GRONONGEN, NL (VIP NEWS) — The 30th edition of the Dutch B2B Live Music conference Eurosonic Noorderslag will focus on the Central East European (CEE) regions in 2016, taking place in Groningen January 13-16, 2016.
Each year a different country is highlighted in order to showcase the diversity of musical talent across Europe. Countries that have been showcased in preious years include France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, The Netherlands, Ireland, Finland and Austria. Iceland was the focus country for 2015`s event.
The 13 focus countries in the CEE group are Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
One of the main points of focus for the 2016 event will be the conclusion of the Central European Talent Exchange Programme (CEETEP). Together with 18 CEETEP festivals in the CEE region and selected CEE media partners, Eurosonic Noorderslag and co-organisers Sziget and Exit Festival have developed a plan to encourage the circulation of CEE artists and repertoire in Central and Eastern Europe, both at festivals and in the media.
By working together, the CEETEP festivals and their media partners aim to help more CEE artists perform across borders within Central Eastern Europe and via shows at Eurosonic Noorderslag and throughout the whole of Europe.
Peter Smidt, creative director for Eurosonic Noorderslag, said: “With more or less half of the European people living in what we call Central Eastern Europe, Eurosonic Noorderslag feels it is crucial to make much more and better connections between Western Europe and Central Eastern Europe. We are curious for all talents in this large area and would like to facilitate much more and better business relations between music professionals and media.”
Said Fruzsina Szép, programme director of Sziget between 2009-2014: "My deep wish to strengthen the circulation of artistic repertoire and the cooperation and exchange of know-how between the cultural workers, festivals, media in the CEE region started back in 2005. In 2006 the idea of CEETEP was born at the RegiON music conference in Budapest. With the only strong belief that we can build up something together for our region for the artists by building cultural bridges between our countries.
“[Following] the great cooperation between all the wonderful people, festivals, media and Eurosonic Noorderslag and Exit Festival, [this] 10-year period will now comes to its final phase. In January 2016 we will unite all the positive energies and the region which we call Central and Eastern Europe. We will become one within the stages of Europe."
