Brussels Conversations 2012 on A Cultural Coalition for a Citizens’ Europe

The European House for Culture together with the Marcel Hicter Association, the Access to Culture Platform, "A Soul for Europe" and the Festival of Philosophy bring the initiative A Cultural Coalition for a Citizens' Europe to Brussels; in collaboration with the European Festivals Association (EFA), ENCATC, EUNIC and Felix Meritis. The Académie Royale de Langue et de Littérature Françaises de Belgique will host the Brussels Conversations 2012 on the 16-17 November where participants will discuss the future of the European project and the citizens' role in making it a reality. Developing citizenship in Europe is one of the essential needs that should be addressed during the European Year of Citizens 2013, and the Cultural Coalition for a Citizens' Europe believes that culture is the key to increasing this spirit of citizenship.

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Atelier for Young Festival Managers LJUBLJANA 2012 great success

The fifth Atelier for Young Festival Managers (Ljubljana, Slovenia, 14-21 October 2012), initiated by the European Festivals Association (EFA) and hosted by the Ljubljana Festival, brought together 32 participants from 21 countries and seven renowned festival managers from all over the world. The Atelier LJUBLJANA 2012 was kicked off with an inspiring keynote speech by Australian festival director Robyn Archer and a greeting by Zoran Janković, Mayor of the City of Ljubljana; it was concluded with an exclusive lecture by festival icon Gerard Mortier and a welcome address by Dr. Danilo Türk, President of the Republic of Slovenia. Throughout the 7-day training programme, a diversity of working formats allowed for thought-provoking exchanges and establishing sustainable ties for the future.

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‘Polifonia’ project has got off to a flying start!

 Following an initial Joint Working Group meeting at the Koninklijk Conservatorium last February, the five Polifonia working groups are now fully operational, engaged in site visits, meetings, and relevant studies. To learn more about the progress and activities of each group, click here.

Janne Schaffer supports the FIM campaign about “musical instruments on planes”!

Janne Schaffer is a Swedish guitar player. He played in 55 ABBA tracks, published 12 solo albums and took part in more than 5,000 sound recording sessions.

"As is the case with most professional guitar players, I constantly travel abroad.

There is actually no other way for a musician to develop an international reputation: you must be ready to move as soon as your phone rings, especially at the beginning of your career.

But there's a problem... You think you're well prepared because you've been practicing 12 hours a day 7 days a week and your public will love your playing. But you're not quite ready yet: you need to be authorised to fly with your instrument in the cabin and that is often a big challenge...

A musical instrument is not a piece of luggage. Not at all. I and my colleagues regard it as part of the musician's body that you can't allow to be transported in the cargo hold of a plane. It is absolutely vital to professional musicians that appropriate rules apply to all airline companies which ensure that they receive a fair treatment when travelling on planes with their instruments.

I strongly support the <a href="/https://www.change.org/petitions/fair-treatment-for-musicians-traveling-on-planes-with-their-instruments" target="_blank">FIM campaign</a> and encourage all musicians to do the same. I also urge European Commissioner Siim Kallas to listen to our request. It is time for airlines to be fair to music performers!"

Janne Schaffer

The 2nd European Meeting for WIMUST

The 2nd European Meeting for WIMUST - Women In Music Uniting Strategies for Talent took place in Fiuggi (Italy) on 6 & 7 July 2012.The Plenary Session determined on a number of activities to be undertaken in 2013, in order to endorse the 2009 European Parliamentary Resolution insisting on Equal Opportunities for women working in the arts and culture sectors, and to ensure that this Resolution is finally put into force by all European Governments.

Patricia Adkins Chiti, President of the Foundation Donne in Musica and Scientific Director of the WIMUST project, stressed in her speech during the meeting that "the status of contemporary European women composers is constantly under threat. In most countries, they are equal in number to male composers, and in some countries more, however, only 1 % of their music (traditional, popular, classical, contemporary) is programmed by public funded institutions and 89 % of public arts and culture institutions are directed by men."

Italian MEP Silvia Costa, who has recently been designated rapporteur for the programme "Creative Europe", has expressed her commitment, underlining that "women composers and creators should be recognised and supported at all levels, as cultural industries lead the  European economic development, influencing the GNP in each country".

WIMUST will focus in 2012 and 2013 on orchestras, youth orchestras and jazz festivals and a petition will be shortly sent to every single Culture Ministry in the EU, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey and to all members of national parliaments country by country.

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1st of June official start of the VOICE project

VOICE - Vision On Innovation for Choral music in Europe”, which is suported by the European Union under its Culture Programme. The first events of VOICE in the coming months are the Eurochoir session 2012 in Lomnice nad Popelkou, Czech Republic, July 7th to 15th 2013 (www.eurochoir2012.cz) and the festival EUROPA CANTAT XVIII in Turin, Italy, July 27th to August 5th 2012 (www.ectorino2012.it). Please read our special newsflash on the start of VOICE here:

Atelier for Young Festival Managers LJUBLJANA 2012: great response after first Alumni meeting, deadline extended

Following four editions of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers – Görlitz/Germany (2006), Varna/Bulgaria (2009), Singapore (2011) and Izmir, Turkey (2011) – 20 Alumni gathered for the first time from 23-25 May in Bergen, at the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the European Festivals Association (EFA). Together with presenters such as Bernard Faivre d'Arcier, Steve Austen, Hugo De Greef and Ching-Lee Goh, they discussed the personal and professional impacts of the Atelier as well as its future and their involvement in it. Due to the high interest of managers in the past few days and the great response following the exchanges with 180 Jubilee Gala participants, including delegates of sister festival networks from Asia, Africa and the Arab region, EFA extends the deadline of application for the fifth edition in Ljubljana (14-21 October 2012) until 30 June 2012.

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60 Years On: The European Festivals Association celebrates its Diamond Jubilee in Bergen

  From 23-25 May 2012, the European Festivals Association (EFA) celebrates the 60th anniversary of its foundation in Bergen, Norway. Embracing the motto “60 Years On: Festivals and the World”, 180 representatives of festivals, sister festival associations, cultural networks, policy and media from 46 countries and regions of the world will participate to celebrate, commemorate and in particular reflect on the present and future of arts festivals. On the agenda: the setting of the ‘Bergen Agenda’, discussion of festival policies (“Europe for Festivals – Festivals for Europe”), exchanges with alumni of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers, release of a Jubilee publication and film – all embedded in an exciting artistic programme of the Bergen International Festival, co-organising the event and itself celebrating its Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

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