Regional Development
REACHING OUT TO CENTRAL-EASTERN AND SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
The European Choral Association brings together choirs, conductors, singers and all others who contribute to the development of collective singing in Europe and beyond. The Association has very strong links and good cooperation with many European countries, but there are countries and regions with which the European Choral Association has lost touch, has little or no contact, less knowledge of their choral or collective singing landscape and/or for which no data on collective singing is available in the Singing Europe study. In order to establish or develop stronger links with those countries, to learn from each other, to exchange good practices, to enrich each other and get to know different choral traditions and music, the European Choral Association adopted a new Regional development strategy, with a special focus on regional development and networking with target countries in Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
Since February 2022, we have actively started working and reaching out to the target countries of the European Choral Association new Regional development strategy for the period 2022-2024 and we are pleased to have already received a number of positive responses and words of encouragement to continue working in this direction.
LIST OF TARGET COUNTRIES:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus (no activities in the near future, but long-term planning possible), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Russia (no activities in the near future, but long-term planning possible), Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine (no activities in the near future, but long-term planning possible).
In the frame of IGNITE project, a number of activities have already been launched and will be implemented further in the near future:
CHORAL CONNECTOR
One of the objectives of the European Choral Association new regional development strategy is to reach out to target countries in Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe through the so-called short-term Choral Connectors of the European Choral Association.
If you have plans to travel to the target countries of the Invitation in 2022-2024 to visit or work with organisations, choirs, individuals, etc., we invite you to apply for funding to cover (parts of) the costs of your trip (max up to 500 EUR).
The invitation is open until the funds are exhausted. However, If you are planning a trip in 2024 and would like co-funding, please send your application till 1 September 2024. The travel report must be submitted by 30 October 2024 at the latest.
Check the call HERE to learn more about funding conditions and other details.
The online application form is available on here.
FREE PARTICIPATION TO OUR MEMBERSHIP WEEKEND
Free participation for participants from Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe
In order to increase the involvement of (potential) member organisations Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe in the activities of the association we have the opportunity, within the frame of IGNITE, to offer a free participation including accommodation and meals as well as a subsidy to the travel expenses for maximum 1 representative per organisation and a total maximum of 4 grants.
If you are interested in such a grant, please contact us before September 15th 2024 at Jozi.Vovk@EuropeanChoralAssociation.org.
More info on our membership weekend here.
FREE PROMOTION OF SELECTED DISCOVERY EVENTS FROM TARGET COUNTRIES
As part of our Regional Development Strategy and in the frame of the IGNITE project, we have decided to promote events from target countries of Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe that have been registered by the organisers through our internal call for proposals.
The concept, structure and artistic programme are developed by the local organiser alone and the European Choral Association has no responsibility for the quality of these events.
By publishing these events in our Brochure of Choral Activities free of charge, the European Choral Association aims to help them achieve a higher level of international visibility in order to raise awareness for choral life in these countries.
Check out our Brochure 2024.
In addition our financial support schemes foresee and encourage the application from target countries.
Please check these programmes to learn more:
- Noel Minet Fund for scholarships
(In 2023, 5 scholarships were awarded to young people from the target countries. Check the new call that was launched in autumn 2023 for 2024)
- Co-funding to peer to peer trainings
(In 2023, one exchange with a conductor from the target country was realised)
The funds are still available, apply for Financial Support for Your Exchange Project - IGNITE Grants for Internationalisation and Inclusion of events
(the selection committee awarded 2 grants to events from target countries in 2023 and 3 in 2024)
Do you want to reach out and/or have more information?
Contact us here: jozi.vovk@europeanchoralassociation.org