Letter of motivation for ECA-EC board Linda Laurson Attending the Europa Cantat Festival in Tallinn this year and being part of the Young Event Management Program strengthened my wish to be part of the Europa Choral Association Europa Cantat and is why I am standing as a candidate for the board today. I am very interested in European (youth) projects, and took part in the EuroChoir twice in the years 2013 and 2014. I am a member of REVOICE International vocal ensemble from its first hour, which compounds of EuroChoir alumni and gives concerts all around Europe. Furthermore I founded and organize the Austrian National Youth Choir (Jugendchor Österreich) back in 2014, which is one week of summer course for advanced singers and takes place in a different county of Austria each year with a different conductor. Since 2018 I am the association s president and get to represent the choir and secure its funding. I bring a lot of practical experience working with musicians and through several tours through Europe and parts of Asia with Orchester Wiener Akademie, which I managed for two years and which makes it easy for me to adapt to new people, situations and countries. I hope to help the ECA-EC with my contacts in Austria and my experience as an organizer of concerts and tours nationally and internationally through my work as an orchestra manager and as a production manager at Festspielhaus St. Pölten. Last year I decided to go back to university and attend a Master s program for Music Management, which I will finish next year and which brings me additional expertise. For me it would be important to help developing the YEMP program for the upcoming Europa Cantat Festival 2021 in Ljubljana, also in connection with the STAP program. Additionally I want to encourage possible cooperations between member choral associations and to foster the relationship between Austria and the ECA-EC with the idea of bringing the Europa Cantat Festival or other ECA-EC events to Austria again. Linda Laurson (née Wiesinger) Laxenburgerstraße 1-5/3/27 1100 Wien Tel: 0699/10682133 linda.laurson@outlook.com 1/8
1. Why are you interested in becoming a Board member of the European Choral Association - Europa Cantat? What makes you a good Board member? I have had the possibility to experience several events of ECA-EC already: I have been a singer in the EuroChoir in the years 2013 (Pécs) and 2014 (Saintes). I have attended the General Assembly of ECA-EC in 2014 in Barcelona, have been a participant in the Europa Cantat Festival 2015 in Pécs and this year joined the Young Event Managers Program of Europa Cantat in Tallinn. All those projects and especially the work at this year s Europa Cantat festival made me want to join the board of the European Choral Association. I want to support those extraordinary projects and allow as many people as possible to have the same fantastic experiences as I did. I would make a good board member because I already have quite some experience in the cultural and music management field, as I have been working as an orchestra manager, organizing tours all over Europe and parts of Asia and am currently working in the production department of a concert venue in Austria. I also have experience as a board member of the Austrian Choral Association (ChVÖ) and the Austrian National Youth choir Association, of which I am the president since 2018. 2. How can you contribute to the development of the federation and what would you like to focus on during the period on board? I would love to build a bridge to Austria and the Austrian Choral Association so that hopefully ECA-EC projects will also take place in Austria again. I have a strong network in the Austrian choral scene and beyond and it would be important to me that more Austrians know about ECA-EC and the possibilities that it offers. (As unfortunately there were only very few Austrians attending the last Europa Cantat Festival in Tallinn.) I am good at getting things done even if that means hands on work, which was very helpful during the YEMP program in Tallinn. But I am also good at detecting spelling mistakes and incorrect weblinks on websites and printing materials etc. I would love to help develop and improve the YEMP program for the Europa Cantat Festival in Ljubljana in 2021, since I have experienced it myself this year. And I would be very interested to work on the STAMP program and figure out how these two programs can interlink even better. 3. What is your vision about the European Choral Association - Europa Cantat and its activities? My vision is to involve and reach more and new people with the activities of the European Choral Association to give them the possibilities to have the same wonderful experiences that I have had. 2/8
Europass Curriculum Vitae Personal information First name / Surname Linda Laurson (née. Wiesinger) Address Laxenburgerstraße 1-5/3/27, 1100 Wien, Österreich Mobile 0699/10682133 E-Mail linda.laurson@outlook.com Nationality Austrian Date of birth 21.07.1990 Gender Female Education and Training Dates Title of gualification awarded Principal subjects Name and type of organisation providing education and training October 2017 current Master of Arts in Music Management Production and Distribution, Music Management, Management and Entrepreneurship Donau Universität Krems Title of qualification awarded Principal subjects Name and type of organisation providing education and training Dates September 2011 July 2012 Bachelor of Business Administrations (BBA) Financial Statement Analysis, Business Finance, Global Business and Marketing, Industrial Marketing, Negotiation, Organizational Communication, Leadership and Teambuilding, Controlling, Logistics European University: Center for Management Studies Title of qualification awarded Principal subjects Name and type of organisation providing education and training Work experience Dates September 2009 June 2011 Diploma in culture and congress Management Accounting, Business and Economics, Cultural and Congress Management, Business English, Spanish, Project Management College of HLA Baden, specializing in culture and congress management Dates September 2018 - current Production Manager Festspielhaus St. Pölten, Kulturbezirk 2, 3100 St. Pölten Organisation of projects, creating dispositions, organisation of travels (flights, hotels, visa, transportation of instruments), preparing contracts, communication with soloists and agents, 3/8
Dates July 2018 Internal Communication & Coordination Check-In Europa Cantat XX Developing a communication strategy, attending management meetings & issuing agenda and minutes; developing and arranging a system for check-in of 5.000 choir singers; coordinating and setting up a system for the packing of 5.000 participants bags; Dates March April 2017 Tour Management Musikkonzept Veranstaltungsservice GmbH, Reisnerstraße 28, 1030 Wien Tour Management of the production Just call me God with Hollywood actor John Malkovich, Sophie von Kessel and other actors; Director: Michael Sturminger; Tour route: Hamburg Vienna Amsterdam Groningen Birmingham London Luxembourg Moscow Budapest Munich. Arrangement of travels; Arrangement of transportation of equipment, costumes, stage props; visa; tickets; Dates September 2015 November 2017 Orchestra Manager Orchester Wiener Akademie, Reisnerstraße 28, 1030 Wien Organisation of all orchestra projects (international tours, concerts, cd-recordings, tv-recordings, galas); creating dispositions, organisation of travels (flights, hotels, visa, transportation of instruments) for orchestra, soloists and conductor; preparing and negotiating contracts; updating biographies for conductor, soloists and orchestra (in German and English); communication with orchestra musicians, soloists, agents, presenters, sponsors; updating of social media channels (Instagram, facebook) Dates July 2013 July 2015 Assistant Artists Manager Mark Stephan Buhl Artists Management, Geylinggasse 1, 1130 Wien Organisation of all projects: preparing contracts, hotel and travel arrangements, visa, preparation of tax documents, dispositions; Updating of website and biographies (German and English) Personal skills and competences Mother tongue(s) German Other language(s) English, Spanish, French Self-assessment Understanding Speaking Writing European level (*) Listening Reading Spoken interaction Listening English C1 C1 C1 B2 B2 Spanish A2 A2 A1 A1 A1 French A1 A1 - - - (*) Common European Framework of Reference for Languages 4/8
Organisational skills and competences Computer skills and competences Founding and organising of Austrian National Youth Choir (Jugendchor Österreich) since 2018 as its president; Board member of Austrian Choral Association (Chorverband Österreich) Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) approved through European Computer Driving Licence Core; Project management tools (File-Maker, OPAS, Kokos) Artistic skills and competences Piano (4 years) Musikschule Schwechat Flute (5 years) Musikschule Schwechat Saxophon (5 years) Musikschule Südheide Singing (several years) Musikschule Schwechat, Musikschule Hernals Choirs: Village Voices Rauchenwarth, Schola Cantorum, Wiener Singakademie, Wiener Singverein, Wiener Kammerchor, Landesjugendchor Wien, Revoice International Vocal Ensemble, Cathedral Choir St. Stephen; Choir courses: 1996-2006: Familiensingwoche Wolf / Dietl / Mann (Hohenlehen an der Ybbs) 2002: Chor & Tanz Workshop für Kids (Schloss Zell an der Pram) Conductor: Georg Steinschaden 2007: Internationales Chorseminar (Schloss Zell an der Pram) Conductor: Markus Obereder 2008: Jugendsingwoche (Kloster Pernegg) Conductor: Thomas Huber 2009: Laudate Dominum Bildungswoche für Kirchenmusiker (St. Pölten) Conductor: Erwin Ortner 2010: International Acapella School (Exeter, England) Conductor: Stephen Conolly 2011: Chorwerkstatt Cantemus (Mold, Waldviertel) Conductor: Robert Feichtinger 2012, 2013, 2014: Vokalwoche Melk (Stift Melk) Conductor: Heinz Ferlesch 2013, 2014: Eurochoir 2015, 2016, 2017: Jugendchor Österreich, Conductor: Franz M. Herzog, Markus Obereder, Christian Dreo Other skills and competences Driving license Course for radio and stage presentation at Radio High School Vienna (October 2008 February 2009), B 5/8
September 13th, 2018 Letter of Endorsement - Linda Laurson To whom it may concern, REVOICE! International Vocal Ensemble is happy to endorse Linda Laurson's candidacy to the board of ECA-EC. We have known Linda for six years, first as a singer in EuroChoir and since 2014 as a member of REVOICE from its first days. REVOICE! is an international choir of 40 singers from 23 different countries, established in 2014 and led by five young conductors. We meet 3-4 times a year, each time in a different country. We believe in building bridges and crossing borders, driven by the power of friendship and our shared love of choral music. Linda has always been an integral part of the ensemble, as a singer and as a friend. She has supported and embodied our message of peacebuilding and dialogue through music. Linda's leadership and organizational skills are evident through her work with the Jugendchor Österreich, as a YEMPer in Europa Cantat Festival 2018 in Tallinn and her day to day work as manager in the music sector in Austria. We believe that Linda would be an excellent new addition to the ECA-EC board, and we wholeheartedly support her candidacy. Best wishes, Taum Karni Fabien Aubé Conductors On behalf of the board of REVOICE! International Vocal Ensemble 6/8
Candidature Linda Laurson 7/8
Prof. Dkfm. Anneliese ZEH Tel. +43 (0) 650 91 22801 anneliese.zeh@gmx.at European Choral Association - Europa Cantat To the members of the board and the membership of ECA EC Vienna, September 5, 2018 Ref: Candidature of Linda Laurson to the Board Letter of recommendation Dear All! I really appreciated the four years of being vice-president of ECA EC and the joint projects that could take place in Austria while I was president of the Austrian Choral Association. In cooperation with ECA EC, the International Competition for Young Choral Conductors 2004 in Vienna and the European Academies for Choral Conductors in 2009 and 2012 in Graz and the Composition Award were organized and involved Austria in the VOICE project. Linda Laurson is member of the board of the Austrian Choral Association and learned a lot about ECA Europa Cantat, its philosophy and background, by attending the EuroChoir, the Revoice Choir and visiting the festival in Pecs and as a YEMPER in Tallinn this summer. She decided to try for a candidature to the board at the general assembly in November 2018. I know Linda Laurson as a very nice person and especially appreciate her abilities as professional organizer and manager of cultural events. She is a great networker and as president of the Austrian National Youth Choir could be the perfect link to improve the connections between ECA EC and the Austrian Choral Scene again. I hope Linda Laurson will be successful with her application. Best regards to everybody attending the general assembly and all the best for the future of ECA EC. Prof. Dkfm. Anneliese Zeh 8/8