We are very excited to announce the official Jury today, also known as the 7 Samurai. Together, the selected Jury will be curating the Showcases and Conference for the official Programme, in our 27th edition of the event that will be taking place in a physical format in Porto, Portugal, from 27 – 31 October 2021.
The official WOMEX Jury system was first established in 1999, and these annually changing jurors - like the constant mix of the WOMEX programme itself - come from all over the world. Representing ten countries, these four women and four men music champions with deep and varied expertise, working as music journalists, label owners, DJs, radio broadcasters, booking agents, festival directors and much more. Each selected Jury member brings with them their unique musical knowledge, background and forward-thinking ideas, inclusive of all sectors and specialism.
The Showcase Samurai:
António Guimarães (Portugal), owner, general manager, AMG music
Charlie Crooijmans (The Netherlands), music journalist, musicologist, radio host
Kerry Clarke (Canada), artistic director, Calgary Folk Music Festival; programmer, Block Heater Festival
Lewis Robinson (UK), owner, Mais Um Records; radio host: WorldwideFM, Soho Radio
Todd Puckhaber (USA), former senior music and event programming manager, SXSW
The Conference Samurai:
Ana Rodriguez (Mexico), band manager; co-chair, International Music Managers Forum; ceo, Relatable
Amani Semaan (Lebanon/France), co-founder, director, Beirut & Beyond
Club Summit Curator:
Juan Ortiz de Zaldumbide (Colombia/Sweden), co-founder, partner, M3 Music; business development manager, WARM Music
article posted by:Gideon Elfgen, Piranha Arts