Time to Listen 2025

For the fourth time, inm / field notes and the Akademie der Künste invite you to the conference “Time to Listen – Sustainability in Contemporary Music” on October 30–31, 2025. This year, the focus will be on networks that not only allow to exchange knowledge and share resources but also strengthen the sense of community and collective responsibility. 

Against the backdrop of a profound shift toward more sustainable production practices in the music sector on the one hand and increasing political and financial pressure on the arts on the other, it is not surprising that artistic networks are currently forming independently in many parts of Europe to collectively address these new ecological, political, and economic challenges.

For the first time, Time to Listen will bring together various networks to connect, learn from each other, and develop transnational collaborations. Together, we will explore existing structures for cooperation and discuss what is still needed. How can networks share resources while also promoting sustainable mobility concepts? What digital solutions are already in place to support transnational collaboration? How can we ensure access for less-established artists and include both institutionalized festivals and independent actors – from cultural hubs and rural areas alike? What strategies exist to address inequalities between Europe's “centers” and “peripheries” as well as global justice issues? And finally, we want to understand through practical examples how sustainable principles not only influence questions of logistics and organization but also extend into the creative process and artistic practice.

A call for artistic projects and more details on the program will follow soon.

The conference is being developed in close collaboration with the Donaueschingen Music Days and Impuls neue Musik, which invited to the "European Network Meeting" in 2024, as well as with Art Music Denmark as part of the Northern Connection, a network of the Nordic countries and Scotland.

Register here for free while spots are available. 

October 30–31, 2025, 
Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg