Music on the move
RTS Club – Radio Belgrade Gallery (Hilandarska 2, entrance from Svetogorska), Saturday, September 24, 2022, 11 am – 2 pm.
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Migrations, relocations, encounters, crossings, assimilations, transformations – all these phenomena are immanent to the human race and have long roots, reaching into the distant, blurred past. The movements of individuals and smaller or larger groups of people inevitably lead to various changes and adjustments, both for those who move, and in the movement they get somewhere and stay, as well as for the inhabitants of a certain village, city, region, country, with whom travelers meet.
As each person is, among other things, a reflection of the culture or cultures that have been instilled in him since birth, and those absorbed in the process of growing up and living, so also in the meetings and mixing of people from different parts of the world, the conditions for new cultural forms are created. In short – culture is cultural exchange.
At the conference “Women in the World Music: Artists, Managers, Journalists…”, Todo Mundo Festival, 2021 (photo: Juan Antonio Vázquez )
Different circumstances and different historical periods create the basis for cultivating and exchanging cultures. The time we live in is enormously rich with elements that can in countless ways encourage one’s work in culture, reflection on culture, deconstruction of cultural identity, questioning and upgrading of cultural heritage, etc. This is the era of frequent, shorter or extensive trips, easily accessible information, fast internet, migrant crises…
As an abstract thing, music carries delicate connections with the human race, as well as the inner life of an individual, at the same time representing a strong reflection of the environment and external factors. It is natural that, just like in relation to culture in a broader sense, the musical encounters and intersections themselves are intense and colorful nowadays. In the world music, bands whose lineup includes members of different origins are becoming more common, which usually affects the musical expression as well (Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra, She’ Koyokh, Fanfara Station, Madame Baheux, Meybahar, etc.). Then, some genres, such as the Balkan brass tradition, in the last 2-3 decades have stimulated the development of the entire scene in Europe and the world, with foreign musicians focused on the Balkans and brass heritage (La Panika, Süperstar Orkestar, Mr. Žarko, Živeli Orkestar, Tractor Orchestra, etc.).
An example of influence on the local and regional musical map, that is very familiar to us, is represented by the waves of Serb immigration from the regions across the Drina to Vojvodina (in Serbia). Intriguing are the musical migrations realized together with the relocation of the inhabitants of Serbia and surrounding countries to more developed countries in Europe and the world. How, for example, do Serbs or Vlachs influence the musical life of Vienna? How does Vienna affect the settled Serbs or Vlachs? Furthermore, how does an artist of Sephardic origin experience, shape and transpose his cultural and musical identity in Spain in the 21st century?
At the conference “Women in the World Music: Artists, Managers, Journalists…”, Todo Mundo Festival, 2021 (photo: Sotiris Bekas)
Scientific papers are written on the topic of migration and music (Martin Stokes, 2020: Migration and Music/Music Research Annual 1: 1–24), sections in magazines are also devoted to (Sounds in Europe, EMC, 2016), special music documentaries are recorded ( Sergej Kreso, 2020: Here We Move Here We Groove)… This is also the carefully planned topic of our conference, to which we are inviting local and foreign music professionals, so that everyone from their own angle – musician’s, manager’s, organizer’s, scientist’s, journalist’s, researcher’s – will point out the layering of forms and meanings of music on the move today, and above all within the musical milieu that reflects the theme in the most transparent way, and that is the polygenre world music.
The conference, devided into two sessions, will bring together foreign and local participants, who will speak within the broad framework of the topic, based on their specific competencies, experiences and knowledge. Participants will have 15 minutes each for their presentations. The excellent technical conditions and equipment of the Radio Belgrade Gallery – which are well known to the organizers of this conference, among other things, based on the experience from the previously organized gathering on the topic of Women in the World Music: Artists, Managers, Journalists… (September 2021) – will enable the participants to adequately enrich their story with accompanying audio and video content.
With the guidance of the conference moderator, a debate will develop among the participants, and at the end of each session, the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions, comment and have a lively debate with the speakers.
At the conference “Women in the World Music: Artists, Managers, Journalists…”, Todo Mundo Festival, 2021 (photo: Juan Antonio Vázquez)
Speakers from six European countries will participate in the conference: Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy. They are: Stefan Sablić, Dunja Knebl, Paula Haslinger, Dragan Ristić, Katerina Dimitrovska, Dejan Vujinović, Marzouk Mejri, Vesna Bajić Stojiljković and Marija Vitas (moderator).
The conference will be held on September 24, 2022 in the RTS Club – Radio Belgrade Gallery. This reputable media company will also record the conference for the needs of the Radio Belgrade 3 program. The recording of the conference will later be broadcast as part of Radio Belgrade’s programs, and will also be offered through an exchange within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
