Novara to host the European Jazz Conference in 2019

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We are proud to announce that the 6th European Jazz Conference will take place in Novara, Italy, between 12 and 15 September 2019. It will be the first time this event is hosted in Italy since the General Assembly of Europe Jazz Network was enlarged and developed into the European Jazz Conference in 2014.
 
The Conference will be co-organised by the Europe Jazz Network (EJN) and NovaraJazz, organiser of the summer Festival and of a concert series throughout the year in Novara, with the support of Ministero Beni e Attività Culturali, Regione Piemonte, Comune di Novara, Fondazione BPN, Fondazione CRT, Compagnia di San Paolo, Novamont and of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
 
The beautiful city of Novara, located between Milan and Turin in the north of Italy, will host in September 2019 approximately 350 delegates working in the jazz sector from all over Europe and beyond in order to share knowledge and discuss about common projects, collaborations and joint actions. The Conference will also be the perfect occasion to showcase some of the great young artists now on the Italian jazz scene to an international audience of artistic directors, venue and label managers and booking agents through the very first Italian Jazz Showcase Festival, to be organised during the Conference.
 
The Conference in Italy will take place at an important time for jazz in Italy. In February 2018, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Italian Minister of Culture and the newly established Italian Jazz Federation, grouping for the first time under one roof artists, festivals, clubs and independent labels. The European Jazz Conference in Novara will be a step further in the structuring of the Italian jazz sector and in opening it up to international promoters and audiences as well.
 
“The possibility to host this international event, for the first time in Italy, is not only a source of pride for us, but also confirms the relevance of our cultural system”- underlines Antonella Parigi, Regional Councilor for Culture and Tourism for the Piedmont region, “a result achieved through the important cultural work and networking made in these years by NovaraJazz, that contributed to highlight the role of Piedmont as an important window for jazz in Italy”
 
The Mayor of the City of Novara, Alessandro Canelli, underlines that  “the choice of EJN acknowledges the reasons that led the local administration to identify in NovaraJazz a strong representative of the city’s identity: the work of Corrado Beldì, Riccardo Cigolotti and their staff undoubtedly has a cultural value for the quality and commitment in promoting and spreading jazz music, but we should not forget that these efforts have a strong social value as well. I am not only referring to the different initiatives and projects about urban peripheries, always shared and supported by us, considered as spaces of possibilities and new beginnings, but also to the organisation of events that became an identification mark of our reality and that brought outside its territorial borders the name of our city. All of this in the name of jazz: Novara became a reference point at the national and international level, and this further recognition is therefore both natural and well deserved.
 
Ros Rigby, President of Europe Jazz Network, commented: “On behalf of the Board of Europe Jazz Network, may I say how delighted we are to be holding our 2019 European Jazz Conference in the beautiful city of Novara. EJN was founded over thirty years ago by Italian jazz activists, and Italy has always had amongst the largest number of member organisations in the Network. The Conference is very effective in raising the profile both of the host city and the musicians and jazz activists of the host country, and we hope very much that the 2019 event will make a positive contribution at a time when there is a move towards greater collaboration in jazz across Italy.”
 
Corrado Beldì, Artistic Director of NovaraJazz, stated: “We welcome with great satisfaction the choice of the EJN Board of Directors to host in Novara the European Jazz Conference 2019. This is a great recognition of the quality of our work and as well of our capacity to join forces with institutions such as the Piedmont Region, the Municipality of Novara, the cultural and tourism operators in our area, with I-Jazz, the association of Italian Jazz Festivals, and MiBACT, the Italian Ministry of Culture, all partners in the first Italian Jazz Showcase Festival addressed to some of the most important European and international music promoters. It will be a fundamental step forward in the on-going process of structuring and revitalising the Italian jazz sector, a process that led to the recent establishment of the Italian Jazz Federation. We have much work ahead and are looking for further support, but we are confident that many others will help us in promoting our model of valorisation of live music in historic locations, and in bringing Novara, between 12 and 15 September 2019, to proudly be the capital of jazz in Europe”.
 
About the European Jazz Conference
 
The European Jazz Conference is a leading annual gathering of professionals from the jazz sector in Europe, in particular of promoters, cultural managers, agents and national/regional support organizations. What has been the General Assembly of the Europe Jazz Network, from 2014 has been expanded and is now open as well to any music professional under the name of European Jazz Conference.
 
The European Jazz Conference is composed of inspiring keynote speeches, high-level discussion groups and workshops, networking sessions for professionals of the creative music sector, cultural visits and in the evenings, a showcase festival of the best new artists from the host country, Italy for 2019.
 
The European Jazz Conference is a unique event, the only one of its kind in Europe, centered on building long-lasting relationships, developing new projects and artistic collaborations, sharing expertise and getting up to date with the newest management and programming trends. Moreover, the Conference is about learning about music scenes and best practices from all around the world, including countries beyond Europe.
 
Information about the European Jazz Conference 2018 taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, between 13-16 September, are available at: http://www.europejazz.net/project/european-jazz-conference