The Media Lounge Debut and a World Gathering in Cremona!

Cremona again marked its presence as the world capital of instrumental music exhibitions with the 2017 edition of the Cremona Musica which combined top level artists, manufacturers, academia and pedagogy. With 180 programmed events during three days (September 29 until October 1), Cremona Musica covers every aspect of the interacting and delicate zones where the market, competence and public get to meet. In creating such a specialized meeting point for professionals in Europe, Cremona Musica not only wishes to analyze the state of the of the market but also more importantly, actively shapes culture. Therefore the object of growth and development is essential and evident.

The piano part – called Piano Experience – has an aim to pursue a commitment in promoting the acoustic piano and thus offered a rich program of top level pianists performing in concert programs organized by outstanding instrument brands such as Bösendorfer, Steinway, Yamaha, Steingraeber and Fazioli. Along with these, other brands were also presented in the grand exhibit area with an opportunity for the public to play and try out the latest model innovations. The public could also enjoy Masterclasses, this year conducted by Accademia Santa Cecilia and renowned performers. A special treat were play-along sessions with famous artists open to the public. As usual, special attention was given the recipients of the Cremona Music Awards which 2017 were violinist Ivry Gitlis, writer/author Stuart Isacoff, composer Giovanni Sollima and the institution for higher musical studies; Accademia di Santa Cecilia.

The Media Lounge Debut

An initiative from the Artistic Director pianist Roberto Prosseda and Berlin based pianist Andreas Kern, the Media Lounge with 30 journalists from the major specialized newspapers, magazines, broadcast media and web-based media saw its light. For the first time in Europe, the group met to share ideas on musical critics and journalism elaborating on common issues, differences and possible collaborations in the classical music field.

As one of the invited to this group, Piano Street’s Patrick Jovell was able to elaborate on ideas and experiences from the group meetings. Each participant brought up several salient points, such as communication tools, the business of music in media, trends in research and education, and musical philosophy. All present planted the seeds of curiosity among the others who attended the forum, so it is assured that there will be continual discussions and collaborations dedicated to the promotion of classical music not only in Europe but also globally.

For Piano Street an interesting concern is the question how to safeguard quality and publicity rights in a field which consists of both fast and slow media. Another important topic is how to share materials in specific cultural environments where language barriers limit access to journalistic coverage. For instance, today English speaking media seldom cover news and events that take place in foreign countries such as Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Balkan, Russia or Asia unless producers actively promote their own activities in multiple languages. Not everything happens in English, despite a strong Anglo-centric nature of Western Culture.

We are all happy for the Media Lounge start-up and look forward to the next meeting and upcoming collaborations. We urge all visitors to enjoy all that Cremona and its beautiful surroundings have to offer. We are also happy to be a part of the creative process on all fronts.

Meet some of the Media Lounge members:

Erica Worth – Pianist Magazine, UK
www.pianistmagazine.com

“One often hears of doom and gloom in the industry. However, there are hundreds of CDs still being released every month – even more than before. So I am optimistic. Surprising changes? I have no clue! Maybe in the piano world there will be some new instrument that will double the speed you play for you! Anything is possible.”

Serhan Bali – Andante Magazine, Turkey
www.andante.com.tr

“Criticism has also found a secure place for itself in digital age. Professional critics, music journalists can share their opinions and every kind of stuff through their online channels because of lack of advertising. The main problem is that they can’t earn the same money as before in the printed media.”

Eric Schoones – Pianist Magazine, The Netherlands
www.pianistmagazine.nl

“If a magazine can help to inspire and inform, so more people can experience things like this, I think it is a very worthwhile cause. Although we should always remember it is not really essential to ‘know’ many things about classical music in order to be able to appreciate its message and content.”

Andreas Kern – Piano City & Piano Battle, Germany
www.andreaskern.net/piano-city.html
& www.imgartists.com/roster/piano-battle/

“In my early years at the University I was already combining arts: Music & Food, Music & Dance, Music & Fashion. In Cremona we were connecting music with other fields, like technology or cows. I would wait which other keyword Cremona throws to me and then we see what comes out. Stay curious!”

Patrick Jovell – Piano Street, Sweden
www.pianostreet.com

“Kids that are early exposed to classical music make it easier to pursue a career, parents play and listen, provide good schooling and so on. Governments must decide what kind of society they want and thus fund it.
Kids will always identify with what they are exposed to (what there is) and classical music needs to be experienced and requires space in all forms of media.”