I am Araceli Tzigane. Welcome to Mapamundi Música‘s September’s monthly newsletter.

I am sending this news from Perth, Scotland, where I am attending The Visit (event produced for Showcase Scotland Expo by Active Events), a professional meeting in which we are discovering Scottish artists and other Scottish delights.

Since the previous newsletter I have had some experiences about visa procedures -and specially now that I came to the UK- that, combined with the excruciating menaze of Brexit, made me think a lot about how privileged I am for been able to travel to so many countries so easily. My visa for South Korea was ready in 9 days, for Uzbekistan I didn´t even need visa and my nationality is in a Schengen zone country.

Summer festivities in Turkey made the visa procedure for Cüneyt Sepetçi and team to delay more than we expected. I felt almost to the edge of the infarct: they got the visas to Portugal only in the afternoon previous to their early morning flight. All the anxieties dissipated when they announced they got the visas and big joy arised when we meet at the airport in Lisbon for their concert in Tavira. In the picture, Cüneyt and me enjoy a dinner at the restaurant Os Arcos in Tavira. Check their magnificent concert, here.

We still have to wait to know how this of the Brexit will end… In the meantime, show must go on. Find below some thrilling news about a new radio show, a new European organization, one more little interview with a director of a festival -in this edition we “return” to Spain (you’ll understand very soon why the commas in “return”)- and many useful infos.

If you have any suggestion of contents for the next editions, let us know. Thanks for your attention.

Araceli Tzigane – info@mundimapa.com +34 676 30 28 82

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Summary:

· Mini interview with festival manager: Braulio Pérez from Música en el Parque (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain)
· New not-for-profit organization for folk: welcome, European Folk Network!
· New radio show of traditional music in Radio Clásica-National Radio of Spain, by Juan Antonio Vázquez: A la Fuente
· Still open call: Acción Cultural Española, mobility grants application open in September
· Find me at…

**** Do you have a world music festival and you want to be included in our mini interviews? Contact us. **

This newsletter is open to sponsorship. Feel free to ask for details.*

CURRENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR FESTIVALS

If you haven´t read them, you can find the previous interviews clicking on the names: Michal Schmidt (Folk Holidays, CZ) – Jun-Lin Yeoh (Rainforest WMF, MY) – Luis Lles (Pirineos Sur, ES) – Amitava Bhattacharya (Sur Jahan, IN) – Nicolas Ribalet (Sukiyaki Meets the World, JP) – Sergio Zaera (Poborina Folk, ES) – Per Idar Almås (Førdefestivalen, NO) – Bożena Szota (EthnoPort, PL) – Ken Day (Urkult, SE) – Mads Olesen (5 Continents, CH) – Karolina Waszczuk & Bartek Drozd (Jagiellonian Fair, PL) – Alkis Zopoglou (Mediterranean Music Festival, GR/CH) – Tom Frouge (Globalquerque, US)

MINI INTERVIEW WITH BRAULIO PÉREZ FROM MÚSICA EN EL PARQUE

Música en el Parque holds one concert per month, on Sunday at noon, it is family-oriented, open air in a park with magnificant vegetation in an island 1500 kms far from its Spanish mainland: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Braulio Pérez, from Amilkilómetros, is its director and creator. I am happy for sharing with you the insights of this brave colleague. Check the details at the website.

MM – What do you search in an artist when you create the programme?

BP: In the case of Music in the Park we look for several things that seem basic to us. On one side, we want to offer to the public the different ways of approaching the music that each culture has, so it is important that the musical proposal is close to these cultural sources of their countries or regions of origin.We also take into account that our concerts are held on Sundays at noon, and that normally the audience wants to have fun and spend a joyful morning, with the mood that defines the Canaries. That is why we are looking for proposals according to this, that are cheerful.And finally, and most importantly, within our possibilities, we look for artists of great musical quality, of proposals that make the audience leave the concert with the desire to continue consuming this musical style, the World Music.

MM – Which are the global objectives of your festival?

BP: We pursue two main objectives:

Bringing proposals of World Music to the Canarian public that can hardly be seen on the islands. To make them understand that this style brings them different ways of seeing music, of feeling it and of playing it, always imbuid in the roots of each culture.
Our concerts are held on Sunday mornings. With this, we seek a family audience, to be able to show music to the children that provide them some experience and make them discover other cultures, other countries.

MM – What are the most complicated or difficult issues to deal with in your festival?

BP: Maybe the connections for the flights. We live in a wonderful and privileged place, but far from Europe. This implies an important cost in fights and forces us to have artists who are touring the continent at that time. This, in some months of the year, since we schedule a concert every month, makes it difficult to find proposals that fit date and style.

MM – Which are currently the main challenges for this kind of cultural proposals like yours?

BP: I guess sustainability. We are talking about an event that offers unknown artists to the public of the islands. Artists who could hardly come and get payed enough if they only depended on a box office. Here you can´t by train or in a van while on tour. Here there are costs of tickets, hotels and transfers that, added to the artists’ caches, would make it unfeasible for them to come in a totally private festival.

MM – In one sentence, summarise the reason/s to go to your festival.

BP: An incredible island, the best climate in the world, an outdoor setting surrounded by greenery and the best artists of the World Music. What more can you ask?

Thank you, Braulio!

Pictures’ credits:

Braulio’s former portrait from his Facebook profile, with Omara Portuondo
Flyer announcing the first concert.
Cover photo of the Festival’s Facebook page

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EUROPEAN FOLK NETWORK IS BORN

In a previous issue of this newsletter I mentioned how world music and folk community was almost not represented in relevant contexts where politic decisions about culture in Europe are done. An initiative with aspirations of policy and advocacy was really needed and now we have a network with a formal structure that could channel the voices and visions of our community: the European Folk Network.

I first listened about this in September 2015. I was so expectant that I even went to Glasgow the next January just for a short meeting with this people. And finally, almost 4 years after, I knew it had become formal, it had a website with the aims, vision aspirations… Mapamundi Música is proudly a founder member and I am personally eager to attend the EFN’s first conference for all members, planned for 28 & 29 November in Brussels.

Please, don’t miss a visit to the website to learn more!

JUAN ANTONIO VÁZQUEZ PRESENTS A NEW RADIO SHOW FOR RADIO CLÁSICA-RNE: A LA FUENTE

It is great news to announce the birth of a new spot for the dissemination of traditional music from the peoples of the world. And if it is signed by someone so experienced and devoted as Juan Antonio Vázquez, the joy multiplies.

From 5th of October, every Sunday, Radio Clásica, channel of Radio Nacional de España (Spain’s national radio) will host A la Fuente (to the source). One hour dedicated to acoustic music from all over the world.

Juan Antonio has been doing radio for more than 30 years. He is my partner in Mundofonías and during Summer he is also doing La Ruta de las Especias (the spice road), also for Radio Clásica.

The picture, holding a Uzbek rubab, is done by me.

PICE, THE PROGRAM FOR MOBILITY BY ACCIÓN CULTURAL ESPAÑOLA (AC/E), OPEN CALL IN SEPTEMBER

Remember: during September, Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) will have opened the application period to request support for the logistic expenses for booking a Spanish artist or expert, for events abroad taking place from January to June, both included. The official info is at their website.

From Mapamundi Música we have supported clients in previous editions, to fullfill the procedure, that is not complicated. The chances to get it are not 100% but note that the results are published around the 3rd week of October, so it allows you to opt for a plan B in case of need.

We offer you our Spanish band Vigüela, of course.

FIND ME AT…

Some interesting dates for the community (and where you can find me if you happened to be there, just let me know):

Perth (Scotland), where I am currently. 16th – 20th September. The Visit (event produced for Showcase Scothland Expo by Active Events).
Jeonju (South Korea). 29th September – 7th October. At Sori Festival, with the collaboration concert by Janusz Prusinowski Kompania and Manu Sabaté. In the meantime, my Vigüela will play in Festival Todo Mundo in Belgrade. I can´t attend and will miss it with sadness. It is an amazing program made with very good taste!
Fira Mediterránia de Manresa (Cataluña). 10th – 13th October. Mapamundi Música will have a stand and a showcase: Vigüela with the Valencia artists Apa and Eduard Navarro. Don’t you know Apa? He is one of the best singers of the world! Check here and ask me if you have any question.
WOMEX, yes. Tampere (Finland). 23rd – 27th October. We’ll have a table for Mapamundi Música at the booth of Sounds from Spain and a showcase by Monsieur Doumani on Thursday at 24h.
Torres Vedras (Portugal). 8th November. Festival Accordeões do Mundo, for the concert by Janusz Prusinowski Trio focused on harmonia polska.
Israel Showcase for Jazz and Worldwide Music. 20th-23th November.

More dates, in the next issue.

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WHO WE ARE AND SISTER PROJECTS

Mapamundi Música is an agency of management and booking. Learn more here. Check our proposals at our website.

We also offer you our Mundofonías radio show, probably the leader about world music in Spanish language (on 46 stations in 17 countries). We produce the Transglobal World Music Chart with our partner Ángel Romero from WorldMusicCentral.com. And we lead also the Asociación para la Difusión de los Estilos.

Feel free to request info if you wish. For further information about us, get in touch by email, telephone (+34 676 30 28 82), our website or at our Facebook.

Newsletter #15 September 2019