Pilot project 'Constellations' starts

NICA artist Pablo Gīw takes part in first edition of the european exchange

Together with nine other organisations of the Europe Jazz Network (EJN), NICA artist development (as part of Stadtgarten Köln) is launching the pilot project ‘Constellations’ in 2023.

The collaborative exchange programme aims to revive and expand the international ambitions and networks of musicians and professionals after a long period of pandemic restrictions. This is done through research stays of the participants in one of the European partner locations each, through meetings, networking and exchange of professional know-how and contacts. Constellations’ aims to set the foundation for a better networked and more sustainable music scene.

All partner organisations involved in ‘Constellations’ run their own musician support programmes. In organising and implementing ‘Constellations’, they draw on existing infrastructures and contacts. The participating artists and cultural workers benefit from these competences not only during their respective research stays, but also at joint meetings such as the European Jazz Conference in Marseille this autumn.

For NICA artist development, trumpeter and improviser Pablo Gīw is taking part in ‘Constellations’. He will spend seven days in Paris and Lyon at the end of March, building on his existing interest in the improvised music scene in France. Paris-based pianist Delphine Deau has been through the Jazz Migration programme of the Association Jazzé Croisé (AJC). For her further musical career, she wishes to gain new insights and perspectives, which she hopes to find in Germany and especially in the Cologne scene, supported by NICA artist development.

The pilot edition of ‘Constellations’ runs until November 2023. ‘Constellations’ is funded by the European Union and supported by MusicAire as part of the Music Moves Europe programme.