Various EFA members and colleagues joined the 20th China Shanghai International Arts Festival, which took place from the 18 to the 22 October. During international panels, debates and round-tables, Darko Brlek (General and Artistic Director of Ljubljana Festival), Ceyda Berk-Söderblom (Co-founder and CEO at MiklagardArts), Erik Söderblom (Artistic Director of Espoo City Theatre), Danas Skramtai (Concert Manager of The National Philharmonic Society of Lithuania and CEO of Baltic Centre for Cultural Management), Yesim Gurer Oymak (Director of Istanbul Music Festival), Michael Haefliger (Violinist, Executive and Artistic Director of the Lucerne Festival), Ruta Prusivience (Executive Director of Vilnius Festival and General Director of the National Philharmonic Society of Lithuania) and more had the chance to promote festivals cooperation, EFA’s training for young managers, inspiring artistic visions and co-productions.

Memorandums of cooperation were signed with Ljubljana, Vilnius, Gdansk Shakespeare and Spoleto festivals which will enable experts visits and artistic choices of the best companies to be presented in Europe and China.

In the international program of 20th anniversary Shanghai Festival, European artists‘ and festivals‘ production takes central place: amongst others, the Luzern Festival Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Camerata Salzburg, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Sinfonia Varsovia, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Orfeo Catala, Teatro Carlo Felice, Norwegian National Ballet, Goteborg‘s Opera, National Theatre Radu Stanca from Sibiu were presented which proves great creative and managerial competencies of European artists and promoters.