Arts and Culture

Project Updates

• Young Festival Managers learn to dream big

  Published on 16 Aug 2011

  

   

  Developing unique creative visions for arts festivals is what’s needed by today’s festival organisers in a globalised world. That’s what the Atelier for Young Festival Managers will achieve.

  This Atelier is the first of its kind in Asia. Taking place in Singapore (14-21 May 2011) during the Singapore Arts Festival, it will train the next generation of festival directors. They will learn to produce relevant and engaging arts events.

  The Mentors

  Over 40 festival professionals from all over the world will attend this Atelier. The week-long programme comprises a series of lectures and workshops at the LaSalle College of the Arts. During the sessions participants will learn from established mentors who will share their experiences with their younger peers.

  Former Singapore Arts Festival director Goh Ching Lee is among the mentors at the Atelier. Others include internationally acclaimed festival experts such as Grace Lang, director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival programme, and Gerard Mortier, former Director of the Paris Opera.

  The organisers

  The Atelier is coordinated by Belgian arts consultant Hugo de Greef. It is co-organised by the European Festivals Association, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and the LaSalle College of the Arts.

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• Japanese arts benefactor makes gift for festival exchange programme

  Published on 01 Jan 1970

  More than 30 young festival makers from Asia and Europe had a unique opportunity to learn from international experts thanks to a generous gift from Japanese philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa.

  The gift to the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) from Dr Handa, who is chairman of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC), went towards supporting the first Asian edition of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers. The Atelier is an intensive one-week training programme for young festival professionals. It took place in Singapore alongside the Singapore Arts Festival from 14 to 21 May 2011 and was organised by the European Festivals Association (EFA) – the initiator of the event – ASEF and LASALLE College of the Arts.

  Throughout the programme, participants from all over the world discussed the state of festivals in today’s society. They consistently observed that they were grateful for the opportunity to meet practitioners who were working in similar, sometimes difficult, environments and they were confident this will become a lasting network of festival managers. The gift helped to support 17 of the participants from Asian and European countries.

  ASEF Executive Director Ambassador Dominique Girard said, “Festivals are an increasingly important artistic and cultural platform which fosters exchanges between individuals and communities from all over the world. In choosing to support the Atelier, Dr Handa has helped to develop the next generation of festival leaders by enabling them to connect with their contemporaries in a supportive learning environment.”

  Dr Handa, who is also a practising artist, founded IFAC in 1996 with a view to contributing to the development of arts and culture on a global scale, promoting goodwill across national boundaries, regardless of differences in languages and religions, and assisting the training of artists and musicians. Its main activities include organising charitable public performances of the Japanese arts of Noh plays and calligraphic works, as well as the western arts of opera and classical ballet.

  For more information on making a gift to ASEF, please contact Leonie Nagarajan at +65 6874 9736 or email leonie.nagarajan@asef.org

  Find out more about IFAC.

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