Réseau Varèse: An Ambition of European Cultural Cooperation

The diffusion of works and ideas has undoubtedly played a crucial part in the formation of Europe, a Europe of artists and musicians. The fact that today we have access to letters and travel diaries and can trace the routes of composers and musicians helps us to comprehend the importance of travelling and mutual influences.

At a time of Europe-wide political organisation those cultural institutions that traditionally rather act in a national context are facing a new challenge: how can local (national or regional) tasks be combined with legitimate European concerns?

Réseau Varèse (founded in 1999) looks for new ways of facing the challenge. Funded by the EU programme Culture 2000, Réseau Varèse is in a position to support its members in their common aim of effectively propagating new musical works, to promote cooperation without interfering with the artistic decisions of individual members.

The modus operandi combines the two maxims of Réseau Varèse: idealism, i.e. the endeavour to make contemporary music reach as many people as possible; and pragmatism, i.e. dealing with the indispensable necessities of the financing and propagation of musical works.

Following the conferences in Budapest (October 2004) and Oslo (October 2005), we want to continue the critical reflection of this approach also at the Berlin conference. We are looking forward to controversial discussions and a lively exchange of experience. Therefore, we have invited participants that act outside our own network and will ask them to give us their views on the questions, problems and tasks that arise in the context of European cultural cooperation. This year’s main focus shall lie on the issues of education and formation within Europe, and their integration into the creative process.