The project underlines the need for cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans in the field of classical contemporary music, which will result in a greater recognition of this important peripheral CCI sector on a European scale.

The title of the project reflects its primary goals: to sharpen the skills of the participants (in classical music, the sign ‘#’ is called ‘sharp’) and to synergise the activities of the project partners. The project connects six relevant art music festivals from the Western Balkans and the EU (Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo*, Slovenia and Croatia).

The festivals will co-commission new pieces by selected mid-career composers (2 composers per festival, 12 in total). Each composer will take part in a residence programme with another project partner and he/she will write a piece which provides an artistic response to a chosen socially relevant topic.

These pieces will be performed by selected emerging classical music performers from all project partners (ca. 40 in total) who will present this new music to audiences throughout the Western Balkan partners and in EU project countries.

Thus, composers and performers will receive a strong international boost, while the festivals will benefit from the transnational exchange of know-how and resources which is, at the moment, virtually non-existent.

In parallel, the project partners will undertake activities to further develop their own capacities in cultural management. Six workshops will be organised (one per partner) dealing with different relevant issues of the industry, involving participants in peer-learning and experience sharing.

An independent expert research group will work on the policy analysis which will result in a guidebook for classical music industry in the Western Balkans and further.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence