“The 2020 edition of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence has not been cancelled: it has simply been suspended”
It is in this spirit that the Festival d’Aix organised, among other things and during its Digital Stage, the retransmissions of debates produced and carried out during the confinement and dealing with the great questions facing the musical world in these very special times.
In what follows, we have compiled the discussions* that seemed the most relevant to us and those that were in line with the objectives and values that we defend in our work in and for the network.
ARTIST MOBILITY AND THE CHALLENGE OF BORDERS
One of the most persistent uncertainties around this edition was whether artists would be able to cross borders in time for the Festival. This year is only a radical reflection of a problem that many artists are already very familiar with, whether for economic, geopolitical, or institutional reasons. What role can networks play in combatting this? Vincent Agrech, journalist and former head of the Music Department of the Institut Français will discuss this issue with Bernard Foccroulle, former director-general of the Festival d’Aix and of the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, Kathryn McDowell, director of the London Symphony Orchestra, Michele Cantoni, director of the Palestine Philharmonie, and Tom Leick-Burns, head of the Les Théâtres in Luxembourg’s capital city, and enoa member (European network of opera academies, that was founded and has been led by the Festival d’Aix since 2009).**
SUPPORTING CAREERS IN THE PERFORMING ARTS: TOWARDS MORE EQUALITY
Barriers to equal opportunities can arise throughout an artist’s carer. This subject is the focus of a group interview with the director Katie Mitchell, who leads the Festival’s “Women Opera Makers Workshop”; Émilie Delorme, director of the CNSMDP; and Estelle Lowry, director of Musique Nouvelle en liberté. The discussion especially focuses on the role that institutes and schools of artistic studies can play, and the role that artist mentors can take on.**
This day focuses largely on the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra. Its two leading figures—Fabrizio Cassol, artistic director of the intercultural creation session (Medinea Session); and Duncan Ward, music director of MYO’s symphonic sessions— discuss the issues that arise for musical creation initiatives in the Mediterranean.**
* Videos available until the 01/01/21
** From the Festival d’Aix’ and La Scène Numérique’s websites.