Once again, the musical year has started with the biggest showcase festival in Europe: Switzerland was a guest country at this year’s Eurosonic Noorderslag in the Dutch city of Groningen.
The festival and exhibition year always starts in a brilliant way: for four days in January at Eurosonic in Groningen, bands from all over Europe and from all genres played to trade audiences. And from a Swiss point of view, this year was special, as Switzerland was a guest country.
Between 15 and 18 January under the banner „A Taste of Swiss Music“, over 30 Swiss bands appeared before an international trade audience.But it was not just on stage that our country played a major role:
A busy fringe programme also drew attention to Switzerland’s top-class pop music and cultural creativity, including the „Taste of Swiss Reception“ in the presence of the Swiss Ambassador to The Hague, Mr Heinz Walker-Nederkoorn. Speed meetings under the slogan „Meet the Swiss“ or the „Cheese contest: Netherlands vs Switzerland“ which attracted lots of attention and, unlike football, where our country was clear favourite.
Many thanks are therefore due for the professional image we conveyed, and especially to Albane Schlechten and Jean Zuber of Swiss Music Export, as well as Philippe Cornu, who, in the role of Project Manager, made sure Switzerland was able to present itself to its best advantage in Groningen.
However, Eurosonic was first and foremost a brilliant way to kick off such a rich programme of events…
Throughout the rest of 2020, FONDATION SUISA, in collaboration with various partner organisations, will also curate a large number of promotional activities abroad:
- 26 – 29 January 2020 IKF (International Trade Fair for Stage Productions, Music and Events), Freiburg im Breisgau (D)
- 23 – 26 April 2020 jazzahead! in Bremen (D)
- 14 – 16 May 2020 The Great Escape in Brighton (GB)
- 18 – 21 May 2020 ClassicalNext in Rotterdam (NL)
- 2 – 5 June 2020 MIDEM in Cannes (F)
- 16 – 19 September 2020 Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg (D)
- 24 – 26 September 2020 Waves in Vienna (A)
- 14 – 16 October 2020 MaMA Festival & Convention in Paris (F)
- 21 – 25 October 2020 WOMEX in Budapest (HU)
I would be delighted to have the opportunity of personally welcoming some of my readers to one of these events.
Details of all the events here »
Everything about „A Taste of Swiss Music“ here »