Here you can find an overview of all the sessions that took place at the 5^thEuropean Forum on Music in Riga & Cesis. For detailed information on each session and the presentations that were held, please follow the links. Find a reader compiling all presentations held at the conference here.
Find the venues and musical performance overview here.
More information on the musical performances here.

• Keynote Speech by Dace Melbarde, Minister of Culture of Latvia

• Music and the Digital: The Roles, the Rules, the Vision

  The digital shift has affected almost every aspect of our daily lives and music is certainly no exception: The accessibility of music has exploded, music journalism has become decentralised, music lessons for every imaginable instrument are available at a click of the mouse, the music industry has been struggling for years while new funding models for musicians have made projects possible that would never have taken place otherwise. The opportunities and challenges of the digital shift have already been discussed at great length but one thing is evident: We are still in a transition period that will define how the musical sector will work in the decades to come. This panel discussion brought together different perspectives on the role that music should play in the digital era and how we can shape its future.
  Panel Discussion with Ilze Dalbina, Stefano Kunz, Benoit Machuel, Gianpaolo Scacco, chaired by Nenad Bogdanovic

• Audience Development, the Digital World and Europe

Taking two high profile European projects as an example - The Opera Platform, which provides high-quality content from some of Europe's most renowned Opera Houses, and Europeana Sounds, a gateway to Europe's sound and music heritage - this session explored the use of the digital in making music more widely accessible to the European public.
Speakers:
- Luke O'Shaughnessy, Project Manager, The Opera Platform
- Zane Grosa, Latvian National Library, member of the Europeana Sounds consortium

• Music Education, Trends and Developments

An interactive session explored the changes in the world of music education resulting from the digital shift. What new tools are available for the teaching of music? What is the role of music educators today, and how do digital natives learn new things.
Speakers:
- Otto Romanowski, Lecturer, Music Technology Department, University of the Arts Helsinki,
- Matti Ruippo, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, School of Art, Music and Media
- Thomas De Baets, Professor in Music Education at LUCA School of Arts

• Broadening the Scope: Global Perspectives on Music and the Digital

This session offered an insight into the role digital tools play beyond Europe. With the specificities of the music sector varying from one world region to the next, so is also true of the use of digital technology. Find out more about the state of digital music sales in Africa, or about the challenges of organising music festivals in Syria and how social media can connect musicians in areas of conflict.
Speakers:
-Kostas Moschos - Director of the Institute for Research on Music and Acoustics and EMC Board Member
-Emmanuel Michael Mwanyongo - Director of Programmes at Primetime Media and President/Creative Director at Diamond Creative, Malawi
-Hannibal Saad - Music Manager/Festival Artistic Director, Global Week for Syria

• Introducing the EMC Staff Exchange Programme

Learn more about the EMC's exchange programme, hear about the experiences of those who took part in the first round of the scheme, and find out how to become involved as a host or sending organisation.
Speaker:
-Ruth Jakobi, European Music Council

• Speaking with One Voice: the Next steps for the European Agenda of Music

The ‘Agenda’ was an ongoing project led by the European Music Council that aimed to define the priority areas for the future of music and what action needs to be taken for a musically-thriving Europe. The current state of the Agenda was presented and the activities planned for the second half of 2015 and 2016 discussed.

• Urban,Rural and Digital Space: the Role of Concert Venues Today

New concert halls and cultural centres continue to be built all across Europe, often with the support of EU structural funds, and with the aim of improving local infrastructure and encouraging a spill-over effect of culture into the local economy. At the same time, many long-established venues are working to expand their reach beyond the local audience by making their content available to global audiences via digital tools. This panel discussed the role of cultural venues in the digital era - their responsibilities, society’s expectations, and how they view themselves.
Speakers:
-Inese Zagorska, Programme Director, Vidzeme Concert Hall Cesis
-Andrzej Kosendiak, General Director, National Forum on Music
-Sonja Greiner, Secretary General, European Choral Association - Europa Cantat
-Digital contribution by Sage Gateshead
The Sage from European Music Council on Vimeo.

• Encouraging Musical Inclusion and Equality through Digital Technology

This session is presented by the EMC Youth Committee
New technological developments have greatly improved the lives of those with mental and physical disabilities. This is also true in the music world, where digital technology is helping individuals across Europe overcome disability to learn, perform and become involved alongside their able bodied peers.
Speakers:
-Markku Kaikkonen, Director, Special Music Centre Resonaari
-Benjaman Schögler, Creative Director, Skoogmusic

• Project Showcase

• The Sounds of Technology

Over the past thirty years, digital technology has greatly shaped the process of music creation and sound design, and continues to do so. This session gave a practical insight into what has been achieved to date, as well as provided an outlook as to what’s yet to come in the near future.
Speaker:
-Frank Elting, Independent product designer of advanced media tools

• Information session: new EMC cooperation project