Jan 17, 2025

Joseph Fowler
Head, Arts and Culture, World Economic Forum

The theme of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2025’s opening concert will be Antarctica and the melting ice caps.

The concert fuses music, visual arts, and technology – transcending language barriers, evoking a unifying and deep emotional response, and inspiring collective responsibility for the future of the planet.

The concert amplifies the urgency of the climate crisis and creates a profound, lasting impact that stirs our emotions and drives us to act.

As the world faces the intensifying effects of climate change and environmental destruction, the need for innovative and impactful ways to communicate these urgent issues is more crucial than ever.

The fusion of music, visual arts, and technology, is a powerful method for advocacy because it transcends language barriers, evokes a unifying and deep emotional response, and inspires collective responsibility.

 

2025 is third in a trilogy of climate-focused concerts

The 2025 Opening Concert — Monday 20th January, 18:30 – 19:15 CET — completes a trilogy of environmentally-focused concerts produced by the World Economic Forum. In 2023 the Forum explored the protection and preservation of the coral reefs in the Northern Red Sea. The following year, there was a study of the unlikely yet fascinating relationship between the Sahara and the Amazon. This year’s concert now addresses the critical issue of melting polar ice caps.

Aligned with the UN’s 2025 International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, the concert focuses on Antarctica, which is home to 91% of the world’s glaciers, emphasizing the urgent need for action.

Merging AI-generated immersive visuals, electronic soundscapes, and orchestral music, the Opening Concert will be a multi-sensory experience that seamlessly blends live performance with cutting-edge technology.

 

Programme: Original commissioned compositions

The programme features original commissioned compositions by Michael Kamm and Tim Allhoff. Kamm’s dynamic electronic scores complement Tim Allhoff’s fusion of classical, jazz, and contemporary compositions and musical arrangements. The Morphing Chamber Orchestra, with its award-winning musicians, provides a classical foundation, bringing this diverse multifaceted musical programme to life. International award-winning artists, including Sandinavian singer Ane Brun, Canadian Indigenous tenor Jeremy Dutcher, and opera star Danielle de Niese, add emotional depth with their voices, amplifying the concert’s powerful environmental message.

As the ecological crisis grows, the need for compelling representations of nature is urgent. A key highlight of the Davos 2025 concert is a specially commissioned large-scale immersive artwork by artist and technologist, Refik Anadol. He continues his collaboration with the Forum, having showcased for the first time in 2024 his Large Nature Model (LNM), which sits at the crossroads of visual art, science, and technology and is designed to explore the synergy between AI and nature.

For this year’s concert, he uses the LNM to transform glacier data into stunning digital landscapes, visually capturing the movement and texture of glaciers. This sensory experience reinforces the concert’s key messages about the climate crisis and the fragility of our ecosystems.

Swiss designer Kévin Germanier showcases his sustainable designs, using 100% upcycled and recycled materials. Inspired by the cold, crystalline purity of Antarctica and the hypnotic dance of the Northern Lights, his costumes for singers Ane Brun and Danielle de Niese will embody the icy landscapes, combining environmental consciousness with innovative design.

A new frontier of artistic expression

The blending of electronic sounds and classical music with cutting-edge technology is a new frontier for artistic expression. As environmental challenges continue to grow, these hybrid art forms are emerging as a primary method for advocacy.

Technological advancements are revolutionizing how we visualize climate data, offering a deeper understanding of the crisis and driving meaningful action. Tools like AI, machine learning, and data visualization allow us to synthesize vast, complex data from satellites, sensors, and climate models into interactive, accessible formats.

When these technologies are combined with music and song, the message becomes emotionally charged, resonating deeply with us. This fusion connects both our hearts and minds, amplifying the urgency of the climate crisis and creating a profound, lasting impact that stirs our emotions and drives us to act.

Ultimately, this fusion marks the beginning of a future where art and technology are no longer seen as separate entities but as complementary forces working together to tackle the most critical issues of our time. The creative works resulting from this combination have the potential to spark action, inspire thought, and bring about real change: one performance, one visual experience, and one technological milestone at a time.