MEDINEA ON AIR

Medinea On Air is an online learning programme that aims to provide specific preparation for classical musicians and improvisers who wish to enrich their musical training. This programme is free upon registration and for all young artists – instrumentalists, composers and conductors – students, professionals, researchers from the Euro-Mediterranean region and above.

This last session is devoted to more general perspectives in terms of the career development of young professional musicians. Musicians are introduced to the practice of orchestral and choral conducting as well as to other notions related to artistic leadership: e.g. creation/collaboration with indie labels, production, and gender equity. Participants are presented with traditional Iberian and classical repertoires, and with the idea of musical dialogue — between electronic and acoustic instruments, and between different Mediterranean music influences. These topics will lead to a reflexion on interculturality and the existence of a shared Mediterranean identity.

Sessions IV - Programme

Wednesday 19 April

1PM UTC: Breaking through the scene – Tips for conductors | Module Audition and Competition Preparation
In this webinar, Martina Batič will evoke the different stages of her professional career as choir director. She will pinpoint the importance of competitions in the rise of young professional directors (her rise began with winning the Erik Erikson choral competition). Why conducting competitions are important? Why should you participate in them? What can you expect from them? And what will you gain by participating in them? How should you prepare the psychological, organizational and tactical aspects of such competitions? Differences between conducting an opera choir and a concert choir will also be evoked, as well as differences between amateur and professional choirs.
Speaker: Martina Batič
Proposed by University of Ljubljana, Academy of Music
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2PM UTC: Brass section : incorporating group concepts | Module Aesthetics, Cultures, Identities and Artistic Encounters
This webinar will concentrate on brass instruments playing, but its content is meant to be of interest to any musician, no matter which instrument he plays. He will tackle three questions, all of which will be opened for discussion with the participants: (1) What defines a good section/ensemble player? (2) To which extent the fact that one plays/performs in a small classroom or an auditorium must modify his way of playing? And (3) how can we understand the sound concept of a brass instrument or section through the scores of symphonic composers?
Speaker: Hugo Assunção
Proposed by Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.
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3PM UTC: Guitar and vocals: an ongoing dialogue | Module Aesthetics, Cultures, Identities and Artistic Encounters
To establish a connection between the learning of an instrument such as the guitar and music as a broad subject, we need to look closely at some of the ways in which singing finds a “natural partner” in this instrument. By doing so, we can understand how being a creative musician is to a large extent connected to understand our own voice as “the” point of departure to it all. This webinar will put emphasis on the importance of the dialogue between our voice and the instrument we play. It will draw from examples showing the multiple ways in which guitar and the voice can interact, but also from insights on ear training´s invaluable contribution to a sustainable musical development.
Speaker: Afonso Pais
Proposed by Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.
Register here

Thursday 20 April

2PM UTC: Musicians-led labels: a view from the Portuguese jazz community | Module Career Development and Human, Social and Entrepreneurial Skills
This webinar will be hosted by Gonçalo Marques, the head of Robalo, a jazz and improvised music label (and collective) from Lisbon. It will feature two musicians, who also run musician-led organizations: João Pedro Brandão, from Porta-Jazz, a very important label and musician’s collective from Porto, and Rita Maria, from the label Roda, based in Coimbra. The three speakers will present their label and tackle practical issues, as well as the advantages that they can offer to musicians, compared to regular record companies. These presentations will be followed by a round-table discussion that will be open to questions from the audience.
Speakers: Gonçalo Marques, João Pedro Brandão, Rita Maria
Proposed by Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.
Register here

3PM UTC: Improvising on traditional melodies in a jazz context | Module Aesthetics, Cultures, Identities and Artistic Encounters
This webinar will question the limits of jazz as a genre. Does jazz have an essence? If so, is it a palpable substance (made of particular musical features) or, rather, is it a process, a certain way of doing things? The discussion will be based on sound examples of improvisations made on traditional melodies in a jazz context. During the presentation and analysis of these examples, the participants will be encouraged to share their reflections and experience.
Speaker: João Paulo
Proposed by Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.
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Friday 21 April

3PM UTC: Making performance opportunities happen | Module Career Development and Human, Social and Entrepreneurial Skills
Any musician who has something to tell would like to have an audience. This is why a musician needs to learn about the business side of music. In an increasingly diverse and competitive music industry, with the rapidly changing scene of performance venues, the road to a successful performing career remains this familiar old word: networking. Whether face-to-face or digitally, interacting with others is one of the best ways for musicians to get more visibility, improve their understanding of the industry, and find more performance opportunities. This webinar will feature two classical musicians based in Istanbul who are still exploring new ways of making performance opportunities happen.
Speakers: Amy Salsgiver, Jerfi Aji
Proposed by Istanbul Technical University MIAM.
Register here

Monday 24 April

1PM UTC: How to deal with a sound engineer in the context of a live performance? | Module Digital Technology
This webinar will cover the relationship between the engineer and the musicians, in the context of the studio and during live performance. Marti Jane Robertson will particularly focus on the importance of communication and how that can be improved, both on a technical and ethical way. Drawing on her many collaborations with musicians, producers and fellow technicians, Marti will talk about how cooperation on both sides is vitally important for a good audio outcome. In addition to these considerations, some technical tips on microphones and general setup will be given to musicians from the audience, who will be invited to share their own experience during the discussion period.
Speaker: Marti Jane Robertson
Proposed by Ente Musicale di Nuoro
Register here

Tuesday 25 April

1PM UTC: Multi-cam video production techniques for live performed music | Module Digital Technology
Video production for live performances and recordings can be technically challenging since audio editing and mixing are most often carried on a Digital Audio Workstation. As a consequence, video has to be handled on a separate software. Without a proper workflow, editing and synchronization of video recordings become very problematic, especially when there are multiple cameras and takes. This webinar will cover the technical challenges of using separate software for audio and video editing, and provide an easy-to-follow workflow that solves synchronization issues. It will feature real-world examples to better understand how to synchronize multiple audio edits and multi-cam videos.
Speaker: Ozan Sarier
Proposed by Istanbul Technical University MIAM.
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2PM UTC: The experience of studio recording and recording technology | Module Digital Technology
We now live in a continuous exchange of information and culture. A massive portion of that shared content consists of media products created in recording studios. In the era of home recording and democratization of sound, the existence of recording studios and high end recording gear have become questionable. Due to recent developments within the media industry, many studios are trying to adapt to the latest demands of the major companies and digital music platforms. This webinar will tackle the steps of music production in relation with the structure of music recording studios and technology. The latest developments of media and music production culture will be presented.
Speaker: Can Karadoğan
Proposed by Istanbul Technical University MIAM.
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3PM UTC: How to integrate electronic music tools within instrumental compositions? | Module Digital Technology
How can we integrate instrumental sounds with electronics effectively? In an effort to touch both the aesthetic and technical aspects of this matter, I will present a M4L device I have developed for mixed media composition which yields my musical material combining the concepts of three sound art schools: acoustic sounds by live performers, electronic sounds produced via real time signal processing and random. Excerpts will be heard from my composition Outside-time sketch, for two cellos and live processing, which I created using the aforementioned M4L device. Finally, I will shortly refer to pedagogical methods I use in teaching this material.
Speaker: Manolis Ekmektsoglou
Proposed by Istanbul Technical University MIAM.
Register here

Wednesday 26 April

12AM UTC: Percussion: a paradigm for change | Module Aesthetics, Cultures, Identities and Artistic Encounters
This webinar will put forward the multiple (if not infinite) uses of percussion instruments as a model for creativity and exploration. It will delve into some of its history and present some original sound examples, from the classical repertoire, but also from popular music traditions all around the globe. In addition to comparing the way percussion instruments are used, the webinar will raise a central question: how this peculiar (and infinite!) family of instruments can inspire musical and social change?
Speaker: Pedro Carneiro
Proposed by Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.
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1PM UTC: What is Mediterranean identity? | Module Aesthetics, Cultures, Identities and Artistic Encounters
Identities are both imagined, and grounded on shared history, culture, and practices. This is the case of “Mediterranean identity”. But what do we mean when we use (as if I went without saying) this expression? What is, or what are Mediterranean identities?
A first part of this webinar will be devoted to a rapid historical survey of periods where the Mediterranean world was (at least partly) unified, from the Roman Empire to the Ottoman Empire which was disintegrated in 1918. The second part of this webinar will be devoted to contemporary efforts to promote, (re)build and (re)imagine Mediterranean identities. It will focus on the content of contemporary music projects which bring forward such an identity.
Speaker: Martin Guerpin
Proposed by the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
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2PM UTC: Interculturality in the performing arts | Module Aesthetics, Cultures, Identities and Artistic Encounters
This webinar will question the notion of Mediterranean identity within the music industry. What does this idea of ‘Mediterranean’ refer to? How a musician becomes a ‘Mediterranean artist’? Which meanings are expressed through this label? In order to address these questions, we will discuss the notion of ‘interculturality’, from the example of circus practitioners (Circus as Intercultural Encounter, Caravan, 2022). Based on postcolonial theories, this webinar will propose to think of interculturality as a reflective, performative, and transformative notion. Through an interactive discussion, this webinar will provide a space for musicians to reflect on their position within the music industry.
Speaker: Ophélie Mercier
Proposed by the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
Register here

 

Previous sessions are available for free on Medinea’s Youtube channel: session 1, session 2, session 3.

Medinea On Air is a Erasmus+ funded programme that unites six Medinea members from the Mediterranean region. The project aims to provide specific preparation for classical musicians and improvisers who wish to integrate the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra’s symphonic and Medinea Sessions; and more broadly, to enrich young musicians’ musical training. However, the programme remains open to all. Therefore, in addition to Audition and Competition Preparation, Medinea On Air provides three other modules: Digital Technology, Career Development and Human, Social and Entrepreneurial Skills and Aesthetics, Cultures, Identities and Artistic Encounters.

In coproduction with ARC Research and Consultancy (Malta), Ente Musicale di Nuoro (Italy), Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa (Portugal), Festival d’Aix-en-Provence / Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée (France), Istanbul Technical University / MIAM (Turkey), University of Ljubljana, Academy of music (Slovenia).

With the support of Erasmus+ programme.