we are thrilled to begin our collaboration with the ICMA, with whom we feel an alliance of passion to support both the highest level of artistry in combination with the next generation of artists. We are proud to present this new Classeek award in the 2023-24 season, and have the artists in connection with our programme, nominated in association with ICMA.

"Nowadays the competition between young talented musicians is very strong. We believe that the best should also receive and benefit from the best possible support! This is a common goal of ICMA as well as of Classeek

We have therefore added this new award to the already existing categories. It allows us to annually promote a young, outstanding musician chosen from a list of the open application finalists of Classeek’s flagship Ambassador Programme for talented artists. With our independent jury of 19 music critics from 16 different countries, we hope to strengthen the recognition of the winning musician. We are thrilled to organize this new award in close cooperation with Classeek and to develop profitable synergies between both organizations." 

The jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) annually presents the world's only international record and music awards. With representatives of 19 media from 16 countries, the magazines Andante, Crescendo, Das Orchester, Musica, Musik & Theater, Musical Life, Opera, Papageno, Pizzicato, ResMusica, Rondo Classic and Scherzo, the radio stations Deutsche Welle, MDR-Klassik, Polskie Radio Chopin, Radio 100,7 and Radio Romania Muzical, the umbrella organization Unison-Croatia and the International Music and Media Center (IMZ), the ICMA reach an audience of millions.

Announcing the ICMA Classeek Award

New collaboration with ICMA

The Violin Channel have featured Classeek in their recent editorial, introducing our Ambassador Programme and this year's young artists.

Our next two upcoming concerts will be streamed on The Violin Channel, starting with a recital by pianist Julia Hamos (nominated by Sir Andás Schiff) in January, performing a programme of dances, featuring Bartók, Bach, and Schumann. Next up, violinist Bilal Alnemr and pianist Giuseppe Mentuccia will perform Schumann, Fauré, and Solhi al-Wadi. Concerts will be streamed on Classeek.com and the following week on The Violin Channel. 

Feature: The Violin Channel

Classeek's Ambassador Programme & Concerts 

Together with the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra and its Principal Conductor John Axelrod, we are happy to announce our new artistic partnership, offering opportunities for professional engagements and recordings sessions to both past and present artists of the Classeek Ambassador Programme. 

To begin the partnership, Classeek Ambassador Programme alumnus 

, performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The concert takes place on December 30 at the Sala Palatului, and will recorded and rebroadcast on 1st January on Romanian TV Station Antena 3 CNN. 

 will perform the Brahms Violin Concerto, on 22nd March at the Romanian Athenaeum, followed by a recording period together with the orchestra and John Axelrod. Later in the season, on 16th July, 

 will perform Beethoven's Emperor Concerto at the BMI International Competition for Conductors, alongside the competition winner. 

“I have been involved in education and career development for young professional musicians for over two decades, following the influence of my mentor, Leonard Bernstein. With Classeek and the BSO, that commitment continues at the highest artistic level making marvellously musical memories to last a lifetime.”

Both Classeek and BSO are excited to begin this collaboration, in providing new opportunities and supporting artists' careers further. More information in the BSO press release, 

Classeek partners with Bucharest Symphony Orchestra

Presenting new opportunities to Classeek artists

Following our first open application for the final place on our 2022-23 Ambassador Programme, we were impressed by the number of  astounding young artists who applied. It made our decision very difficult, but makes us more determined as an arts organisation, to support and provide a platform for as many artists as we can. 

In particular, one of the application finalists who caught our attention, was Iranian-American violist, Muriel Razavi. A multi-faceted artist, Muriel is in demand as a soloist and chamber player, as well as holding the position of assistant principal violist of the MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig. She continues to further her education, studying a doctorate at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre under the artistic supervision of Daniel Barenboim, where she is conducting research on Re-Orientalism in Music.  Most recently she was also announced as a teaching professor at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg. 

"As an artist and composer, you have to look for and find your own way anyway, and this is always the case, regardless of place, origin or culture. Only in this way can a work of art become a work of art." 

Muriel's impact within the arts world is incremental, dedicating herself to creating innovative concert formats, promoting contemporary music by female Iranian composers. She recently debuted Golfam Khayam's Concerto for Viola and Orchestra 'her path through clay and silk' and a solo performance project, 'ancient eve is once again offering apples'.

'ancient eve is once again offering apples' is a solo performance presenting music by Iranian composers Aida Shirazi, Bahar Royaee, Niloufar Nourbakhsh and Farzia Fallah. The performance tells of the life of a woman who opposes political and social restrictions, her suffering and her ways to cope, is depicted. Told in five scenes, her suffering, but also her way of dealing with it, is depicted. She goes through a development in front of the eyes of the audience and gives hope and courage to other women through her newly gained freedom. The inspiration for the project being the hope of a better world for all girls and women. 

In April 2023, Muriel will perform  the 'ancient eve is once again offering apples' at the  

Muriel Razavi making an impact

Ambassador Programme application finalist

Following last week's announcement of the finalists of our Ambassador Programme open application, we are excited to announce the final artist on our programme this season as violinist Alexey Stychkin!

Alexey, our first ever open application winner, joins eight other exceptional young artists who were nominated on the Ambassador Programme this season. Each musician will have the opportunity to perform a concert, broadcast live and in high definition from the stunning setting of Classeek’s private recital hall in Aubonne, Switzerland, and will receive opportunities for career enhancement, throughout the one-year programme.

Nominated by Sir András Schiff, 21-year-old pianist Avery Gagliano recently made her Carnegie Hall debut and released her debut album “Reflections” on the Steinway & Sons label. She gained international acclaim as the First Prize and Best Concerto Prize winner of the 10th National Chopin Piano Competition and was the only American semifinalist at the 18th International Chopin Competition in 2021.

Nominated by Renaud Capuçon, 22-year-old Paul Zientara began studying the viola at the age of seven at the Music school of Yerres in Yves Pruvot's class. In 2015, he joined the CRR (Regional Conservatory) of Paris in Françoise Gnéri's class. He regularly participates in international academies and masterclasses including the Kronberg Academy Festival

Nominated by Gautier Capuçon,  20-year-old cellist Jeein You was born in South Korea in 2002 and began studying cello at five. When she was seven she joined the Korea National University Of Arts Preschool under her tutor Chung Myung-Wha. Her ambassador Capuçon says, “Jeein is such a talented cellist and a very sensitive musician with an incredible ability to carry her emotions through music."

Nominated by Sir András Schiff, pianist Julia Hamos performs a programme of Bach, Bartók and Schumann. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, Hamos currently studies with Sir András Schiff at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin and at the Kronberg Academy. In 2021 she worked with Daniel Barenboim in a succession of filmed masterclasses on Beethoven's solo piano and string sonatas.

Nominated by Sonia Simmenauer, violinist Bilal Alnemr began to study violin at the age of eight, at the Solhi-AL-WADI Conservatory. In 2007, he won the first prize in the national competition for young Syrian talents. His mentor Sonia Simmenauer says, “I was stricken when I met with Bilal the first time and his seriousness about being a musician. I admire his courage and dedication to music.”

Nominated by Sonia Simmenauer, 22-year-old Gigashvili is a frequent soloist and chamber musician working with various orchestras and taking part in festivals and masterclasses all over the world. He has always been passionate about music and was trained by famous Georgian pianist and teacher Revaz Tavadze where he continued his formal musical training at the Paliashvili Central Music School for Gifted Children. 

Nominated by Emmanuel Pahud, 24-year-old flautist Alberto Navarra began his studies under Maurizio Valentini at the Ghedini Conservatory in Cuneo. His ambassador Emmanuel Pahud says, “Alberto Navarra is a leading talent of his generation.” Alberto is also a laureate of the Severino Gazzelloni International Flute Competition and the Carl Nielsen Flute Competition.

Nominated by Sir András Schiff, 21-year-old pianist Tom Borrow began playing the piano at the age of 5 and has performed as a soloist with many native orchestras of his country, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Symphony Orchestra.

Welcomed onto the programme via the open application, Russian-Greek violinist Alexey Stychkin, born in Moscow in 2000, comes from a family with deep musical and artistic roots. He began his musical studies at the age of five and continued on to study with Marc Bouchkov at the Liege Royal Conservatory. Alexey is currently studying his masters degree at the Hochschule fur Musik und Tanz in Cologne with Mihaela Martin, and this season  holds an academy position in the first violin section of the Staatskapelle Berlin. 

Each artist on the programme will perform at the Classeek concert hall during the season, in a variety of solo, duo and chamber recitals. Find out more about our 

Ambassador Programme Artists 2022-23

Latest news

One of the most widely performed French composers of today, Eric Tanguy's latest disc of chamber works 'In a Dream', released earlier this year, evokes “imagination, poetry and an interior world”.  

Featuring a selection of his works, composed over the past twenty years, the disc showcases an array of artists including violinists Alexandra Conunova and Rosanne Philippens, violist Lise Berthaud, cellist Edgar Moreau, clarinettist Pierre Génisson, pianists Suzana Bartal and David Kadouch, Quatuor Diotima.

"For an entire CD of chamber music by Eric Tanguy, Erato has brought together a group of artists who play the eight compositions with great dedication."

Eric Tanguy joins us here at Classeek next week, on 19th October, in a special live-stream concert featuring music from this latest release, performed by Alexandra Conunova, David Kadouch and Suzana Bartal. You can watch live on our website

The latest on Eric Tanguy

CD and concerts

This season we have 8 wonderful emerging artists nominated onto the Classeek Ambassador programme, by our ambassadors, including pianists Avery Gagliano, Julia Hamos, Giorgi Gigashvili and Tom Borrow, flautist Alberto Navarra, violinist Bilal Alnemr, violist Paul Zientara, and cellist Jeein You. 

This year for the first time, we also opened up the programme to applicants all over the world, to fill our last space on the programme. Having received applications from very high level musicians and a diverse range of instruments and applicants, the process has been difficult. We are thankful to all artists who applied this year as we have been amazed to discover so much talent through the application process.

We are delighted to announce the 13 finalists of our Ambassador Programme open application, for season 2022-23

Following the next round of the application process, we will be announcing the final artist of our Ambassador Programme, next week. 

Open application finalists

Ambassador Programme 2022-23

If you have already approached music composition, you might have realized that most times all you need is something to unleash your creativity and start writing. That initial spark could be as well a natural element, just like the sound of the wind blowing through the trees or a bird singing a melody. 

Long ago, way before tweets on social media, the sound of birds have inspired people: it happened already with Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart and Beethoven but in Messiaen’s music it played a crucial role. It became in fact one of the main features that characterized his works. What started initially as an interest soon became a real obsession, so fascinating that he could have been defined as an experienced ornithologist. 

Encouraged in his early years by his teacher Dukas, he started notating bird songs to include them in his own music and several of his compositions consist of a dedicated analysis and meticulous transcriptions that he wrote through the years. 

As he later revealed, it wasn't an easy process at all: he had to transcribe at a slower tempo and transport the notes an octave or two below, in order to make it playable by the instrument he was writing for at the time. If the interval between the notes sung by the bird was too small to play by an instrument, it had to be replaced with an appropriate semitone that could fit the melody. 

In 1940 the 34 year old composer was captured by the Germans and sent to a prisoner camp, while serving as a medical auxiliary in the french army. There he started writing one of his most popular pieces, Quartet for the End of Time. At this time there were several influences in his writing but the singing of blackbirds and nightingales are clearly present.

Other earlier works that included some bird inspired music are pieces such as Nativitè and Vingt Regards. In 1952 he was asked by the Conservatory of Paris to provide a piece to test flautists and for this occasion he composed La Merle Noir, a tune based on the song of the blackbird. Shortly after that Messiaen wrote Reveil des Oiseaux, a piece based on birdsong that are singing between midnight and noon in the specific area between France and Switzerland.

The whole subject of including bird vocalisation took more and more space in his music and culminated in 1958 when he wrote his major work dedicated to the pianist Yvonne Loriod, who eventually became Messiaen’s wife. His Catalogue d’oiseaux consists of a collection of thirteen tunes for piano, based on his transcription of over 80 european bird species. Often described as Messian’s most abstract work by critics, it was in fact one of the most analytical works of his where each page was littered with names of specific landmarks and related bird types.

In combination with his synaesthesia (a neurological condition of his that led him associating sounds with colour)  Messiaen’s profound dedication to birds has always fascinated and intrigued audiences. His music in fact really tried to connect with the world as a whole, as a universal language: sometimes it is written by humans and other times is spoken by nature.

Can nature inspire a composition?

The answer could be in your backyard

As musicians, we are trying everyday to acquire competences by facing the process of acquiring information and translating them on our instruments. In general when an individual decides to learn a new skill, he needs to face a four phase transition to acquire it. We all know how long, slow and sometimes stressful the process can be but what seems to be a standardised process has been identified during the 70’s in psychology as a ladder scheme of knowledge and understanding that can definitely be applied also to the music field. 

Let’s find out in detail, what the four stages are:

This basic stage is the one where the individual is not aware about a certain aspect and doesn’t know how to proceed to reach the next step. Translated to the music field, this is the real blank page, the starting point of a musical journey on the instrument when the student is not able to recognize what is lacking to improve his ability. Once having acknowledged that some aspects could be useful, the aspiring musician can proceed to the next stage but the length of time spent in this stage depends on the willpower to learn and on the inputs given by the teacher .

The next level refers to a musician who doesn’t understand or know how to play a piece but recognizes the deficit. He accepts the knowledge of an existing gap and, to progress, he must recognize the value of the aspect he/she is trying to learn. This passage may be a little uncomfortable for some but the motivational learning aspect is crucial to know that mistakes are part of the learning process.

The third learning stage is the one where musicians understand and know how to play a piece but it requires a good amount of concentration and discipline. At this level all senses are involved in a conscious way during the performance, with very little room for errors in order to execute a piece in the proper way. It doesn’t come spontaneously then but it’s a work towards skills acquisition where the ‘trial and error’ method is the right way to achieve continuous improvement. 

The last level is the one that all musicians aim for the most. To reach this level much practice is needed to reach something that comes “naturally” when executing it. It still demands a learning process but the musician at this stage has a strong foundation and confidence in his abilities. This level is the only one that allows a potential teacher to transfer his knowledge to others.

With this system being applicable to every field, it can be used during the learning music process to analyse your own stage and be aware of what should be done to reach the next one. It should be especially used when self-doubt takes over during difficult times, reassuring yourself during conscious phases that results will improve in the future through hard work and perseverance.

Four levels of music understanding

First Prize and Best Concerto Prize winner of the 2020 10th National Chopin Piano Competition, Avery Gagliano has 

'captured audiences with her sensitivity, emotional depth, and musical expression'

Following her competition success, Avery recorded her debut album on Steinway & Sons in May 2021. These works by Chopin, Haydn, Schumann and Adés all carry the imprint of various important milestones that have propelled Avery Gagliano's journey forward as a pianist. 

“Looking at the music on this album takes me to a place of deep reflection – reflection on the people and moments that led to my conception of the music as it exists in these recordings. I invite you to follow my reflections from the past into the future, and hope the music leads you to your own reflections now and in years to come.” - Avery Gagliano

Ahead of Avery's recital at Classeek later this month, take a listen to her debut album on Steinway & Sons. 

Avery Gagliano | Reflections

Latest disc

The Ambassador Programme is a one-year career enhancement programme for promising young classical musicians, ready for a performance career at the highest level. Starting this year we are opening one place on the programme per season, to young artists looking to pursue an international career as a performer, via an application process. 

The programme is open to all instrumentalists holding a Bachelor of Music or equivalent. Applicants must be aged 30 or under on August 1, 2022. 

 page to find out more about the programme and how to apply. 

Classeek Ambassador Programme 2022-23

Last night saw a memorable concert here at Classeek with a performance by Ambassador Programme artist and pianist Kim Bernard, joined on stage by our Ambassador, Gautier Capuçon.

Kim Bernard performed a lyrical and sensitive interpretation of Chopin's Ballade in F minor Op.52 and a spirited selection from Debussy. Joined by Gautier Capuçon for the latter half of the concert, the pair united to perform Grieg's Cello Sonata in A minor, followed by four captivating encores. 

Our season opened with a chamber concert by violinist Filipe Johnson, violist Dor Sperber, pianist Natalia Morozova, and composer/Classeek Ambassador Nimrod Borenstein. The season continued with artists of our Ambassador Programme, such as pianists Shir Semmel, Nathalia Milstein and Kiana Reid (nominated by Sir Andràs Schiff) and cellists Caroline Sypniewski and Anouchka Hack. 

We continue to collaborate with the Conservatoire de Lausanne in our pre concerts, offering the students a valuable platform to perform. We're looking forward to bringing you a whole new season of concerts with emerging young classical artists. Stay tuned for news on our upcoming season. 

Season 2021-22

Looking back on Classeek's season highlights

The most celebrated virtuoso of all time had a unique instrument with very peculiar characteristics which made it different from all the other violins. Because of its incredible volume projection, Paganini himself named the violin “Il Cannone”, which he received as a gift from an amateur violinist who was an admirer of Paganini. Since then it became a natural extension of himself upon which his ability became legendary. It set a new standard of virtuosity that often cost him the title of "demonic" among his contemporaries. Paganini in fact had an exceptional extension of his left hand fingers’ that allowed him to perform very technical passages.

As stated on the label at the inside (Joseph Guarnerius Fecit ˜ Cremone Anno 1742 I.H.S.) the violin was crafted by the Italian luthier Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri in the 17th century in Cremona.

Compared to other violins, this incredible instrument has some substantial constructive differences: the belly is in fact thicker compared to other violins and the tailpiece is one centimetre shorter than the standard as well as the neck length (128.5mm instead of 130mm). At that time the chinrest was not yet in use and Paganini played the violin resting his chin directly on the sound box; because of that a slight abrasion of the paint is now visible in the lower left part of the instrument. As other scratches and marks on the body suggest, it looks like Paganini used to move the bridge in order to adjust the string length according to his playing needs. 

Since 1851 the instrument has been housed in Genova, Paganini’s birthplace, inside Palazzo Doria Tursi.It is exhibited in a dedicated room, the ‘Paganini Room’, inside the museum where visitors can also compare it with a fine copy made by the french luthier Jean Baptiste Vuillaume in 1834. It was donated to the city by Achille Paganini, the son of the musician himself, as declared by his testament.

As of today, The ‘Cannone’ is still in excellent overall condition: it retains its original neck and the varnish has never been polished. Of course strings have been changed over time and it is now fitted with a set of plain gut strings, as the great virtuoso would have played it. To preserve its integrity and check the conservative status, a team of scientists is constantly monitoring the environmental condition of the room and checking the conservative status of the instrument. Recently a pool of experts valued this instrument over 80 million euros, making it one of the most expensive violins on the planet alongside several Stradivari’s and other Guarneri’s.

Every year players come to Genova from all over the world to perform at Paganini Competition where the main prize is the privilege to play a whole concert on the "Cannone" by Paganini himself.

The Cannon

The secrets behind Paganini’s secret weapon

ClasseekLink brings together musicians and professionals to better promote talent in the digital age. 

- Launch of a digital platform dedicated to the professional classical music community that allows artists to present themselves in a dynamic and interactive way

- Music professionals have unprecedented access to young artists around the world

- Innovative digital tools help professionals and artists guide their choices

- ClasseekLink signs a partnership with HEMU Haute École de Musique, Switzerland and counts many prestigious ambassadors

How to enable young classical music artists to better blossom and develop the best artistic opportunities? How can professionals be helped to acutely find talent? How to give access to all those who would like to be discovered and live far from the main world stages? How can technology help bring tomorrow's virtuosos into the digital age? Launched by the technology company Classeek, the ClasseekLink platform brings together artists, presenters and other classical music professionals under one roof, with the common goal of connecting the right people at the right time, and creating the ideal opportunities for the development of their respective careers. A godsend at a time when society is becoming increasingly digital, and the music scene needs to reinvent itself.

ClasseekLink acts as a real platform for exchange and interactive presentation for the classical world scene. The profiles allow artists to present themselves, increase their visibility, facilitate exchanges, share their news and achievements and stay in touch with the professional circuit. The platform includes various tools, such as a digital press kit that provides in one click all the necessary and complete information, ready for distribution or printing - biographies, videos and high-resolution photos. For all professionals, ClasseekLink provides unprecedented global access to emerging artists from around the world.

The ClasseekLink platform also gives access to Classeek Analytics, a data analysis tool developed by Classeek. Compiling a large database and a sharp analysis of global trends in classical music, this tool offers a practical mapping that serves as a decision support for artists and other professionals. In a world hitherto more driven by instinct, Classeek Analytics allows, for example, a foundation, that lends instruments, to examine emerging talent, an agent to detail the career of an artist she or he is considering hiring, and an artist to make a rational analysis of her or his choices. Classeek opens up new opportunities for young classical music talents in an era of digitalization of society and their professional environment.

ClasseekLink is also developing a partnership with HEMU - Haute École de Musique Vaud Valais Fribourg, in Lausanne, Switzerland. Bachelor and Master students of HEMU register and create their Premium account on the platform free of charge. They create their digital press kit and publish it on the platform in order to become visible and accessible.

The prestigious ambassadors of Classeek, among them the pianist Sir András Schiff, the flutist Emmanuel Pahud, and the brothers Gautier and Renaud Capuçon (cello and violin) actively support this initiative.

Catarina Amon, founder and CEO of Classeek, said "With ClasseekLink, we want to help young classical music talents find their way to success and professionals find the best. Above all, we want to give the same chance to all those who aspire to a career in classical music, wherever they live, on all five continents. ClasseekLink wants to bring all talents under one roof, accessible and interconnected, creating more opportunities for everyone. We want to give all artists a new breath, a new life, using the technologies of today and tomorrow."

ClasseekLink launch

Promoting talent in the digital age

Many sectors are impacted by the COVID crisis. Some of them express louder than others the economic disaster it is leading to.

The sudden urgency to adapt to the new rules, had a tremendous percussion on priorities and turned lives upside-down. In these circumstances, consumers tend to go back to their basic needs of survival and sometimes forget about spiritual health.

The Classical music community is one of the sectors which remains relatively discrete about what it is going through at this moment. All concerts and festivals being cancelled, many young and even established and internationally renown musicians are facing open ended uncertainty…

One of the best known and most respected artist managers in the international field of classical music R. Douglas Sheldon recently reflected 

“The pandemic is likely to cause a shift in the public’s attitude and habits about attending live music events”.

The truth is that live events are less relevant to pop artists who are omnipresent by other means like albums, movie soundtracks, Music TV clips, TV shows etc…and sometimes are even more successful without live interaction with the public. But what about classical music performers where the soul of the performance is their physical and spiritual presence?

There is an overwhelming amount of classical music concerts streamed at this moment. Most of them for free. Artists are sharing their virtuosity and emotions unconditionally with the public.

Public embracing of the artists solidarity movement has been remarkable, the question is: is it sustainable post crisis and what’s the best way to support artists?

Again, Lady Gaga can perform online for free without much financial uncertainty, but what about young and talented pianists, cellists or opera singers?'

"Without leaving the comfort of home a violinist or an actor must be able to give a recital on the other side of the world and be paid for it. This implies the use of technologies that are available or will soon be available. There are already pioneers in the field such as the online platform Classeek." — Jacques Attali, author

At Classeek, our main mission is to Discover, Follow and Support talented artists. In the middle of this unprecedented crisis, we wish to make sure that they do not get discouraged and abandon their field by a simple lack of sustainability. Now that we are all adjusting to the social distancing but thrive for culture, beauty, comfort and connection it’s an unique opportunity for artists to show their ease to adapt and experiment new ways to create an audience.Since April this year, Classeek moved our Showroom in a virtual mode and we started to propose an innovative concept of a live performance: Virtual Recitals. It is not a fancy streaming or a TV show, but a live interaction with your classic performer, via Zoom, where the musician plays from his or her living room for a small group of people where an interactive Q&A session follows the performance. The success of this concept lies in the intimate character of such an event, where you feel closer to an artist than in any most prestigious concert hall. We do our best to optimise the sound quality, but the most important feature remains the human interaction and the unique possibility to get to know these artists personally.

At the beginning, we proposed these recitals to private clients whom we call our “Classeek community” for friends and family events. Today, we are also launching this concept for corporate clients who are searching for new ways of boosting their team’s motivation, awakening creativity or simply spending some quality time with co-workers after intensive brainstorming on “how to survive the crisis”.

“Humanity needs art to thrive, not to survive but to thrive” – R. Douglas Sheldon

Classeek online recitals

Joining efforts to support classical musicians in post lockdown disarray

This is probably the question of questions. Or actually, there are two important issues to consider: how far might the sponsor exert his influence on the work of art, and in what way should he benefit from it?

Concerning the first, I think that the sponsor or patron should have the right to outline what he is prepared to pay for and be informed as to use of his money as well as the design of the work.

He should however not interfere with the actual form or content, nor must he put the artist under pressure. Should van Gogh decide to paint sunflowers, the sponsor should not oblige him to paint water lilies. Should Beethoven choose to write a great symphony with soloists and orchestra, the sponsor should not demand a ballet instead. Svyatoslav Richter did presumably not require your advice as to how to employ the pedal in a Chopin prelude.

And of course there is always the difference between commissioning and sponsoring a work of art. To sponsor means to generously provide means that enable a project or a talent to emerge.

I suppose this requires a great amount of knowledge and common trust between the partners. It might be advisable to outline wishes, or even conditions of the sponsor before the work is actually commissioned or the artist begins to work. Maybe the sponsor needs some guidance in order to formulate his ideas and to find something that will give him pleasure to fund. True sponsorship is something very personal and involves not only finances but also enthusiasm, interest and an emotional attachment. This, by the way, is one of the ideas Classeek stands for: if you feel the urge to support the arts but do not know how to go about it or what to sponsor, we will try and give you individual advice. For one thing, on this platform you can find artists and projects that are recommended by experienced specialists and which you might normally not be aware of.

Many young talents simply require sponsorship for the great investment they need to make into their profession: make photos and create a website, buy a decent concert dress or an instrument, travel to auditions or take part in masterclasses. More often than not, they simply need to cover their living costs while studying, practising and rehearsing. In short, there are countless ways of sponsoring artists and new works of art, and any kind of sponsorship is always welcomed with deep gratitude.

How much you yourself might expect to benefit from your sponsorship is another philosophical question that will become the topic of another blog.

Discover, Follow and Support Talent Globally

News & Editorials

Classeek's Community

Ambassador Programme