Dear colleagues and friends,
As we move into 2026, I am delighted to share highlights from across our vibrant AEC community.
In February, the AEC Pop & Jazz Platform 2026 brought a record-breaking 200 educators, students, musicians, and leaders to Helsinki for four days of exchange and artistic inspiration. Hosted by Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, the gathering explored 'Power of Music: self‑expression, community engagement and wellbeing in music' through interactive sessions, workshops, performances, and peer‑learning formats that reinforced creativity, openness, and community as central pillars of our field.
This edition also marked the Kick‑Off of the AEC–ECSA–EJN–JMI Mentorship Programme 2025–2027. This EU‑funded initiative empowers emerging female and non‑binary creators through six months of mentorship, international networking, and professional development, delivered in partnership with our valued collaborators across Europe.
Looking ahead, I warmly invite you to join us in Oslo for the European Platform for Artistic Research in Music 2026, taking place 9–11 April at the Norwegian Academy of Music. EPARM continues to serve as a vital forum for artistic research, supporting discourse, innovation, and the sharing of original creative work within Higher Music Education. Places are filling up fast, a testament to our thriving and curious sector.
We also look forward to connecting with communication colleagues across our network at the AEC Comms Exchange on 27 March, a peer‑to‑peer forum designed to support authentic institutional storytelling and the sharing of both successes and challenges in communication practice in HME.
Finally, I am pleased to introduce you to a new colleague in the AEC Office, Paola Curci, new Administrative and Financial Coordinator. Welcome Paola!
I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming gatherings as we continue strengthening and celebrating our shared European and wider musical landscape.
Deborah Kelleher
AEC President
In Brussels and beyond, AEC is working with European partners to secure stronger cultural investment, support renewed UK participation in EU programmes, and ensure that Creative Europe remains ambitious, accessible and adequately resourced for the years ahead.
From 12 to 15 February 2026, 200 participants joined the 20th edition of AEC Pop & Jazz Platform (PJP) which took place in Helsinki, Finland, hosted by Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.
Kick-off Meeting launches AEC–ECSA–EJN–JMI Mentorship Programme in the frame of the AEC Pop and Jazz Platform in Helsinki.
The AEC Special Education Needs (SEN) Working Group (WG) held its first in-person meeting on 16-17 February, in Brussels, Belgium.
The AEC is happy to announce the new composition of the EASY Mobility Online Task Force. The new manual is also available for its users.
From 29 to 31 January 2026, more than 50 international relations coordinators gathered at the Conservatorio di Musica “Luca Marenzio” in Brescia, Italy for a practical workshop on project funding, mobility and digitisation.
Join the next AEC Comms Exchange on March 27th for an institutional deep dive into the balancing act between internal and external communication. Three guest speakers will share their real-world successes and challenges in a peer-to-peer session designed to foster authentic learning across the network.
The first 2026 METRIC Online Improvisation Sessions were held on 29 January and 23 February, with contributions from Richard Barrett and Ensemble+. Recordings are available on the AEC YouTube Channel.
Join the d@rts International Conference & Artistic Reunion 15-17 October 2026 at the Gustav Mahler Private University of Music on Cultural Literacies: Social empowerment through the arts. Throughout the event, speakers and artists will present best practices across Europe, promoting cultural literacy and enhancing social inclusion.
MUSIC4D announces the official launch of its groundbreaking advanced training program, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Music starting on February 19, 2026. This 8-week program is designed to explore the fascinating intersections between cutting-edge technology and musical expression.
Join the “Rethinking Relevance” MCIM International Symposium on 15-16 April, a meeting ground for those who want to shake up inherited traditions and recompose the role of classical music in society.
Join the 11th edition of “Sentiamoci a Parma” in Parma (Italy) at Conservatorio “Arrigo Boito”! The event will take place from 15 to 18 April, 2026.
Applications are now open for the 1st Milka Ternina International Singing Competition. The competition will take place from 15 to 19 June 2026 at the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb.
Applications will close soon for the 2026/27 LSO Conservatoire Scholarships, aiming at ensuring that musicians from all backgrounds have access to conservatoire training and reduce barriers to entering the profession.
AEC Office Announcements
We are pleased to welcome Paola Curci as the AEC’s new Administration and Finance Coordinator. Paola first joined the organisation as a Project and Membership Management intern and, as of February 2026, has stepped into this new role within the team. In her position, she will also be the main point of contact for all matters related to AEC membership, supporting our community with dedication and care. We are delighted to see Paola continue her journey with AEC and look forward to the valuable contribution she will bring to our work.
Paola can be reached at paolacurci@aec-music.eu.
AEC Events
9-11 April 2026
Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo
European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM) 2026
2-5 September 2026
Conservatorio “F. Bonporti” in Trento
AEC International Relations Coordinators Meeting
AEC Vacancy Platform
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
