Who are the EMC Fellows?
Meet the EMC Fellows 2020 - 2022!
Aleksandra Bajde (AT/SI)
Aleksandra Bajde is a Slovenian composer-performer with a background in social sciences. She has studied and acquired professional experience in different European countries. She is currently in charge of communication, organising projects, and fundraising at the Austrian Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music and is also pursuing a doctoral degree in political science with a focus on EU cultural diplomacy.
"Working in an international environment with a special focus on the future of European music, EU cultural policy and musical heritage is of the utmost importance to me. I believe that the EMC Fellowship Programme provides precisely such an environment, in which I can optimally combine and apply the knowledge and experience from my musical and political/sociological background. I think that exchange of ideas and expertise with other fellows and professionals will pave the way for new perspectives and lead to far-reaching results. I am grateful to have been chosen for this Fellowship Programme, and I look forward to this valuable new professional experience!"
Merel Cuperus (NL)
Hi, I’m Merel! I come from a beautiful little city called Groningen (NL), where I grew up, and now work and live. At the moment, I am working as coordinator of European subsidies for the amazing international music platform Eurosonic Noorderslag. My passion for music, traveling, and contributing to the European music field are embodied in this occupation.
"This year, I am honored to be part of the EMC programme. I am looking forward to explore new and existing realms within the European music sector and discover how I can contribute to a positive development of this beautiful cultural field. I’m also very much looking forward to learn from the (new) people I will meet and my fellow fellows!"
Anete Goldmane (LV)
Anete Goldmane is currently working as a producers assistant and project manager at Cēsis Concert hall which is one of 4 regional concert halls in Latvia. In her daily work the most interesting part is linked with international collaborations and implementation of new projects.
"I expect that EMC Fellowship program would be a great networking opportunity and chance to learn from international colleagues. I find its given opportunities very essential in my future professional life."
Christine Halsall (UK)
Christine Halsall has worked at Creative Scotland for almost 6 years in the Creative Learning and Young People’s Team. She is currently Youth Music Initiative Officer and the key objective of her role is to fund and support projects that widen access to music making and education for children and young people in Scotland ages 0-25. This role affords her the privilege of working with an array of organisations of all sizes who are supporting young people who can benefit most to make music.
" I am looking forward to making connections with European peers and learning from their experiences as a fellow of the EMC."
Sari Löytynoja (FI)
Sari Löytynoja is a Cultural Producer and at the moment she’s working at Helsinki Festival, which is the largest arts festival in the Nordic countries, organised annually in late summer. Since January 2020 she has been the Youth Representative and president of the FMC Youth working group of the Finnish Music Council. In addition to this she’s working also an Event Producer at the Finnish Musicians’ Union, which gives to her another point of view in the music field. Her interests in the music field are the musicians’ rights, freedom of expression and equality.
“I’m very glad to be a member of this group and looking forward to discuss important topics related to music business and contact with people with the same aims!”
Alberto Palacín Fernández (ES)
¡Hola! My name is Alberto, and I am a conductor, music educator, and culture manager. Currently I work as Choir & Choral Conducting Professor at the Conservatory of Murcia.
In recent times, I have been actively involved in several international programmes, such as the Young Event Management Programme (YEMP) in Tallinn 2018, supported by EMC, or the World Youth Choir 2019. I am also a member of the Youth Committee of European Choral Association - Europa Cantat.
”I am really happy and honoured to join EMC as a fellow, and look forward both to meet other professionals from different fields in the music sector, and to take part in fruitful debates on the topics that will make the present and future agenda for music in Europe."
Guillermo Rodríguez Rodríguez (BE/ES)
Guillermo Rodríguez is a young pianist from Spain. After studying for 4 years in Krakow and two in Germany, he continues his studies at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Brussels. He is Co-founder of the Spanish National Federation of Music Students where he acted as Vice president and Team Manager. His involvement in issues such as the enhancement of artistic education, musical diversity or raising the voice of musicians from Eastern Europe led him to participate in conferences at a national and international level.
"The Fellowship Programme seems the perfect opportunity to widen horizons through interaction with my peers from different fields. I look forward to learn from their different visions and perspectives in order to have a fruitful impact and enrich the different discussions and panels we would take part in."
Meet the Dutch EMC Fellows
Supported by Dutch Perfoming Arts
Daniel de Keizer (NL)
Daniël de Keizer (1985) is music promotor/ programmer at Flemish Arts Centre De Brakke Grond, a networking organisation and venue for Flemish arts in Amsterdam. Here he works with festival, venue and media partners to promote up-and-coming Flemish artists and help build their careers. Alongside his role at De Brakke Grond, Daniël founded the music consulting company Eighty5ive where he consults and coaches artists and organisations, handles PR, manages artists and is an agent for Dutch artists such as Joya Mooi and Gita Buhari. Previous to his job as a programmer, he worked in marketing roles for Paradiso and HipHopHuis in Rotterdam.
Ruben Timmer (NL)
Ruben Timmer (The Netherlands) studied Musicology in Utrecht and works as a production and communication professional in the Dutch cultural sector. He is part of the communication department at Amsterdam Sinfonietta, a professional string orchestra based in Amsterdam. He's also an Executive Board member of the national branch organisation representing and promoting the interests of the Dutch amateur choral sector.
"From my experience with international communities and networks, the answers to most issues that any musician, organiser or institution can experience, have already been thought of elsewhere. The trick then is to connect the dots between a challenge and the solution, which often happens through the networking and collaborative processes that are ingrained in the way organisations like the EMC work. I expect to learn much from my international peers and am eager to see what I can contribute."
Andrea Voets (NL)
Andrea Voets (1989) is the artistic director of Resonate Productions: the world's only organisation for musical journalism. She makes documentary-concerts on emotional blinds spots in society. Since 2018, she does this at De Balie : the leading Dutch house for debate. In Wings & Roots -shaping identity between cultures- (2019), 4 musicians hold 12 nationalities are in session with a trans-cultural psychiatrist on what it means “when you always relate and never belong”. While We Live -a compass to connection- (2020) shows a social roadtrip through Greece, that offers ways out of the fundamental crisis of loneliness in many societies.
Andrea is a harpist and teaches her own course of practical music philosophy at the Hanns Eisler conservatory in Berlin.She divides her time between the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Greece.
"As an inter-cultural European, this diverse continent is my home. I constantly need different (cultural) perspectives around me to feel comfortable and challenged. I feel there is a lot of need for reflection in the musical field, that goes deeper than the solving the symptomatic problems of audience-reach and a lack of funding. Identifying structural problems (the blind spots) that transcend all borders, is what I enjoy most. Good conversations and time together are indispensable to that: that's why I am really looking forward to being a Fellow."