International Newsletter Number 21 | OctOber 2009 Content 3 Introduction 4 Member meeting 2009 in Corsica 6 Les Etats Généraux 7 PAMS 8 Vidor Festival 1 9 EFWMF memberslist 2009-2010 13 2 Roskilde festival world music Award 14 Africa-Caribbean-Pacific 15 Indian Ocean Music Network 16 Euromed Music Festival II 17 4 Events to come 19 Colophon 1 Théâtre Antique - Suds à Arles © Florent Gardin 3 2 3-gong Myoung - Førde Folk Music Festival © Knut Utler 3 Kasai Allstars - Roskilde Festival © Nanna Kreutzmann 4 Ngoni-player Mamah Diabate during interview& small set at Music Meeting ‘09 5 Dub Colossus-Festival of World Cultures ‘09 2 5 Introduction A clear head and a warm heart.... The majority of festival organizers are now planning No doubt, it is important to reach out towards as for next year’s event having to make choices with many as possible and to make the most out of the reference to artists, program ideas, venues and new means one has available. However a major task is also productions. This is an exciting and important time to measure quality, memories and experience. How do of the year. How to peak last year’s program? How we quantify the significance of the experiences that the to expand and develop in a way that makes people audience have, experiences that make them come back curious and eager to attend our festival once again? every year? And how do we measure the square meters of goose bombs on people’s arms or the numbers of During this phase we need to consider offers and sparkling eyes after a concert? demands coming from many directions. In the international setting that we all are a part of, Womex Through reports in the press and through specific is one of the essential get-togethers. This is where we audience surveys we are to some extend able to get meet vendors and become aware of artists and exciting a feeling for some of this very important part of the new productions. This is where we exchange ideas and festival and maybe the most essential aspect of the experience among colleagues and professionals within festival’s success and future. a worldwide music industry. In this perspective, the artistic festival director has a At the same time we are all positioned in a local and big responsibility. It is our duty to remain clearheaded national context where we are to thrill a local but while dealing with all kinds of expectations and to multifaceted audience and also visitors and music keep the heart warm while upholding the festival’s key experts from all over the country. Furthermore we need creative and artistic aims and profile. Showing courage to stay focused on sponsors, municipal politicians and and having the nerve to stick to our ideas at the same national political guidelines. One and all involved have time as we are ready to develope and proceed in new expectations about the festival’s form and contents, directions is a challenging but exhilarating exercise. expectations that often pull in different directions. Maybe it is within our heads and hearts that we find the prime risks for both stagnation and progression? Both by the media, by sponsors and through public funding partners the festival’s success is frequently And maybe this is what makes the work of a festival measured in numbers; quantity of audience and director so thrilling, so overwhelming and so visitors, amount of tickets sold and events arranged mesmerizing..... Good luck with the programming! and calculations of how much financial support we get from our sponsors. Hilde Bjørkum president EFWMF (and artistic & managing director Førde Folk music Festival, Norway) 3 The future began in Calvi by Helmut Buergel Stimmen Festival Loerrach/ Germany Members Meeting in Corsica September 17 – 20, 2009 It was in 1999, when A Filetta came for the first time the familiar atmosphere. When we all left the island a to perform at Stimmen-Festival in Lörrach, that I’ve few days later everybody felt that we not only started heard of their own festival “Les Rencontres de Chants to discuss some basic festival and world music- Polyphoniques” in Calvi. Ever since several people matters but also shared one of the most intense and reminded me again and again of this “wonderful vocal communicative member meetings ever - despite the festival” in Corsica, which I absolutely should attend. mixed weather conditions. It took me nearly 10 years, until 2008, that I managed to go there and to experience that everything I’ve heard The festival itself is inspired by the magnificent citadel, all these years was absolutely right. the old town of Calvi, situated on a massif rock overviewing the entrance of Calvi bay. Every evening “Les Rencontres” are what we might call a small, but at around 6 pm the “afficionados”, some of them fine and precious pearl in the contemporary festival attending the festival since more than 10 years, meet landscape, something which becomes more and more at “Place des Armes”, situated between the cathedral missing under the crazy maxims of our over-speedy and the small, intimate oratorium, to join one of the times. “Les Rencontres” have nothing in common concerts in the two main festival locations. At every with the cynical “bigger-faster-broader”-demon. It’s a concert the A Filetta singers welcome their musical familiar way of sharing music and emotions, expressed guests introducing them with one or two own “chants” by the voices of the A Filetta-singers and their musical of their huge and varied repertoire. It is really like A friends which they invite for a few days to enjoy their Filetta is not only being the host, but the personal musical adventures. It’s much more than just another dooropener for singers coming from all over the world festival –it’s A Filetta’s festival, a gathering for friends to the island and it sounds much better than just and lovers of their way of interpreting, exploring and saying “Hello” and “Thank you for coming”. developing polyphonic music in the wide open space between tradition and contemporary. This year they sang their warm welcoming chants to Ablaye Cissoko from Senegal, the Bulgarka It was “A Filetta” and “Les Rencontres” to invite the Quartet from Bulgaria, Ensemble Tirana from Forum members to hold the Annual Member Meeting Albania, the Ensemble Irkutsk from Russia-Siberia, 2009 during their festival in Calvi. Receiving this Assurd, their old friends from Naples, Huong Thanh, message I was happy about having the chance to return the France-based Vietnamese singer, Su Cuncordo e to Calvi so quickly. I just felt that it would be the right Tenore de Orosei, their neighbours from Sardinia and place not only to become inspired again personally, Alba from Corsica and Houria Aichi & L´Hijaz´Car but that this member meeting would receive some (Algeria/ France). They all stayed for the whole festival inspirations of this magnificent festival location and in Calvi. 4 To me “MISTICO”, A Filetta´s newest adventure and collaboration, was one of highlights. It is a sublime musical research between polyphonique singing, Daniele di Bonaventura´s earthy, but nonetheless more than traditional bandoneon sounds and Paolo Fresu´s fearless explorations and trumpet improvisations beyond the borders of jazz or any other style. Trying to categorize this concert would mean to domesticate it. It was near the state of the art of polyphonic singing, haunting, touching, inspired music, broadening the score of vocal music between traditional and contemporary. This project will be recorded in January next year. So all of you, who have missed it in Calvi, will get another chance to listen to it. Don’t miss it next time! We also enjoyed the “big hearts” and the hospitality Ensemble Tirana of our hosts in- and outside of “La Poudrière”, where number of free events not considering the ‘quality of U Svegliu Calvese is based, the cultural organisation things’ (mental corruption), etc. directed by Valerie, Dominique and their friends who care for a warm and friendly atmosphere and the Looking forward, the main question seems to be: How “soulfood” not only for us -festival attendees- but for the do Forum members deal with the challenges of the More info: Calvenesi people all year long. Warmest thanks to them! future? Within this perspective we agreed, that one www.myspace.com/ I’ve been writing so much on the festival and our hosts chapter of the planned publication should consist of rencontrescalvi in Calvi that I nearly forgot to mention our two-day descriptions of the most interesting projects members Annual Members Meeting whereas it was much less organized in the last years. www.l-invitu.net/ influenced and determined by formal regularities as svegliu.htm other meetings before. Stimulated by the idea of a With these ideas in mind, we nearly got lost in the publication linked with the 20th anniversary celebration Corsican wilderness the last day, but finally managed of our network, the European Forum of Worldwide to spend some relaxing hours at the seaside, sharing Music Festivals (EFWMF), in 2011, reflecting the good food and drinks. changes not only in the field of world music, but in Hope to meet all of you and even all the members communication, distribution and organisation of live who could not make it to Corsica at Babelmed in concerts and festivals in general, Patrick De Groote’s Marseille and hopefully continuing these inspiring and idea of a controversial approach received a good support productive discussions. by the attending members. For the first times since years we discussed intensively some general and provocative issues like ‘New perspectives after the end of world music’, ‘Worldwide Music Festivals in Crisis?’, ‘demographic change in western societies, and in world music audiences as well’, ‘technical overload in organizing world music The board concerts’ or ‘New world music concepts’ - some of in a meeting these topics being from fundamental interest for most of the members attending the meeting.