Juliana Hodkinson: Professor of Classical and Electronic Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus
Juliana Hodkinson studied musicology and philosophy at King's College in Cambridge and Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield and has a PhD from the University of Copenhagen on silence in music and sound art. She has recently expanded her education portfolio to include continuing education programs in Creative Climate Leadership (Julie's Bicycle) and Sustainability — Environment, Economy and Society (London School of Economics). She is currently chairwoman of the Danish Composers Association and a member of the Board of KODA and the Council of Nordic Composers. She is also a member of the juries of the Berlin Senate's Co-Financing Fund and Ensemble Funding.
Christer Gustafsson: EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology) for Culture and Creativity.
Christer Gustafsson is a professor at Uppsala University, Gotland Campus. There he teaches cultural heritage conservation, sustainable development and the economics of cultural heritage preservation. He was Director (Landsantikvarie) of Halland Regional Museums, Head of the International Department, Head of the Construction and Conservation Team, Municipal Monument Protection Officer (Kommunanatikvarie) in the Sollentuna Municipality and Monument Protection Officer in Sweden. He was also a member of the expert panel of the EU agenda for research and innovation in the field of cultural heritage (2013-2015) and an international advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Construction and Nuclear Safety of the Federal Republic of Germany on cultural heritage guidelines. He is a member of the “European Heritage Label” expert group (as one of four experts appointed by the European Commission). Christer's video is in English.
Lisa Benjes: Director of the field notes program at inm — Inititative Neue Musik Berlin e.V.., which promotes the networking and visibility of contemporary music in Berlin and annually hosts the umbrella festival Month of Contemporary Music and the Time to Listen conference. She previously worked in various areas of the independent contemporary music scene and coordinated the German-French Fund for Contemporary Music Impuls Neue Musik at Bureau Export. From 2018 to 2024, she was a member and chair of the board of trustees of MUSIKFONDS e.V.
Elsbeth Bergh: President of Levande Music Gothenburg
Elsbeth Bergh is a violist who is primarily active in the field of contemporary and Baroque music. She has been a member of the Sonanza chamber ensemble and Karlsson Barock since 1987, where she also worked as a producer. Within the piano quartet Ensemble Makadam, she combines classical works with planned and unplanned improvisations. This creates new forms of performance and gives new impetus to classical music as an art form and expression. With her experience in project management, she strives to enable close encounters between children and young people with classical music in order to promote interest in forms of musical expression from an early age.
Gertrud Latif Knudsen, PhD - Postdoctoral Researcher, Aarhus University & Skovgaard Museum, Denmark
Gertrud Latif Knudsen is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Museology at Aarhus University and the Skovgaard Museum in Viborg Denmark. With a PhD in corporate communication and an academic background in media studies and visual culture, her research explores how art museums can act as platforms for social and local communities.
In collaboration with the Skovgaard Museum and their stakeholders, she has undertaken a series of experiments investigating the museum’s role in civic engagement, cultural sustainability, and collaborative practices. Knudsen has published on museum and stakeholders, the role of museums, strategic partnerships between museums, schools and municipalities, and SME’s involvement in climate initiatives. Her work lies at the intersection of museology, corporate communication, and institutional and local transformation.
Bjørnar Habbestad: Director of NYmusikK Norway
Since NYmusikK was founded in 1938, contemporary music has evolved significantly and has entered into far-reaching interactions with art forms such as film, installations, dance, literature, performances, electronic media and digital sound production. NYmusikK reflects this interdisciplinary genre by combining sound and musical experiences with critical reflection and debate.
With thirteen regional branches in Norway, including Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Tromsø, NYmusikK promotes innovative music and gives new target groups access to contemporary sound art. The head office in Oslo organizes the Only Connect Festival of Sound every year and is committed to improving conditions in the field of contemporary music in Norway.
Marcus Hagemann is Director of the cultural initiative ARS BALTICA and in this role part of numerous transformative international projects such as Creative Ports, BSR Cultural Pearls, and Creative Climate Leadership, all of which harness the power of culture to foster social resilience. With extensive experience in running innovative workshop formats, he is invited to speak at international panel sessions, contributing his expertise on cultural collaboration and creative industries. A accomplished cellist and cultural manager, Hagemann has built a career at the intersection of music, art, and strategic cultural development. Born in Donaueschingen and now based in Berlin, he began playing the cello at an early age and won numerous national and international competitions, including Jugend Musiziert, the CYSO competition in Cincinnati (USA), and the Oleg-Kagan-Memorial Prize at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival (FI). He studied cello and musicology in Saarbrücken, Cincinnati, and London, later complementing his artistic education with a postgraduate degree in cultural management from the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre. From 2002 to 2009, he was the Artistic Director and Managing Director of the Cully Classique Festival in Switzerland, followed by his role as Artistic Director of the Nordlichter Festival in Berlin from 2009 to 2014. In 2013, he was appointed Director of ARS BALTICA, where he has since played a central role in advancing cross-sectoral collaborations in the Baltic Sea Region and beyond. His work in curating the Borusan New Series and Nordic-Sounds-Istanbul further showcases his ability to merge artistic excellence with cultural diplomacy. A Salzburg Global Forum alumnus, Hagemann has been recognized for his contributions to cultural innovation and interdisciplinary cooperation. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Cultural Prize of the City of Constance.
Wolfgang Schmidt: International Affairs of the City of Kiel
Wolfgang Schmidt has extensive experience in international cooperation and business promotion. He works in the Department of Economics of the state capital Kiel and is coordinator of the SEA-EU Cities Council, an alliance of nine universities that is building a campus from the North Cape to Naples. He also heads the steering group of the STRING megaregion, which develops sustainable economic models for Northern Europe with the OECD.
As a member of the Executive Committee of the Union of the Baltic Cities and Chair of the Commission for Smart and Prosperous Cities, he promotes cooperation between civil society, business and universities. In his role as Secretary General of the Conference of European Cross Border and Interregional City Network (CECIN), he coordinated a network of over 500 cities in border regions and 37% of the European population.
Wolfgang Schmidt studied political science, sociology and literature at Kiel University and completed his education from 1990 to 1996. He previously worked in business administration for a year.
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