We are delighted to be presenting a poster on the work of the network at the Royal Music Association Conference at Newcastle University, 14-16 September 2021.

Questions about what classical music represents, whom it represents, and who is missing or under-represented in its practices are currently at the fore of public and scholarly debate about the art form and the profession. To explore these issues, the Representing Classical Music in the 21st Century AHRC network adopted an innovative, dual focus on representation. It considered contemporary artistic and media representation of classical music (e.g., plays and films depicting ‘classical’ musicians) as well as demographic representation in the classical music industry. The latter includes representation of ‘classical’ musicians by agents and record companies; musicians’ self-representations (e.g., on social media); and the demographics of the classical music profession and repertoire vis-à-vis gender, class, (dis)ability, and ethnicity.

This poster presents key findings and outputs emerging from network events, which include a new play script, a special collection of essays and a range of blog materials. View the poster here: WHITTAKER RMA Poster FINAL PDF.