In early April, Donemus Manager Aleksandra Markovic spent a week in New York City, attending a conference and connecting with local partners and organisations. She had several fruitful meetings aimed at increasing the visibility of Donemus catalogue in the US. During her visit she spoke with representatives of various funding organisations, music institutions, nonprofessional orchestras, venues, artists, music libraries, music publishers, conservatories, cultural centers, and museums.
The main pillar of Aleksandra’s visit was her attendance at a conference Global Digital Music Studies, organised by the CUNY Graduate Center. There she gave a talk about Forbidden Music Regained, a project dedicated to composers persecuted during the Second World War. This project, done in close collaboration with the Leo Smit Foundation, has had a huge success in the recent years, and is enjoying increased popularity among musicologists and performing musicians alike. Aleksandra also used the opportunity to meet and catch up with composer Jakub Polaczyk, who is represented by Donemus, and discuss his plans for the upcoming period.
Aleksandra’s visit to New York yielded many promising contacts and new ideas. One of the avenues to pursue will be a stronger approach to US libraries and cultural centres, especially dedicated to persecuted composers. Another thread developed around her visits to the NL Consulate and the Netherlands American Foundation, both of which provided valuable insights into the mechanisms of institutional and financial support. The entire trip to New York has been very inspirational, and opened new possibilities for promoting music published by Donemus in the United States.
More about Forbidden Music Regained
More about Jakub Polaczyk
Composers in the crosshairs of our attention