[Festivals Stories] ReMusica Festival

In the efforts to turn the tide of events which humanity is facing, hope appears on the horizon as a very subtle philosophy of life - the hope of joy, the hope of happiness, the hope of song, the hope of life. It appears when everything seems lost. Hope will shine at the end of our dark thoughts and triumph over despair as an unforgivable sin. Undoubtedly we all need added strength, a revival that will remind us that the concept appears as the driving force in achieving a better, happier world. The pandemic revealed the fundamental problems of our way of life and this revival should serve to address these problems. At the heart of today's situation are the words Hope and Revival - RISE!

As a Festival we were confronted with a major dilemma, should we continue to develop the planned programme and concerts? If yes, how should we do that so we ensure we do not jeopardise public health? How do we keep up the quality of concerts and how do we reach our public? Trying to answer these questions we understood that our mission as a music bridging platform between the audience and the artist now calls precisely to upheld our goal and bringpeople closer at a time when social distancing became a norm. We engaged in virtual form of music awareness raising to engage and reach a new public.

The 19th edition of ReMusica Festival came in a new format adapted to new circumstances. Despite this, last year's programme preserved the quality, volume and physiognomy built over the years, sending the Kosovar public on a journey to European halls, including of course Kosovo.

We managed to uphold the planned programme, commissioned new pieces and provide the concerts which were produced in the cities where the artists reside. Concerts were produced in the following venues: Het Concertgebow Amsterdam; Red Hall Pristina; Lorely-Saal Vienna,; Musee National Henner Paris; Red Hall Pristina; KulturForum, Munster.

ReMusica festival collaborated with other institutions in the framework of Festivals for Compassion. This initiative brings festivals around Europe together to express their solidarity in the difficult self-isolation times caused by the COVID19 pandemic. The concerts were diffused via our webpage, where they were live-streamed on certain dates and time, as well as on Klan Kosova TV, with a national wide reach. Visibility: More than 300,000 reached on online social media platforms.

As in the previous years, ReMusica Festival proved to be the cornerstone of the cultural and concert life not only in Pristina, but in the whole of Kosovo. Not only did the festival provide a well-crafted and exiting programme for the audience in Kosovo, but through its activities it played a significant role in the promotion of local artists and composers, artistic capacity building, music education and innovation.

More information: https://remusicafestival.com/

(General Editor: Simon Mundy)