WOMEX organizers announced today that the World Music Expo will be held in Katowice, in the region of Silesia, in southern Poland. The annual conference is the largest gathering of world music professionals and will take place October 25–29, 2017.
Silesia is a region with its very specific cultural heritage and is located in the heart of Central and Eastern Europe, neighboring the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Three international airports are near Katowice: Katowice Pyrzowice, Krakow, and Ostrava. According to WOMEX organizers, moderate costs in Katowice promise a pleasant stay for WOMEX delegates.
“We are delighted to bring WOMEX into this European region and find new friends there. We believe WOMEX will once again add its part to a positive movement over there: The city of Katowice is an upcoming creative location, recently undergoing a post-industrial flowering where the city becomes a green, cultural hub,” says Alexander Walter, WOMEX Director
Katowice is the only Central European city bearing the title of the UNESCO City of Music. Katowice has recently opened a remarkable Cultural Zone with a highly-acclaimed concert hall, the NOSPR that will also be one of the main venues for WOMEX 2017, as well as state-of-the-art International Congress Centre (ICC). Two popular and critically acclaimed festivals are part of the city’s cultural landscape.
Throughout Poland cultural and world music festivals; folk, jazz, Jewish culture are celebrated and the Polish presence at WOMEX has been growing steadily in the last years. The local partner for WOMEX 2017 in Katowice will be the Polish ICP Group and its subdivision “Poland Concept.” WOMEX 2017 will be produced with the support of the City of Katowice.
More about WOMEX: www.womex.com
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.
