The forth edition of the FestFlash on Creativity and Innovation profiles festivals as innovative platforms for young composers and artists. How do festivals provide a platform to young composers? How do they manage to win the interest of the audience for performance of which they do not know what to expect? Again, this FestFlash highlights the outstanding excellence of festivals to act as “Laboratories of Creativity & Promoters of Innovation.” In an interview, Ellara Wakely, Learning Manager at the BBC Proms, the oldest festival Europe celebrating its 115th edition in 2009, stresses: “It’s about investing in new talents.” Mrs Wakely talks about the “Inspire Young Composers' Competition” – one of the artistically innovative approaches of BBC Proms to involve people from all parts of society and to support the creative skills of young talents. Further highlights of creative and innovative festivals in this FestFlash edition: Gaudeamus Music Week in Amsterdam, "George Enescu" International Festival (Bucharest/ Romania), KlaraFestival (Brussels/Belgium), Lucerne Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Rossini Opera Festival (Pesaro/Italy), Black International Cinema (Berlin) as well as a new festival collaboration network entitled “Kadmos”. Find out more! The FestLab for Creativity and Innovation is an initiative of the European Festivals Association launched at the occasion of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation. It is established to spotlight the excellence of festivals in the creative and societal process and to give incentives to successfully fulfill the festivals’ core mission which still is the artistic one. EFA invites all arts festivals to sign up to the initiative “FestLab for Creativity and Innovation” and commit to its objective. Read the Open Call here. Download the FestFlash on Creativity and Innovation No 4/2009 here. Keep an eye on the FestFlash that is distributed widely – it is also featured on the EFA FestLab website! To receive the FestFlash by e-mail, write to Juliane@efa-aef.eu .