Everybody knows that there’s strength in numbers: cooperating, being part of a network, sharing information are essential things in the communication age. We have such a thing in our musical world, thanks to REMA (Réseau Européen de Musique Ancienne) the most extensive network for Early Music in Europe. Created in 2000 in Ambronay (France) with an office in Versailles, its main aim is to act as a network for its members, encouraging the exchange of knowledge, information and co-operations in the early music field. Nowadays, Rema boasts a membership of 130 organizations in 23 countries. And now, Theresia is part of it: our orchestra joined the team thanks to the decision to open the membership to new categories of Early Music professionals, in order to represent the field’s full spectrum. Rema was born to represent musical institutions and Festivals, now it includes musicians, ensembles, scholars, promoters and record producers. The decision was an immediate success, and in 2021 25 new entities joined the network in 2021 for a trial year.
Being part of Rema is very important for Theresia: this allows us not only to broaden and share our network, but above all, to work together on important issues like audience engagement, promote a less performed repertoire and enhance performance on period instruments.
We recently took part in a conference that brought together more than 30 representatives of musical institutions from all over Europe: the first live event after the Covid emergency started.
The two-day conference was very intense, with a busy schedule of round-table discussions and workshops, organized to actively engage all participants. In the first meeting, we had the chance to present Theresia Orchestra, explaining our system of scholarships and announcing our upcoming projects. In one of the workshops, we debated on REMA added value regarding the promotions of young professionals.
Then, a very extended round-table discussion focused on international globalization and on the “ecosystem” of early music’s world: it was a very interesting comparison of different points of view that pointed out how important it is to work on each “local” environment, especially with all the Covid-related constraints. Last but not least, we joined a workshop focused on drawing up a European cooperative project: obviously, it was a simulation, but a lot of ideas and issues came up.
The two days weren’t only devoted to discussions: we had the chance to listen to some very talented young musicians in live concerts hosted by the CCR Ambronay as part of the project EEEmerging, aimed at supporting young musicians from the early music field.
All the experience was incredibly stimulating: the challenges are many, but so were the ideas shared during the conference. We are looking forward to the new opportunities that being part of Rema will give us.
