#SYNERGY: COMPOSERS IN RESIDENCE

The European Cooperation Project – #synergy: Sharpening the Capacities of the Classical Music Industry in the Western Balkans has been launched at the initiative of the International KotorArt Don Branko’s Music Days Festival with the idea of bringing together some of the biggest art music festivals in the region, including the Belgrade Festivals Center (BELEF and BEMUS), the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, the Ljubljana Festival, the Vox Baroque organization from Albania, the and F. Chopin Association from Kosovo.* The goals of the project are the training and connecting of cultural workers, primarily those involved in festivals and art music, while encouraging the composition of new works of classical music inspired by the local heritage of all partner cities and countries, starting with Kotor and Montenegro, as well as promoting networking and cooperation between young musicians, composers, and organizations involved in artistic music in the Western Balkans. Over its three years of program activities, the project will bring together twelve composers and over fifty young musicians and managers in culture and organize six seminars for cultural professionals and twelve residencies for composers, through which twelve new works will be created, inspired by the cultural heritage of the region and Europe. The project will culminate in a Festival Tour at summer festivals across the Western Balkans, featuring composers, new compositions, and young musicians. The #synergy project has been supported by the European Commission, making the International KotorArt Don Branko’s Music Days Festival the first organization in Montenegro to receive the opportunity and trust of the European Union to be the holder of a project supported by the Creative Europe program.