Fira Mediterrània Manresa-Catalonia organises a roundtable on the challengesand opportunities faced by Folk music and world musicians

The  Teatre  Kursaal  holds  its  first  roundtable  this  morning,  organised  by  the  FiraMediterrània Manresa-Catalonia. It is a day of reflection, aimed at professionals fromthe cultural industries, entitled ‘Folk and World Musicians in Catalonia. Challenges and Opportunities’.

Folk music with global roots has been a constant on stages in this country, in concert halls, auditoriums and at festivals. This type of music and its reach, however, has not been immune  to  obvious  setbacks to the cultural  industries  -the  recession, tax increases and changes in technology. This situation though contrasts with the powerful vitality  abroad of  many Catalan bands (with  the so-called Barcelona Sound at  the Forefront), and with the dynamic Folk scene and the current focus on music training and education (including ESMUC, CAT and Arsègul).

With these topics up for debate, the Fira Mediterrània Barcelona-Catalonia has invited a group of key experts in this field to discuss  challenges  and  opportunities. Questions that will  be posed to participants include: what links can be established between the Folk scene and the world at large? Can internationalisation strategies be improved? What markets are there? Can new markets be strengthened? Who are the agents for this?

The  roundtable  is  moderated  by  David  Ibáñez,  artistic  director  of  the  Fira Mediterrània Barcelona-Catalonia.