2021 CULTURAL JOURNALISM WORKSHOP

Workshop open to early-career journalists, musicologists, authors, philosophers and dramaturgical thinkers who write in German, Dutch, English or French.

Against the background of profound change in the media sector, the Cultural Journalism Workshop aims to introduce participants to the principles of critical review and cultural journalism in opera and to analyse how these activities are practiced.

The workshop is intended for students or young professionals who are active in diverse cultural areas and in a variety of media (written press, podcasts, videos, blogs, etc.) and who wish to write about opera and/or about their relationship with other multidisciplinary musical forms. Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the field and the codes of opera, or of their motivated interest in this domain.

Breaking down the traditional barriers in this field is the central theme of the creative workshop led by the journalist Shirley Apthorp and the dramaturge Willem Bruls. To achieve this, the workshop offers a space to reflect upon the technique, forms and role of critical review both in opera and in a broader cultural landscape. It allows for an exchange of practical tools for improvement and encourages a dramaturgical approach to criticism. It is also a laboratory for research and emancipation in cultural journalism today.

The six-day workshop will include productions and conferences with artists and professionals, and will offer a unique immersion in the heart of a specific Festival activity. Participants will be asked to produce collective or individual critical content at the end of the workshop.

« The continuation of expert professional commentary on music and music theatre is essential for the healthy future of art-form. » Shirley Apthorp & Willem Bruls

The workshop is mainly held in English. Written work may be done in German, Dutch, French or English.

The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in no way interferes with the content and/or form of the elements produced by participants during the residency. A professional documentation kit will be made available for the use of the participants.

MENTORS

Shirley Apthorp (Ireland / South Africa) — Journalist
Willem Bruls (Netherlands) — Dramaturge

PARTICIPANTS

Eight students or young professionals who write about diverse cultural areas in a variety of media in German, Dutch, English or French: Marcin Bogucki, Matilda Cerone, Jordan Hardesty, Ema Katrovas, Judith Lebiez, Gabriele Slizyte, Jean Tain and Miroslava Tyrina.

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