ARTMUSFAIR/2009 ‘Shaping the Future of Contemporary Music’ opens in Glasgow, 29th October-1st November 2009

The 2nd edition of the new music convention platform designed for composers and professionals from the European contemporary music scene.

Glasgow/Europe, 18th August 2009: Scotland to host major European Contemporary Music Conference

Shaping the Future of Contemporary Music – under this challenging title, ARTMUSFAIR/2009 is open to representatives from the entire contemporary classical music scene and aims to attract some 500 composers, music publishers, record labels, musicians, promoters, managers and agents from across the European Community. Key objectives will be the building of new and closer partnerships, the exchange of new music ideas, and the sharing of the latest best-practice examples of innovation in the contemporary music world.

The City of Glasgow has been chosen to host ARTMUSFAIR/2009, following on from the pilot event that took place in Helsinki in October 2008 as part of the Nordic Music Days Festival. Glasgow is an especially appropriate choice following the City’s recent designation as a UNESCO City of Music.

The four day event has been planned to coincide with celebrations of Scottish composer and Master of the Queen’s Music Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ 75th birthday. The programme will feature concerts by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as well as a number of performances of the very latest contemporary music by smaller Scottish, UK and European ensembles and by students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. The programme will also include a number of project presentations and workshops on specific subjects, a late night concert lounge and various other live performances.

A major thrust of the conference programme is expected to be a series of high level seminars on public service broadcasting, the commissioning of music by orchestras and ensembles, arts funding and copyright. The aim is to stimulate an intensive and path-leading debate as a first step towards producing a “European Composers’ Manifesto” for the future of contemporary music.

ARTMUSFAIR/2009 is being presented by the European Composers’ Forum (ECF) in partnership with the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). The ECF is representative of composer organisations in 27 European countries.

Commenting on the project ECF Chairman Klaus Auger says: “One of the most important goals of ARTMUSFAIR 2009 is to place the creation of new music written in 21st century Europe into the spotlight, to stress the importance of permanent innovation in music as the enhancement of our musical cosmos, to sharpen the profile of the enormous range of musical diversity that we find in Europe, and to promote all of this to music professionals and the wider public.”

Welcoming the project on behalf of the UK, BASCA chairman Sarah Rodgers says: “BASCA is delighted to be hosting the second European ARTMUSFAIR in Glasgow. It is an important and essential forum where European composers can debate cultural issues, develop strategies to support classical music and exchange creative ideas. The Composers Manifesto will be a crucial outcome of our discussions and a significant document in shaping the future of contemporary music.”

Gill Maxwell, Director of Scottish Music Centre says:
"The Scottish Music Centre, celebrating its 40th anniversary, is pleased to welcome Artmusfair to Glasgow, UNESCO City of Music. This will be a fantastic opportunity for creative artists and stakeholders in the contemporary classical scene to meet together, share ideas, form partnerships and promote the genre throughout the world."

More info: www.artmusfair.eu

About the ARTMUSFAIR project
ARTMUSFAIR is the new creative venue where the entire classical music scene from across the whole of Europe meets. Launched for the first time in Helsinki, autumn 2008 in connection with the Nordic Music Days Festival, ARTMUSFAIR is to take place each year in another region in Europe and has come to Scotland/UK in this year of 2009.

ARTMUSFAIR is devoted to strengthening the position of European contemporary art music, its creators and makers, and aims to encourage music stakeholders to integrate more contemporary art music repertoire into the framework of classical music programming in Europe. www.artmusfair.eu

About the European Composers’ Forum (initiator)
The European Composers’ Forum (ECF) represents all Art/Classical Music composers in Europe and is the central network organisation linking together national composer associations active in this genre. Irrespective of political divisions in Europe, the ECF believes in an all-European artistic community beyond EU-borders. ECF has been joined by 27 countries in Europe. Members are the composers’ associations from: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. www.composersforum.eu

About BASCA (UK partner)
BASCA is the independent professional association representing music writers working in all genres, from songwriting, through media, to contemporary classical. Our main role is to provide a single voice for the UK composer and songwriter community. Whether within the industry, to the UK government or to the European Commission, BASCA leads a continuing campaign to protect the value of copyright in an ever changing technological world, and seeks to create a more favourable environment for today’s music writers, whatever their area of music.

About the Scottish Music Centre (Scotland coordinating partner)
The Scottish Music Centre is a one-stop shop for information for anyone interested in music and is home to an enormous archive of nearly 30,000 items, ranging from copies of 18th Century song-sheets and Scottish contemporary classical scores to the latest CD releases from traditional, rock, jazz and indie bands. This year sees the Scottish Music Centre celebrates its 40th year in existence.

For further requests and information please contact:

British Academy of Composers & Songwriters
Jamie Gilmour, Event organiser (Glasgow)
City Halls, Candleriggs, Glasgow, G1 1NQ
P: +44 (0) 141 552 5222
E: jamie@basca.org.uk

or
European Composers’ Forum (ECF)
Frank Stahmer, Event Co-ordinator ECF/Europe
Baumannstrasse 8-10, 1030 Vienna/Austri
P: +43 (0) 1/9661545
E: stahmer@composersforum.eu

Internet references:
Website of ARTMUSFAIR/2009: www.artmusfair.eu
Website of European Composers Forum: www.composersforum.eu
Website of Scottish Music Centre: www.scottishmusiccentre.com
Website of BASCA: www.basca.org.uk

This release was published on openPR.