NEXT:LAB
A Berlin Satellite Event
A professional development, mentoring and networking programme for Berlin-based artists in classical, contemporary and cross-genre music.
What is NEXT:LAB?
NEXT:LAB is a Classical:NEXT Satellite Event that offers a multi-month programme bringing together a selected cohort of Berlin-based musicians, composers and ensembles for intensive professional development, mentoring and artistic collaboration. It is designed for artists at a pivotal point in their careers — those ready to expand their international presence, develop new artistic work and build lasting professional networks.
The programme is rooted in a simple structural gap: Berlin has one of the strongest independent classical and contemporary music scenes in the world, yet many professionally working artists lack access to international co-production structures, presentation platforms and the career development formats that make sustained international work possible. NEXT:LAB exists to address that directly.
What participants gain
The programme is not a competition or a prize. It is a structured professional development pathway with concrete deliverables and real international exposure. Participants leave with a developed artistic profile and pitch materials, new cross-genre work created with peers, mentoring relationships with established international professionals, a presentation at a public Berlin event to an invited industry audience, and full participation in Classical:NEXT 2027 in Katowice as part of the Fellowship Programme — including a closing concert performance at the international conference.
NEXT:LAB Jury
A dedicated jury with expertise across established performance, music education and higher education, cultural management and career development, and concert design and performance formats is responsible for selecting the NEXT:LAB Cohort. The jury assesses artistic quality, development potential and openness to collaborative and cross-genre working.
NEXT:LAB Mentors
The NEXT:LAB Mentors lead thematic workshops covering international project development, pitching and presentation, profile-building and career planning, transcultural collaboration, and the development of innovative concert and performance formats.
NEXT:LAB Cohort
Meet the 2026-2027 Cohort!
