COMMUNICATION
A place for European, regional, national and local dialogue
REMA is a meeting place. As well as regular work group meetings and more formal meetings of the executive board (4-8 times per year), board of directors (4 times per year) and the General Assembly, REMA also organises a number of other meetings. One such example is the “Partners' Forum”, which is open to all REMA members. The Forum is intended to be a flexible “Speakers’ Corner” that offers the opportunity for all members to speak if they wish to do so. The proceedings are led by a facilitator, who fields and manages questions and reactions from the audience. REMA members can use this opportunity to express their interest in artistic projects and / or future co-productions, as well as considering buying one (or more) of the productions presented if they wish (e.g. for festivals taking place at the same time). The Forum is also an opportunity to find partners or employees in practical, technical, organisational or legal roles as well those involved in production. The aim of this activity is to help REMA members to identify the right European partners and learn more about their projects. It is key to the development of REMA’s role as a network that distributes European Early Music to the rest of the world. It allows members to come together, learn and enjoy Early Music, incorporate Early Music into their programmes and thereby extend it to a wider audience.
A series of Training Workshops and conferences for members has also been created, with the aim of using the network to analyse common problems facing members in the social, budgetary, audio-visual and organisational aspects of their festivals.
REMA has decided to organise meeting days between specific geographical regions, intended to allow new countries to learn about REMA. The aim of these events is to share information and widen the membership of REMA. It is REMA’s desire to develop dialogue and exchange of projects, ideas and issues beyond national borders and outside existing circles, and to encourage cooperation and interaction.
REMA is organising meetings and conferences on themes designed to provide members with an opportunity to learn about the “current state” of Early Music, or on subjects that promote the role of Early Music in collaborations with other cultural actors.
REMA has set up an initiative to promote regional and local dialogue, involving the creation and supervision of the REMA National Committees: by country or group of countries (Italy, Spain, France, Benelux, Visegrád Group, etc). REMA was approached by members who wanted more time to engage in dialogue with members from the same country or group of countries, such as the Visegrád Group. It was therefore decided to create and encourage these “National Committee” meetings. Each committee nominates a coordinator, who acts as the official liaison with REMA. The National Committee is neither a “mini-REMA” for the country or group of countries, nor is it an independent association. Instead, the National Committee is a national grouping of REMA members that works on subjects specific to that country or group of countries. REMA provides dedicated time for the National Committees at each network meeting. REMA will include reports from each National Committee in an annual digest of their work, enabling each committee to take inspiration from the work achieved and themes dealt with by other committees. REMA therefore acts as a multiplier effect.
Discussion and dialogue are also encouraged through various communication tools: website (www.rema-eemn.net), leaflet in five languages, Catalogue of Competencies and four newsletters per year.
The website has almost 27,000 visitors per year. The site reaches an audience well beyond the boundaries of REMA: it is a key reference point for everyone involved in Early Music. The European Early Music Network (réseau européen de musique ancienne) yields more than 4000 hits when entered into a search engine such as Google. The REMA newsletter (REMANEWS) is an internal communication tool that brings the latest REMA news to its members and, more importantly, includes features on member activities and festivals. It also contains information about the young people performing at REMA’s showcase events, increasing their profile across the network.
Occasionally, when exceptional events occur, REMA announces news via press conferences or press releases. These press releases are featured in several different media. For example, REMA made two press releases in 2008 on the financial plight of Early Music festivals in
In 2009, REMA will promote “THE ESZTERHÁZA CHARTER ON EARLY OPERA PERFORMANCE". The charter will be officially signed on 6th December 2008 and promoted throughout