Liverpool Philharmonic hosts Europe’s biggest annual classical music conference
More than 200 delegates were in Liverpool for the biggest annual classical music conference in Europe.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO) was hosting the annual conference of the Association of British Orchestras. It is the first time it has been held in the city since 2003.
The gathering will receive national exposure on radio, with a performance by chief conductor Vasily Petrenko and the RLPO broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 on Thursday night (January 19) and Classic FM sharing conference highlights with its 6m listeners.
The three-day event at the Liverpool Marriott Hotel City Centre was opened by Culture Minister Ed Vaizey.
The delegates from the UK and beyond are all involved in the promotion of classical music, and include musicians and players like the internationally acclaimed cellist Julian Lloyd Webber.
Organisers said the conference programme was to focus on orchestras’ impact on society and measuring the value of culture.
Mark Pemberton, director of the Association of British Orchestras (ABO) said: “We are discussing what economic contribution an arts organisation like an orchestra makes to a city and a community.
“The RLPO is an ambassador for Liverpool – one would hope that has an economic value in terms of bringing investment into the city.
“The orchestra helps mark Liverpool out as a city that is vibrant and has a lot to offer, and counterbalances images of the city as one riven with unemployment.”
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 showcases some of these impacts on a national level.”
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