PRS Foundation’s Keychange initiative wins Innovation Award at Classical:NEXT

20 May 2019 - Press release

At this year’s Classical:NEXT, the global meeting for all art music innovators, PRS Foundation’s international Keychange initiative was awarded a Classical:NEXT Innovation Award at the closing ceremony of the conference in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. This follows Keychange’s recognition for a similar award last December at Brazil’s major music industry conference, SIM Sao Paolo. 

The Classical:NEXT Innovation Award is designed to place the spotlight on forward-thinking activities taking place around the world. The goal of this honorary prize is to raise awareness about innovative activities going on all over the globe.  

Keychange is the pioneering international initiative, which is empowering women to transform the future of the music industry whilst encouraging festivals to achieve a 50:50 balance by 2022. Keychange aims to accelerate change and create a better, more inclusive music industry for present and future generations. 

Alongside fellow winners Umculo - Shirley Apthorp (South Africa) and Resonancia Femenina (Chile), Keychange was chosen by an online vote open to the entire Classical:NEXT community, including all delegates. All three winners were announced on site at the closing ceremony of Classical:NEXT in Rotterdam on 18 May 2019. 

PRS Foundation’s CEO, Vanessa Reed who collected the award at the ceremony said “I’m delighted to accept this award on behalf of Keychange’s seven founding festival partners, 60 female artists and innovators and 160+ pledge signatories from across the globe. It’s timely for us to be honoured at Classical Next as we open our pledge to orchestras, conservatoires, concert halls and any music organization who want to commit to a more balanced and successful music industry. I’m particularly pleased that De Doelen which hosted the conference is one of the first major European venues to sign the pledge in this new phase which will be launched formally on June 25^th at the Swedish Ambassador’s residence in London.”