Tag Archives: Alkis Zopoglou

Magazine #34 Apr’21 – The vision of Cosmopolis festival @Alkis Zopoglou, talk with Juliana Volož and + . By Mapamundi Música

Summary ? 

  • Results of the clinical research with the concert for 5000 attendants: no data yet
  • The vision of Alkis Zopoglou for Cosmopolis Festival
  • In depth Juliana Volož (J-V Promotion)
  • Brief news from the media, charts and sister projects
  • Open calls and professional events. WOMEX deadline for showcases call is soon.

To receive this monthly newsletter in your email, sign up HERE.

How are you? I hope well! It may not be easy to be well in these times. I have just received the news of the cancellation of the festival Poborina Folk (there is an interview with Sergio Zaera, from this festival, in a previous edition) for this next Summer. It is a multitudinous festival with activities all day long, with the public standing, moving, dancing, drinking and hugging and that is an essential part of the festival. I’m already looking forward to being able to do all that.

Nevertheless, it will end. Let’s look at the future through the eyes of two people I like a lot, Alkis Zopoglou and Juliana Volož ?. I hope you enjoy the interviews in this edition and find the other information useful. And if you have any suggestions for content, calls or useful information for our community, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Araceli Tzigane | Mapamundi Música

Do you want to share any useful experience you have had during this difficult time or another content relevant for our community of the world musics?

Contact me if you want to share some relevant information. And if you find this interesting, share it with your friends. You can read the previous editions here. 

Thanks for your attention and remember that you can check our website to learn about our offers and the artists we work with.

Araceli Tzigane | info@mundimapa.com | +34 676 30 28 82 

Subscription is available here.

NOT YET PUBLISHED, THE RESULTS OF THE CLINICAL RESEARCH ABOUT CONCERTS AND COVID, WITH 5000 ATTENDANTS

In the edition of March I explained about the clinical research that consisted in a concert that took place on March 27th at the Palau Sant Jordi, in Barcelona, with 5000 attendants (the place has capacity for 20 thousand), with no social distance, with masks FFP2 and with fast antigen test before entering the venue.

The results have not yet been published. I have phoned the chief of communication of one of the hospitals involved (this one) and he said it will be done probably at the beginning of the next week.

After the concert, a positive result was detected 3 days after the concert (this is the reference of this info), so it is believed that he was infected prior to the concert and the antigen test did not detect it. I’ll keep an eye on it anyway and as soon as I find any new news, I’ll post it on Mapamundi Música’s Facebook page.

INTERVIEW WITH ALKIS ZOPOGLOU ABOUT HIS VISION FOR COSMOPOLIS FESTIVAL 

In issue 17 (November 2019) I mentioned that Alkis Zopoglou, qanunist of the Rodopi Ensemble and director of the Mediterranean Music Festival in Switzerland, had been appointed artistic director of the Cosmopolis festival, the flagship festival of his city, Kavala, two hours east of Thessaloniki on the Aegean coast.

Many things have happened since then, which have meant that the vision Alkis had for the festival could not be fully realized in 2020. Over the last few months, however, I have had the opportunity to talk to him and share his thoughts and it is a pleasure to share his insights again. Hopefully the plans for Cosmopolis can be realized as he wishes. In the meantime, let’s share some words with Alkis.

Mapamundi Música: One of the features I like most about your vision for Cosmopolis is that it is not just a series of concerts, but rather a series of activities that contribute to a better understanding of the culture behind the band or artist. Now – I have a theory about your vision: You come from the world of traditional music, you have grown up in the environment in which this music is performed and which is still strong in everyday life. And you have performed in many other countries around the world.

This traditional music is beautiful on its own, even out of context, and of course, in its own context it has an even deeper dimension. I’ve met you at several festivals playing the music of Greece in front of foreign audiences. For example, the last time we met in Lublin, Poland in 2019, or in Mallorca further ahead, and that’s really wonderful. Teaching to dance, in the workshop you did, makes the audience the protagonist. And these artistic expressions also provide a worldview that can be seen in cinema, in folk games, in handicrafts, in a typical gastronomy… I think the Cosmopolis Festival complements your experience of life in all these dimensions. It is like bringing the music as well as its context into the Kavala program. Apologies – this is more of a reflection than a question (hehehe). Let me know if you agree with my suggestion or if you would like to add something else 🙂

Alkis Zopoglou: It is true that when we refer to the tradition of a place, we do not only refer to its songs or its dances. It is rather a combination of elements and we should not exclude one from the other for the sake of impressiveness. All these things happen in a unified environment and are a continuation of one another.

For instance, if you are called to represent your tradition in front of a foreign audience far from the place where this tradition origins, it is ideal, if possible, to present song and dance as a unity. In this way, the audience gains a more rounded impression. I’m telling you this because I also have the experience of living abroad for several years. Accordingly, when you simply show a dance to a foreigner without the necessary framing, that includes elements of the space in which that dance lives in, an observer will see it more like a gymnastic exercise than an expression of tradition. However, this is not the desired effect.

On the other hand, one could argue that no one can convey the social activity of a traditional event entirely outside of its actual environment. I do agree but, in any case, it is crucial that the audience receives the most accurate depiction of reality. Thus, by presenting a variety of local activities (dance, music, folk games, people’s stories, food tastes) we motivate people to accept and understand diversity. This also aims to soften the social differences, that are nowadays one of the biggest problems in our world. We all must learn to live together and understand each other wherever we come from, and this is, after all, the profound duty of a cultural institution that deals with culture.

MM: What are you looking for when choosing artists for a program?

AK: First of all, I look for artistic ethos and passion for what they’re doing. I appreciate the authenticity in the cultural product that each artist chooses to present. Additionally, artists must artistically support what they are called upon to project and have studied it in depth, not just superficially. It is not my intention to give space to artists whose only dream is to get on a stage and gain a brief moment of fame.

MM: The festival also highlights the multicultural background of the city, with the presence of Armenians, Jews, Muslims, Roman Catholics… Thus, the festival is also a speaker of local culture and history. Do you usually have an audience from other regions of Greece or other countries? 

AK: Kavala, my city, really is a magical place, that I highly recommend you to visit.
No matter which way you look at it, it will be love at first sight. A city where its past is inseparably linked to its future. A crossroad of cultures that has hosted a multitude of people (Italians, Franks, Hungarians, Austrians, Jews, Turks, etc.) whose cultures have wandered its streets and have been assimilated by its inhabitants. A city with its own history, its stone-paved streets, its beautiful corners and its former tobacco factories “planted” all over Kavala to remind us of its vibrant past.The Cosmopolis Festival is essentially a contemporary way of connecting the city’s history with its future. Its aim is to attract people of all ages and interests by presenting a variety of activities throughout the year. During the festival, the city invites both locals and visitors to stroll around and experience its beauty and traditions. Certainly, not only people from neighboring regions, but also people from nearby countries are frequent visitors of the festival. Cosmopolis Festival provides attractive opportunities to spend a few pleasant days in our city and the people of Kavala are happy to welcome people from all over the world.

MM: In a previous edition (#17) I announced that you had become the new director of the Cosmopolis festival. That was in November 2019. So, your first edition as director was in 2020, the year of the pandemic. The international program was moved to the following year and you adapted the program to this situation. What was the 2020 edition like?

AK: It was not completely postponed. We worked hard and I think we finally succeeded to organize and carry out as many activities as were allowed by the health protocols. It was a desire of both the Mayor of the city, and me, as artistic director, that the festival was not entirely cancelled for one or two years, because this would have made it much more difficult to restart it again. We also wanted to support our local artists during these difficult times, who were hit hard by the pandemic and in the end, we managed to make the most out of the situation. I think that we also had the opportunity and time to develop a different vision of the festival which, after about 15 years of life, needed a refreshment. Now we are prepared and ready to move on to a new model, with much greater public appeal, due to the numerous new activities the festival has to offer.

MM: At the time of this interview, the pandemic situation is still complicated and there is a bit of uncertainty. Let’s assume that the festival will take place as planned, from 26 to 29 August. What will happen in Kavala during those days?  

AK: The festival now, as I mentioned in my previous answer, has been modified altogether. One of the most important changes for which a special effort has been made, is that the festival lasts much longer and it is split into different themes during the year. Its first section, the CosmoHome, begins in late spring in the yards and homes of the residents of the old town. The second section is called CosmoWorld and constitutes the peak of the festival during late August. Lastly, the third section, CosmoClasssical, focuses more on classical music and is planned for November and December. Hence, there are various activities and if you would like to learn more about the different sections, visit the website which will be fully updated by end of April. Hopefully, despite the pandemic situation, we will be able to carry out as many activities as possible.

MM: The programme includes a number of professional conferences, of which I am part of and I am very proud! Could you briefly explain what the objectives of this section of the programme are? 

AK: Our region in northern Greece is an endless source from which new artistic concerns and personalities are constantly rising. Perhaps, due to the fact that, this part of Greece borders 4 other countries and is, at the same time, connected to the Aegean Sea. In this way, there are many different stimuli and influences for the people, which probably shapes the way they see life and their overall mentality.

The aim of this action is to inform young artists already at the beginning of their careers in order for them to be best prepared for the “market” and be able to overcome every obstacle in the most effective way. This knowledge-transfer from professionals in the field to the new uprising generation will not only allow them to get in contact with the global market and hear real-life experiences, but also broaden up their horizons and shape their attitude regarding various issues so that, they can choose their own artistic path.Therefore, I hope that this program will be a very important tool for the growing of their career in the artistic scene, both in Greece but also in the global market. The local artists deserve it and I am convinced that it will prove very useful to them.

Credits:

IN DEPTH WITH JULIANA VOLOŽ

In recent months I have also had the opportunity to exchange many reflections with this colleague, a wise and passionate woman, and it is an honour now to share her thoughts on this peculiar “business” of being an agent for artists of roots music.

In preparation for this interview, I had access to Christian Pliefke‘s previous interview with him in his magazine FolkGalore. Christian is the owner of CPL Music and of Nordic Notes too. Thank you, Christian!!

 

This is a very brief summary of the interview with Christian:

Juliana graduated in chemistry in Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia). After that, she worked for 10 years in marine chemistry and marine biology at the Institute of Oceanography in Tallinn. This work gave her the opportunity to travel through different cities of the Baltic States at the Soviet times. In 1989 she moved with her family to Stockholm and started to be an active photographer. In 1998, they moved to Germany. The chance to become an agent came when the Georgian band The Shin asked her for support to play in Russia. After some encouraging experiences, Juliana opened her own agency in 2007. 
—

Mapamundi Música – Dear Juliana, it is my pleasure to share your insights. You are one of the referential agents from Europe in the world music circuit and, despite our background is a bit different, I feel identified with some of the events of your life, like the fact of developing an initiative related to music, in an organic way, not from a conscious project of entrepreneurship but because a passion that aroused and found a way to grow into something that would become a profession. With these questions, I will try to delve in your personality, as well as to highlight relevant info for artists searching for agents and inspiring infos for our colleagues.

You graduated in chemistry from Tallinn University of Technology and have worked for 10 years in marine chemistry and marine biology at the Institute of Oceanography in Tallinn. Which or which ones of the skills or knowledge you got from those experiences have been the most useful for your career as an agent of musicians?

Juliana Volož – I am used  to structuring and organizing things. It helps me to have an overview and see the entire process “from above” so to say. Also, during my work as a marine chemist, I was communicating with my international colleagues from all countries around the Baltic sea. It was my first experience of international networking 🙂

MM – Apart from that or those skills, which other do you think are essential to succeed in this field of work? 

JV – First of all one should like music, he is representing :). I think one very essential skill is to like to communicate and do it sincerely.

MM – Any particular advice for a fellow newcomer or someone who wants to get started in this field?

JV – Be passionate about the bands you represent, as if you have a spark, you can ignite others.
Be honest in accounting. It is much easier to have it clear and transparent, that to hide something.
Keep your reputation spotless: the bad news spreads much faster and sticks stronger than the good one 😉 Be quick in communication. It creates trust with your partners.

MM – And now, for the artists. I’m sure you get requests from artists every day to be their manager. I am sure because it happens to me too, and many colleagues tell me the same thing. Do you have any recommendations for the artists, so that they can improve the way they communicate when they do it for this purpose? 

JV – I like when the artists really check to whom they write and what kind of music this person represents to avoid confusion. Sometimes I get proposals from classical musicians, or cover pop singers saying I checked your website and I am sure my music perfectly suits your roster… I always ask them which roster they mean 🙂

Anyways, the mail should be short, with the photo of the band, short description, a couple of links to good quality videos, links to a streaming platform and social media.

MM – Do you think it makes sense for the artists to try to find an agent? 

JV – Definitely! As the agent work is very time consuming and based on the experience and personal contacts, a good agent could save a lot of creative time for the artist.

MM – Have you ever started a stable collaboration with a band or artist that approached you in their search of an agent? 

JV – Mostly I choose bands myself, but in some cases I also start working with the bands that approach me. The cooperation could work if several conditions coincide: I like the music, I see that this band is ready for cooperation and export. One example of successful cooperation is Tuvan band Khoomei Beat. They have approached me in 2018. I liked their music and saw the potential in it. At the same time I could tell that this band has some work to do before we could talk about cooperation. I told them what I am expecting from them and suggested they come back when they are ready. They approached me in one year and proved that they fulfilled my requirements :). I was really impressed and we started to cooperate. It was right before the pandemic hit…

MM – I think there will be still, at least for many years, a lot of artists and a much smaller number of agents, that is the current situation. This makes me think that we are not in a very interesting business, otherwise there would be many more agents working in world music. Nevertheless, it seems the artists require us. Something seems to be wrong, what is it?

JV – The business itself is interesting, but the type of music we are representing is niche music with a relatively small audience. The target group in many big and established countries, is not particularly young and dynamic. In small countries, on the contrary, rooted music is getting more and more popular among young people as part of their identity.

MM – Especially in the last year, many of us, independent agents or micro-companies, have felt a bit alone and misunderstood. I have heard claims from colleagues from different countries arguing they have not been considered in the support for the arts after the ravages of the pandemic. My experience in Spain has not been exactly like that (I have got support because I am an independent worker in a field with loss of income, not because I worked with art, and the support in Spain depends a lot on the region, so the situation is a bit complex), but yes other countries colleague’s. With this in mind, I have several questions:
We are required by the artists but, at the same time, it seems we are a bit invisible. Do you feel that? 

JV – Most of the agents and managers are invisible, because our task is to help the artists to become more visible, not to become visible ourselves :).  What makes me and many of my colleagues frustrated is that since spring 2020 with few exceptions we can not book live concerts.

MM – How could we explain briefly which is the value we, the agents, provide to the value chain? 

JV – We are part of a team, where each member does what he knows best. We use our experience and network to bring bands to different markets and let them to concentrate on what they do best – making music

MM – My last question. Explain in one or two sentences, to the wider culture community, the reasons to book musicians from around the world that give a relevant presence to their roots. 

JV – I like to compare music with trees.  The music, inspired by tradition, has stronger roots, it is more stable and gives more power to its leaves, blossoms and fruits. This music gives something which makes us rich – the cultural treasure passed by generations.

Credits:

Forward to a friend right from here Forward to a friend right from here
Share to FB right from here Share to FB right from here

 

Do you have a world music festival and you want to be included in our mini interviews? Contact us.

BRIEF NEWS FROM THE MEDIA, CHARTS AND SISTER PROJECTS

  • About Mundofonías, our monthly favourites are the albums: In transition, by Scott Stobbe Collection, Maasai footsteps, by Anuang’a Fernando & Maasai Vocals and El fabuloso sonido de Andrés Vargas Pinedo, by Andrés Vargas Pinedo and bands. This is the edition in which we announced them.

OPEN CALLS AND PROFESSIONAL EVENTS

  • WOMEX:

The call for proposals is open until Friday 16th April. This is the website for the application. And, wow, I am so happy! In 2022, it will take place in Lisbon, one of my favourite cities in the world! 

.

  • European Folk Network:

Saturday, April 24th. It will take place the second session of the European Folk Network virtual meeting, “Spring Forward #2”. You can register for the second and third editions, here. The second edition will include a round table with several personalities from the folk and the traditional music scene in Europe.

I am proudly part of the board for the last months and I really encourage you to join us for this session as well as to follow the page on Facebook and to sing up for the announcements here. The speakers have made a little video to tease you to join! Watch them by clicking their name: Alistair Anderson, Svetlana Spajic, Linda Dyrnes, Janusz Prusinowski and there will also talk Alban Cogrel, president of FAMDT (France’s traditional music association).

.

  • Canadian Music Week:

Artist submissions for CMV virtual festival are now open. Deadline: April 18th, at Midnight EST.

.

  • Mundial Montreal – job opportunity for event producer!:

Artist submissions period will be open soon. This is their latest newsletter. Note they are searching for an event producer.

 

WHO WE ARE AND SISTER PROJECTS 

Mapamundi Música is an agency of management and booking. Learn more here. Check our proposals at our website.

We also offer you our Mundofonías radio show, probably the leader about world music in Spanish language (on 50 stations in 18 countries). We produce the Transglobal World Music Chart with our partner Ángel Romero from WorldMusicCentral.com.

Feel free to request info if you wish. For further information about us, get in touch by email, telephone (+34 676 30 28 82), our website or at our Facebook.

Do you like our newsletter? Tell us! Forward it to your friends! To sign up, click HERE.

This newsletter is open to sponsorship. Feel free to ask for details.

Newsletter #17 November 2019

Mini-interview with Park Jechun, from Sori Festival, congratulations, resurrections and much +

I am Araceli Tzigane. Welcome to Mapamundi Música‘s November’s newsletter, with exciting news for us, the community of world / folk / traditional music all over the world.

I write you from the office. A few days after a enjoyable edition of WOMEX, after the trip to Portugal for the Harmonia Polska magic concert at Acordeões do Mundo Festival, by Janusz Prusinowski Kompania (check here and here) and before leaving to Folkelarm in Oslo next Thursday.

Some relevant dates for our community, before the Christmas break, that I am missing and that take place this month are Visa for Music 6th edition and Mundial Montreal 9th edition. And the last days it took place the first edition of Musafir Ethnic music forum in Ufa, Russia. Wishing all of them fruitful results, I invite you to check the contents below. Ah, what is the resurrection of the subject? Discover it, below. 😉

And, remember: if you have any suggestion of contents for the next editions, let us know. And if you like it, share it!

Thanks for your attention.

Araceli Tzigane – info@mundimapa.com – +34 676 30 28 82 

Subscription is available here.

Summary:

· Mini interview with festival manager: Park Jechun from Jeonju Int’l Sori Festival (South Korea)
· Signing announced for Cosmopolis Festival direction: Alkis Zopoglou
· Welcome to a new magazine: Berlin Bazzar, by Robert Rigney
· Resurrection of what? Yes! Babel Med. Viva!
· News of our signings after WOMEX.
· Find me at…

**** Do you have a world music festival and you want to be included in our mini interviews? Contact us. ****
This newsletter is open to sponsorship. Feel free to ask for details.

CURRENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR FESTIVALS 

If you haven´t read them, you can find the previous interviews clicking on the names: Michal Schmidt (Folk Holidays, CZ) – Jun-Lin Yeoh (Rainforest WMF, MY) – Luis Lles (Pirineos Sur, ES) – Amitava Bhattacharya (Sur Jahan, IN) – Nicolas Ribalet (Sukiyaki Meets the World, JP) – Sergio Zaera (Poborina Folk, ES) – Per Idar Almås (Førdefestivalen, NO) – Bożena Szota (EthnoPort, PL) – Ken Day (Urkult, SE) – Mads Olesen (5 Continents, CH) – Karolina Waszczuk & Bartek Drozd(Jagiellonian Fair, PL) – Alkis Zopoglou (Mediterranean Music Festival, GR/CH) – Tom Frouge(Globalquerque, US) – Braulio Pérez (Música en el Parque, ES) – Bojan Djordjevic (Todo Mundo, RS)
MINI INTERVIEW WITH PARK JECHUN FROM JEONJU INT’L SORI FESTIVAL

Park Jechun is the artistic director of the festival since 2014. He is also percussionist and he has a duo with his wife, the pianist Miyeon. This interview was possible thanks to other of the hearts of the festival, Ji-Young Han, known by many people of our community of world music around the world, as she is usually the one present in the fairs and other professional meetings.

The festival combines perfectly in its program the ancestral and unique Sori repertoire, performed by old and by young artists, the new trends from Korean music and a bunch of high quality international proposals, including also activities for kids. Apart of hosting the festival, Jeonju is the paradigm city about Korean traditional cooking. If you still don´t find reasons enough to wish to visit the festival, Park will give you one more at the end of the interview.

Thank you, Park and Ji-Young!

MM – What do you search in an artist when you create the programme? 

PJ: In externally way, we have set the subject (the topic) of the year in order of drum, dance, wind instrument, string instrument and vocal music. It was wind instrumentS this year and string instrument Snext year. It will be vocal music in 2021, the 20th anniversary of the festival. And, on the other side, we see the “attitude” of an artist doing his/her art. It is very important whether they are young musicians or masters.

MM – Which are the global objectives of your festival?

PJ: I’ve never thought of the word ‘global goal’. Our goal is the happiness of artists and audiences who participate in the festival through a legacy given to us in the areas leading to the world – Asia – Korea – Jeonju. I am grateful for this cultural environment.

MM – What are the most complicated or difficult issues to deal with in your festival? 

PJ: It is difficult to distinguish between tradition and modern, classic and contemporary. Is it really tradition that is being passed down from the past? Is evolution novel? It is difficult to judge such a thing.

MM – Which are currently the main challenges for this kind of cultural proposals like yours?

PJ: As we prepare for the big festival, there are growing concerns about the environment every year. I tried to run an environment-friendly festival this year, but it was not easy. We will make continuous efforts.
And with the changing tendency of leisure life and culture, I always think about what the role of festival is in this era.
We consider the consideration and cultural heritage for the next generation a priority.

MM – In one sentence, summarise the reason/s to go to your festival. 

PJ: If you want to see how the old customs of East Asia exist in modern society, come to the Sori Festival!

Pictures’ credits:
  • Logo of the festival at their Facebook
  • Mr. Park playing, from the website of the festival
  • Ms. Ji-Young Han and Mr. Park with Juan Antonio Vázquez (from Juan Antonio’s archive)

CONGRATULATIONS TO… 

Alkis Zopoglou! He is the new director of Cosmopolis Festival, in his home town, Kavala, in Greece. His achievement was a super happy news for me, as it is the result of a life working with devotion and wisdom by a friend and collaborator that I admire.We had an interview with him in a previous issue of the newsletter, about the Mediterranean Music Festival he directs in Zurich. Check it here.

Apart of all this, he is musician at Rodopi Ensemble and teacher of traditional dances.

 

 

WELCOME TO… 

Berlin Bazzar. I knew about this surprising initiative by Yuri, flautist of Hudaki Village Band. What he explained seemed a bit weird so I requested the man, Robert Rigney, as friend at Facebook (this picture is his profile picture), in order to ask him a few questions.So, what is Berlin Bazzar? It is a paper magazine, exclusively in paper, focused on music from Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East, distributed in bars in Berlin. The cover of the first edition is here at the right. It will be sold for 3€ in alternative bookshops and record shops in Berlin.

According to Robert, some of the objectives are:

  • to reflect multicultural reality of Berlin and other cities like it,
  • to provide a forum and a platform for so-called “world music”,
  • to publish stories about world music that wouldn’t have a chance of being realized in the mainstream media.

Robert searchs for writers who can write about these kinds music, concert reviews and profiles. At the moment the project can’t afford to pay contributors.

I wanted to share this initiative, as we are losing presence in the media for our music and this quixotic project that starts now is, in all senses, contrary to the trends 🙂

AND WELCOME BACK, BABEL MED  

After checking with Sami Sadak, we are allowed to announce that Babel Med will return in 2020! Congratulations, Sami and team, for gathering of supports that allow you to come back with the fair.

Great news indeed. We’ll keep an eye on this waiting for more news to share.

 

MAPAMUNDI’S NEW ARTISTS SIGNINGS AND SERVICES

After some conversations at WOMEX, we have included some outstanding artists in our catalogue, with which we will work for different terrories, like Hudaki Village Band or Svetlana Spajic Group, and with the collaboration of colleagues from many places. We are thrilled of the tons of talent we have available.

Apart of these, we are making occasional bookings for specific programs.Clic the picture to learn more.

And as we have so many artists, we can´t take more stable commitments but we can be of help for many unsigned artists who needs to deal with their self management. Check Araceli Tzigane’s website and feel free to address your friend artists there.

 

 

FIND ME AT…

Some interesting dates for the community (and where you can find me if you happened to be there, just let me know):

Oslo (Norway). 14th-17th November, for Folkelarm. Check the list of delegates here. On Saturday I will participate in a seminar about exporting the Nordic folk music, with a bunch of experts, starting with the master Birgit Ellinghaus from albaKultur, Germany. Check the program of the seminar, here.

 

Israel Showcase for Jazz and Worldwide Music. 20th-23th November. I will be in Tel Aviv and available for meetings on days 18-20, before the festival. The other time I was there I started to collaborate with Gulaza and we are still. Check the program here. Check the list of delegates, here and click Jazz & World.

 


Brussels (Belgium). 28th-29th November, for the first meeting of the European Folk Network. Check the interview with Nod Knowles, administrator of the network, in the previous issue of this newsletter.

 

Mediterranean Music Festival (Zurich, Switzerland). 18th January. After the Christmas break, I will travel again: to the festival lead by Alkis Zopoglou, who is mentioned below. I will travel there with Josep Aparicio “Apa”, the Valencian superb singer of cant d’estil, and with his musicians Eduard Navarro and Toni Porcar.

This newsletter is open to sponsorship. Feel free to ask for details.

WHO WE ARE AND SISTER PROJECTS

Mapamundi Música is an agency of management and booking. Learn more here. Check our proposals at our website.

We also offer you our Mundofonías radio show, probably the leader about world music in Spanish language (on 46 stations in 17 countries). We produce the Transglobal World Music Chart with our partner Ángel Romero from WorldMusicCentral.com. And we lead also the Asociación para la Difusión de los Estilos.

Feel free to request info if you wish. For further information about us, get in touch by email, telephone (+34 676 30 28 82), our website or at our Facebook. 

Newsletter #13 July 2019

I am Araceli Tzigane. Welcome to Mapamundi Música‘s July’s monthly newsletter. I hope it will be a pleasant reading for you in an awesome Summer ⛱ . The insights of the collaborators are really worth of it.

These are the main topics:

· July is the month with more festivals in many countries in Europe. I am sending this newsletter from Ostrava, where I am attending the Czech Music Crossroads, before leaving to Germany for Horizonte Festival. Nice events list, below.

· So, planes and airlines are once more a day-to-day issue… I have to thank Juan Antonio Vázquez (whose radio show The Spice Road is featured below) for the scale model. It will be sufficient until I save enough for my red Bombardier Challenger…

· My dear Sherezade will stay in the office until August, when she will travel to Calabria to eat much pizza and pasta to gather strenghts ? for Autumn challenges: we have showcases at the Fira Mediterrània de Manresa (Vigüela + the Valencian artists Apa and Eduard Navarro) and WOMEX (Monsieur Doumani). Yeah!

· On the other hand, a festival that takes place, not in Summer, but at the end of Winter, is the Mediterranean Music Festival in Switzerland, whose director, Alkis Zopoglou, is in this issue the interviewed in the series about challenges for festivals. By the way, he is a member of the Rodopi Ensemble, that will have their Spanish debut on day 18th of July in Palma de Mallorca! Interview, below.

· A brief mention to Mapamundi concert’s calendar is included. We have one more debut in Spain, by a Polish band. Guess which? Check below!

· And, in the previous issue you already met Carlos Gomes, from Transiberia Productions. We announced recently the concerts programme Transiberia Mundi, that we have developed together, with the fundings of the city council of Evora. Learn more about Carlos and about our Transiberia Mundi, here below.

Feel free to resend this newsletter to your friends if you like it. Subscription is available here.
If you have any suggestion of contents for the next editions, let us know. Thanks for your attention.
Araceli Tzigane – info@mundimapa.com +34 676 30 28 82 
Summary:
· Mini interview with festival manager: Alkis Zopoglou from Mediterranean Music Festival (Switzerland) 
· In depth: Carlos Gomes & inspirations for Transiberia Mundi
· Find me at…
· Mapamundi Música concerts calendar
· Mapamundi Música introduces: La Ruta de las Especias (The Spice Road) by Juan Antonio Vázquez

**** Do you have a world music festival and you want to be included in our mini interviews? Contact us. ****

***CURRENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR FESTIVALS 

If you haven´t read them, you can find the previous interviews clicking on the names: Michal Schmidt (Folk Holidays, CZ) – Jun-Lin Yeoh (Rainforest WMF, MY) – Luis Lles (Pirineos Sur, ES) – Amitava Bhattacharya (Sur Jahan, IN) – Nicolas Ribalet (Sukiyaki Meets the World, JP) – Sergio Zaera (Poborina Folk, ES) – Per Idar Almås (Førdefestivalen, NO) – Bożena Szota (EthnoPort, PL) – Ken Day (Urkult, SE) – Mads Olesen (5 Continents, CH) – Karolina Waszczuk & Bartek Drozd (Jagiellonian Fair, PL)

MINI INTERVIEW WITH ALKIS ZOPOGLOU FROM MEDITERRANEAN MUSIC FESTIVAL 

There are several connections between Alkis and Mapamundi Música and it is a pleasure to collaborate with him in all senses. I first knew about him thanks to Antonis Antoniou, from Monsieur Doumani, who is a generous links creator, and introduced my band Vigüela to Alkis for the festival. They played in 2017. In 2018 it was the Portuguese quartet À Porta do Cante which was included in Alkis’s program. In 2019 it was the premiere of Rebetiko Meet Fado and Cante Alentejano.

The Mediterranean Music Festival in Switzerland takes place in February and/or March in Zurich and Bern. Its name is quite explicit about the topic. The focus is acoustic music, the performances are mostly in little venues, with the public very close to the artists, and with no amplification. Check the details at the website.

In the meantime, Alkis introduced me his band in which he plays kanun, Rodopi Ensemble, traditional acoustic music from the Greek Thrace, of which I felt in love inmediatly and started to work together about it and about the Greek-Portuguese project Rebetiko meets Fado & Cante Alentejano.

Rodopi will play for the first time in Spain next July 18th in Cançons de la Mediterrània, in Palma de Mallorca. They will also play at the Jagiellonian Fair, of which we talked in the previous issue, on 17th August.

So, grateful to Alkis for the kind answers. Without further ado, here you are the interview:

MM – What do you search in an artist when you create the programme? 

AZ: The most crucial issue in my opinion is to find a special and innovative musical idiom in each music ensemble, which will also be interesting for the audience of my festival.

Each music ensemble should have a clear cultural stance as a Mediterranean country and those next to them but at the same time it should present a spectacle in an authentic and honest way. And I’d like to emphasize this last issue particularly, as on the altar of spectacle and competition in the music market, many misinterpretations and exaggerations are being made, firstly from the artists themselves, while at the same time there is the pressure from the organizers to overcome the spectacle presented at their festivals.

MM – Which are the global objectives of your festival?

AZ: My first and most important concern is to highlight the musical idioms of the traditions of the population around the Mediterranean, which are truly many and very beautiful each, with their similarities and differences.

Another important point, as I am a musician myself and know very well how difficult it is for an artist to enter a market, is to give space to very special requests made especially from young artists.

Furthermore, especially at the Mediterranean Music Festival, which takes place in small venues during the winter, I aim to keep the sound authentic, to reach the audience’s ears as it is produced by the human voice or the musical instruments. That’s why I avoid making use of sound amplifiers during the concerts and this has been appreciated a lot by our audience so far. It’s like having a group of musicians in your home.

MM – What are the most complicated or difficult issues to deal with in your festival? 

AZ:  Unfortunately the most difficult issues initially always have to do with the funding of such musical events.  There is a great difficulty in finding the financial resources but in any case I believe that the Swiss authorities are still supportive towards culture and whatever notable appears.

On a second level I believe that a great problem is the possibility, especially of small projects, to attract a sufficient number of listeners in order to have both happy, artists and organizers. It is a global phenomenon that the world is directed more and more by the brands, slowly losing its sense of personal judgement but also the wish to discover new things. We’re getting more and more used to find everything ready and this is stultifying us without even being conscious of it. I hope once we’ll wake up.

MM – Which are currently the main challenges for this kind of cultural proposals like yours?AZ: Along with the issue I stressed before it’s a great challenge for me personally, using the festival as a vehicle, to awaken people who love music and make them get out of their homes, where they have almost everything available on a screen, getting them to know the great feelings that live music provides you and let them live in a world of interaction, that arises from the exchange of feelings between artists and audience.

MM – In one sentence, summarise the reason/s to go to your festival. 
AZ: The “square”, which includes the creators in their real dimension together with the audience, ready to evaluate participating live in this process, is the basic principle of our culture, as it was born and started in Ancient Greece and travelled to the ancient theatres of all Mediterranean countries, which are still preserved up to this day and continue hosting similar activities after thousands of years.

As a Greek, I think I am totally involved with this cultural dimension of the phenomenon.

Our festival is a small cradle of culture and forms in its own way and by the forces it has, a healthy cultural view among the people visiting it. We are very glad that our audience speaks about the festival with enthusiasm and that’s why they‘ve all become warm supporters of it. There is certainly room for even more people who are always welcome.

Pictures’ credits:

  • Alkis portrait from his Facebook pictures
  • Stok theatre, in Zurich, one of the usual venues for the Mediterranean Music Festival. From the festival’s Facebook page.
  • Alkis dancing at the premiere of Rebetiko Meets Fado & Cante Alentejano, took from his website

Do you like our newsletter? Tell us! To sign up, click HERE.

IN DEPTH: CARLOS GOMES AND INSPIRATIONS FOR TRANSIBERIA MUNDI

In June’s issue we presented Carlos Gomes, the founder and director of Transiberia Productions, cultural management company, settled in Lisbon. And the previous week I sent the mailing about Transiberia Mundi, the concert programme we have developed together and that will take place in the city of Evora from 1st to 4th of August, funded by the city council and part of the program Artes À Rua.

Carlos is an entrepreneur with a strong, inspiring and thrilling vision that I want to share with the community of world music. In the picture it is linked a little video (in Portuguese) with his statements about Transiberia Mundi, made after the presentation in Lisbon last 4th of July. And here below you’ll find his answers to this special questionnaire.

MM: In few words, what is Transiberia Productions?

CG: Transiberia is a cultural production company, created in 2015, focused on Ibero-American music and market, on a non-exclusive basis and open to other music and cultures of the world. Its activity includes the conception and production of shows, the organization, production and programming of festivals, music events and thematic parties, the cultural programming for other institutions, both public and privates, and the booking and management of artists.

MM: Which were your objectives when you created it? 

CG: Transiberia’s mission was always and continues to be to strengthen the relationship between Ibero-American producers, agents and artists, starting with our neighbouring country, Spain, and pursuing to enlarge its field of action to the countries from South and Central America, from a cosmovision that is Portuguese, inclusive, open to the other and to the world. 

MM: If is is not too secret, let us know your vision. 

CG: My vision and what I am most interested in working is based mainly on the awesome book by the Portuguese writer José Saramago, named “The Stone Raft”, that captures the human nature, especially the nature of the people from Iberian Peninsula after an extraordinary event: the segregation of the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of Europe and its Atlantic drift. I understood it as a metaphor of the liberation of the Iberian Peninsula from that kind of political constraint that is to be considered as peripheral territory from the center of Europe. I think that the nature of Iberian people is close to the South American nature and I also believe that, if we overcome that hierarchical political organization of the world, especially of the navel-gazing of Europe, the relationship between cultures, mediated by the freshness of the Atlantic, it will be one of the centers of the future world. 

MM: What is your personal relationship with music? 

CG: My personal relationship with music comes mainly from an inner vibe and from the dance. For me good music doesn’t have to make me dance but must be able to make me vibrate. If it makes me dance, even better. I think that the union of music and dance is one of the happiest expressions of human beings. I think that a human being who likes to dance and can´t hold the vibration of music in his/her body is probably a good human being. 

MM: Tell us one or two of Transiberia’s main achievements.

CG: Two of the main achievements by Transiberia have been so far the creation of the Festival Emergente in Lisbon and the program Transiberia Mundi, in collaboration with Mapamundi Música.

The first one, because it emerged from a raising awareness of the responsibility of supporting and contributing to an unbelievable moment of creativity, production and expression that the Portuguese music is currently experiencing.

In the second case means the realization of an old ambition of having a Transiberian and transnational partnership that was born as Iberian and that would lead the way to something with an undefined scope, enhancing the name of the company and undertaking Samarago’s vision.

I’d like also to mention that it is of much and special joy to co-produce with EGEAC (cultural institution of Lisbon’s city council) the program “Dançar a Cidade” in Lisbon (to dance the city) which calls its citizens to dance several dance styles of the world in the public spaces. I love to dance and to provide the others the joy of dance is extremely rewarding.

MM: Which is your next dream to be fullfilled? 

CG: I can´t unveil my next dream yet. But I can say that it will be a transnational project out of Lisbon.
—
Thank you, obrigado, gracias, Carlos. 

 

FIND ME AT…
I take advantage of my next weeks calendar to share some nice events with the community. By the way, we can meet there, drop me a line:
  • Ostrava (Czech Republic). Czech Music Crossroads + Colors of Ostrava. 15th to 18th July. As speaker. I will be part of the listening and comment session and of the panel Touring Guide for Germany, Austria, Spain and Israel.
  • Koblenz (Germany). Horizonte Festival. 19th July. What a pleasure to attend this festival for which I will travel with Vigüela! Also other of our collaborators, Monsieur Doumani and Don Kipper, are programmed in this festival. Yeah!
  • Bled (Slovenia). Okarina Festival, 23th July. My first time at the country and it will be also with Vigüela.
  • Bielsk Podlaski & Białystok (Poland). Festival Podlaska Oktawa Kultur. 27th and 28 July, also with Vigüela and thanks to the agency Wodzirej PL.
  • Evora (Portugal). 1st to 4th August. Series Transiberia Mundi, programmed by Transiberia Productions and Mapamundi Música, and part of the program Artes À Rua by the municipality of the city. I will be honoured by making a conference too.
  • Lublin (Poland… my second country). 16th August, Warsaw, 17th August Lublin for theJagellonian Fair. How could I miss the concert by Rodopi Ensemble and the night of dance directed by Janusz Prusinowski Kompania in the same city the same day. Top masters of their traditional music! ?
  • Spain, but I must include it as it will be the premiere of Wowakin Trio in Spain 🙂 23rd August.
  • Samarkand (Uzbekistan). Last week of August. Yes, I wanna cry of joy. More, soon.
  • Perth (Scotland). 16th – 20th September. The Visit (event produced for Showcase Scothland Expo by Active Events). Really looking forward it!
More dates, in the next issue.
MAPAMUNDI MÚSICA INTRODUCES… THE SPICE ROAD, AT RADIO CLÁSICA, SPAIN’S NATIONAL RADIO. BY JUAN ANTONIO VÁZQUEZ

For the second year, this Summer Juan Antonio Vázquez is doing the radio show La Ruta de las Especias (the spice road) for Radio Clásica, of Spain’s National Radio. As the name indicates, it is focused on music of Orient, or, as he likes to say, “the many Orients”. Click the picture to listen 2018’s editions and also the new ones, in August and September:

As you probably know, with Juan Antonio I make the radio show Mundofonías, our own production, broadcasted in 17 countries in 46 radio stations.

MAPAMUNDI MÚSICA CONCERT CALENDAR

Very brieftly: our concerts calendar is here at our website and also at our Facebook events. And, apart of Rodopi Ensemble’s, I want to highlight the debut of a Polish band in Spain. It will be on 23rd of August and they are WoWaKin Trio, known for many of our community as they performed in WOMEX Katowice 2017.

Do you like our newsletter? Tell us! To sign up, click HERE.

This newsletter is open to sponsorship. Feel free to ask for details.

WHO WE ARE AND SISTER PROJECTS 

Mapamundi Música is an agency of management and booking. Learn more here. Check our proposals at our website.

We also offer you our Mundofonías radio show, probably the leader about world music in Spanish language (on 46 stations in 17 countries). We produce the Transglobal World Music Chart with our partner Ángel Romero from WorldMusicCentral.com. And we lead also the Asociación para la Difusión de los Estilos.

Feel free to request info if you wish. For further information about us, get in touch by email, telephone (+34 676 30 28 82), our website or at our Facebook.