World music conference WOMEX 2012 confirmed to World Music Central the first set of Conference topics and speakers, who will be shedding light on the latest music industry developments and sparking debate across all sectors. Nadia EL-Imam (Sweden) and Lemez Lovas (UK) curated the Conference program.
This year’s Conference has a particular emphasis on Southeastern Europe – WOMEX’s new host region – with several Conference Sessions focusing on this theme:
Peter Xanthopoulos (Greece), Hellenic Society for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AEPI); Stefanos Loukakos (Greece), Google Greece; and Antonis Plessas (Greece), composer and producer, will explore the ever-changing music landscape facing Greek creators today and the opportunities offered by new digital media, such as Google Greece.
Revolutionary new research on Ottoman, Persian and Greek music will be discussed and unknown historical Ottoman music repertoire will be uncovered in a session chaired by Dr. PD Martin Greve (Germany/Turkey), Orient-Institut Istanbul; with Dr. Kyriakos Kalaitzidis (Greece), Musicologist/Musician, En Chordais; and Kiya Tabassian (Iran/Canada), musician, Constantinople.
With WOMEX moving east this year, it seems a good time to look at how world music festivals in Eastern Europe and the Balkans are faring. Chaired by Nick Hobbs (UK/Turkey), Charmenko; with Dejan Vujinovic (Serbia), Etnofest – World Culture Festival; and Csaba Lokös (Hungary), Sziget Festival, this session will look at how these festivals encourage – or not – cultural exchange in the region.
And in addition, a special Southeastern European Networking Meeting will take place at WOMEX, providing the ideal platform for local and international professionals to connect, collaborate and develop the discussion around how the vision for a regional Music Expo focused on Southeastern Europe, the Black Sea and East Mediterranean can be realized.
WOMEX 2012 will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece, from Wednesday, October 17th to Sunday, October 21st.
More sessions and speakers to be confirmed shortly:
womex.com/lnk/conference
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
