AEC is starting engines for this year’s ECSA-AEC Mentorship Programme 2022-2023, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, and jointly developed by ECSA – European Composer and Songwriter Alliance and EJN – Europe Jazz Network. The programme is meant to serve as an introduction to the music industry for young female composers and songwriters who are starting to approach their careers, with the support and guidance of well-established female professionals as role models, and with the ultimate goal of strengthening gender equality within the sector.
A total of 81 applications were submitted for both mentors and mentees to take part in the programme from all over Europe and beyond, which have been reviewed by a Selection Committee composed of members of the ECSA Diversity & Inclusion Working Group and members of the AEC Diversity, Inclusion & Gender Equality (DIGE) Working Group. The decision and matching criteria have been based on geographical diversity, experience in the sector, the balance between composers and songwriters, and discipline or music genre expertise.
The selected candidates for the ECSA-AEC Mentorship Programme 2022-2023 are:
- Songwriters: Valentina Fin (mentor) – Rotem Aberbach (mentee)
- Songwriters: Rebecca Ferguson (mentor) – Lia Meier (mentee)
- Songwriters: Aija Puurtinen (mentor) – Sharareh Sheikhan (mentee)
- Songwriters: Jill Mary Thomas (mentor) – Wike Schippers (mentee)
- Composers: Sorana Santos (mentor) – Liza Bec (mentee)
- Composers: Hélène Muddiman (mentor) – Tine Surel Lange (mentee)
The kick-off meeting will take place on 21st March in Brussels, in the frame of the ECSA Creators Conference 2023, with all mentors and mentees who will receive guidelines and “goals” form as a basis for their one-on-one appointments. Then, a 6-months mentorship session will start from 1st April onwards, composed of 3 individual online meetings taking place every 2 months. A final networking and dissemination event will take place in the frame of the AEC Annual Congress and General Assembly 2024 (date and location to be confirmed).
For more information about this year’s ECSA-AEC Mentorship Programme, please do not hesitate to contact Tatiana Papastoitsi at tatiana.papastoitsi@composeralliance.org and/or Alfonso Guerra at alfonsoguerra@aec-music.eu.
A new call for the EJN-AEC Mentorship Programme 2023-2024 will open in October 2023 – stay tuned!
