The Festival Academy calls for applications for the Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Poznań

[PRESS RELEASE; Brussels/Poznań, 17 February 2014] The Festival Academy, an initiative of the European Festivals Association (EFA), and the Malta Festival Poznań are delighted to announce the next Atelier for Young Festival Managers to take place from 20-27 October 2014 in Poznań, Poland. The Atelier for Young Festival Managers is an intensive 7-day training programme that allows its participants to gain knowledge and skills in the field of artistic festival management. Applications must be submitted by 15 April 2014.

45 young festival managers from all over the world will be selected to take part in this unique training programme. Coordinated by Hugo De Greef (former EFA Secretary General, General Manager Bruges European Capital of Culture 2002, Founder and former Director Kaaitheater - Belgium), ten renowned artistic festival directors from all over the world will guide the participants through the intense programme.

“The Atelier for Young Festival Managers allows participants to step out of their daily routine for seven days and engage in in-depth and inspiring discussions on artistic festival management with their peers and experienced festival directors,” said Darko Brlek, President of The Festival Academy and EFA.

“These festival managers of the future will become part of an ever-growing international Alumni Network through which they will broaden their perspectives and discover new ways and models of collaboration,” Kathrin Deventer added, The Festival Academy Board member and EFA Secretary General.

Poznań will be the ideal backdrop for inspiring exchanges; it is one of the oldest cities in Poland and at the same time a centre of great contemporary cultural activity. The Malta Festival Poznań is one of Poland’s key cultural events that brings a broad range of multidisciplinary and international performances to the city every year.

Michal Merczyński, Artistic Director Malta Festival Poznań, stressed: “We are very glad to host this Atelier. Poznań is an ideal place for the next generation of young arts professionals to have creative exchanges of ideas and experiences. We are convinced of the need to support and facilitate such exchanges that will lead to new international collaboration projects and co-productions.”

The Atelier POZNAŃ 2014 will follow the experiences of previous Ateliers in Görlitz (2006), Varna (2009), Singapore and Izmir (2011), Ljubljana (2012), and the upcoming Atelier in Edinburgh (3-10 April 2014).

Latest news on the Atelier POZNAŃ 2014 can be found at www.atelierforyoungfestivalmanagers.eu, or at www.facebook.com/AtelierForYoungFestivalManagers. In case of questions, please contact atelier@efa-aef.eu.

The Atelier POZNAN 2014 is hosted by the Malta Festival Poznan in partnership with the Polish Institute Cultural Service of the Embassy of the Republic in Poland in Brussels.