The 18th edition of WOMEX, the world music expo finished five days of music and networking on Oct. 21 with a program that brought together industry leaders and the top sound makers.
Taking place in Southeastern Europe for the first time, there were 2200 delegates from 90 countries, WOMEX has established itself as the number one international hotspot among all music industry events.
Southeastern Europe was the group’s focus throughout the program, offering artists and music professionals from the region the opportunity to take center stage.
Having grown to eight stages, the WOMEX Showcase Festival presented more than 61 acts including 36 Jury-selected choices from nearly 50 countries at the international exhibition center Helexpo, Megaro and Kitchen Bar.
Dedicated exclusively to the artistic wealth of Southeastern Europe, the extra Club Globalkan stage hit the mark with delegates and the public audience alike. Club Globalkan was organized by a partner, Gaia, live with the support of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
A special gala concert with a strong local reference – My Sweet Canary – was offered at the opening. A hub for Sephardi Jewish culture for more than 400 years until the Nazis arrived, Thessaloniki was the childhood home of Roza Eskenazi, the legendary singer and first true star of rembetiko, to whom WOMEX paid tribute with a concert featuring artists from Greece, Turkey and Israel.
The production was based on a music documentary of the same name, masterminded by Roy Sher and Elpida Markianidou. Helen Kontos coordinated the project for the WOMEX opening. The next festival will be held Oct. 23-27 in Cardiff in Wales.
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