Dautermann, Jennifer

Jennifer Dautermann was engaged by Piranha Arts in 2011 to start up an international conference for the professional Western classical music scene. The result was Classical:NEXT, which aimed to unite all art music sectors while exploring future paths forward. Until February 2021, she guided development of this annual, international, art music professionals’ forum which attracted 1,300 participants from 48 countries to its eighth on-site edition in May 2019.

Currently, she is initiating Art In Action (ArIA): International Festival and Conference for Art Music, Social Action and Positive Change and completed a Creative Europe Mid-Level Cooperation funding application in April 2022. Planned for 2024, ArIA unites creatives with advocates (activists/NGOs) to highlight critical societal issues, believing that the art music sector can drive global change, while reshaping its own future. ArIA partners span the globe and range from world-renowned cultural centres and music higher education institutions to independent festivals. ArIA's conference links five on-site locations across five countries digitally. Its festival links creative centres in nine countries. During development, multilateral cross-border collaboration produces nine hybrid concerts, each led by an artist/advocate workgroup, who are supported by mentoring in online concert design and cross-disciplinary collaboration plus a workshop on environmentally sustainable practices. Advocates spearhead communication campaigns, targeting audiences for critical issues, bringing the artists and concerts to listeners the world over.

Jennifer majored in classical music performance with a minor in studio photography at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan School of Music with parallel professional engagements at institutions such as the Michigan Opera Theater. After moving to Berlin, Jennifer was part of the British Council's Arts and Creative Industries department for over seven years, active in projects across the innovative arts spectrum. In 2009, she independently initiated and realized the C3 Festival (Club Contemporary Classical), a showcase for contemporary music mixing elements of new classical and electronica which took place at Berlin's renowned Berghain club. C3 2011 expanded to 3 cities (Berlin, Essen, Gdansk) and was supported by the German Federal Cultural Foundation.