News

Artmusfair 2009: 29 October-1 November in Glasgow

4 September 2009

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 pathleading 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. Read the full press release here and find out more at www.artmusfair.eu/2009. For further requests and information please contact: British Academy of Composers & Songwriters Jamie Gilmour, Event organiser (Glasgow) Tel: +44 (0) 141 552 5222 E: jamie@basca.org.uk or European Composers’ Forum (ECF) Frank Stahmer, Event Co-ordinator ECF/Europe Tel: +43 (0) 1/9661545 E: stahmer@composersforum.eu