BBIMF 2023 Professional Program

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM | FABRIKA, Ashrafieh

Glitter 55 is here to walk you through the basics of mixing, from hardware to software, all the way to mixing techniques. She will also be giving out tips on how to best build your DJ setup and prepare it on your computer.

Upon registration, limited places.

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM | FABRIKA, Ashrafieh

Ever wonder what makes sense on an artist-manager contract or a record deal? You’re not alone! The core of this workshop aims to explain the intent behind the most common contract clauses in order to empower its participants into stronger negotiators. A perspective on different international standards will also be shared so you can take/leave/adapt according to what makes sense for you.

One-on-one/group consultations will also be available to apply the theoretical to the practical.

About the mentor

Sarah Shoucri has been working in the Quebec music industry for nearly 20 years. Through her many roles as a PR agent, music manager, running a music festival and later working for a funding institution, she remained passionate about international development and projects that enhanced the capacity-building of local talents and the independent music community. Under her own banner, shouc-shouc, she has led many efforts in international cooperation with a core focus on creating space for voices from Africa and SWANA in Western music industry conversations. She is currently an MA candidate in Global Diplomacy at SOAS London.

Upon registration, limited places.

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM | MINA Image Center, Beirut

An expert panel of professionals delving into how tours happen from the point of view of promoters/booking agents/labels, artists and managers. The panel should provide insights into what venues or festivals are looking for, what the artist can expect and what the artists should be aware of before they dive into a performance.

Speakers: Alexandra Archetti Stølen, (Festival Director, Oslo World), Lexy Morvaridi (Contemporary Music Programmer, Southbank Centre) / Artist Alex Davidson

(Artist/Label Manager, Nada booking & management)

Moderator: Julia Sabra( Singer/Songwriter, Postcards)

Upon invitation.

Musicians of an intermediate/advanced level will be selected to each have a one-on-one session with Alex Davidson. A musician himself, he has also been working with artists and managing them since 2011 so his experience is rich and diverse. He will be sharing it with the selected musicians and will then open the floor for them to show him what they’re working on, to which he will respond with feedback and pieces of advice.

About the mentor

Based in Belgium, Alex Davidson is a project manager and label manager at Nada Booking & Management. Half English, half Belgian (for better or worse), he was born and raised in Brussels. After having studied Science in London, he returned to Brussels to perform as a musician while studying at a Film School. In 2011, he created and co-directed a record label/artist management agency called “Naff”.

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Haven for Artists, Ashrafieh

During what is definitely an essential session for any artist or cultural operator, we explore what funding is available for music in the SWANA, who is it available for, and what strategies do funding organizations follow? We will also give a brief outline of what funding for music was like in the past, what it’s looking like now and what to expect in the near future. Professionals from funding institutions will share their insights on what they’re looking for in projects as well.

Speakers: Soleil Gharbieh (Grants Manager, AFAC), Helena Nassif (Director, Culture Resource) and Sam Jones (Director, Music Halls Ltd., UK), Sophia Schall, (Program Coordinator, Goethe-Institut in Jordan)

Moderator: Christina Hazboun

Founder, The Sonic Agent

12:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Fabrika, Ashrafieh

Sofyann Ben Youssef is sharing his learnings and excessive experience in music production and the application of traditional music in such a context. This masterclass is designed for advanced music producers, and is dedicated, in its first part, to Sofyann’s work presentation and, in its second part, to listening to each one of the attendees’ music, giving them feedback on it, and answering any questions they may have.

About the mentor

Sofyann Ben Youssef AKA Ammar808 is the mastermind behind the critically-acclaimed albums “Maghreb United” and “Global Control / Invisible Invasion,” not to mention his most recent project Bargou08. Before setting basecamp in Denmark, he traveled a singular journey that made him the godfather of the Tunisian alternative and electronic scene. Bred as a musicologist in the corridors of Tunis’ Music Institute, he specializes in Arabic and Indian music. As an avid listener, he strives for bridges between oriental and occidental music.

Upon registration, limited places.

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM | Mkalles Warehouse, Mkalles

How do DJs get music from artists? How do DJs get booked in clubs? What are clubs and DJs looking for, when they plan their music? To answer these questions and more, we bring forth a group of experts from each discipline, to share their insights and openly discuss how music gets onto dancefloors and digital radios.

Yara Said,(Co-founder at KLAB and SALWA Foundation & DJ), Christina Hazboun (Founder, The Sonic Agent and Radio host and producer on Movement Radio and SOAS Radio) Junior Sfeir (Co-founder/curator & director, Frequent Defect) Arne Berg

(Host & reporter, NRK Radio) Theodora Karakassi (Organizer & Booker, Plisskën Festival)

Moderator: Rayya Badran (Resident, Radio al Hara, editor, curator)

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM| Beirut Synthesizer Center, Mkalles

A playful, hands-on introductory workshop where Egyptian composer, arranger and self-taught thereminist Nancy Mounir shares her learning journey in the electromagnetic fields. The three-hour workshop kicks off with some ear training & listening exercises, exploring range and intervals as an integral part in understanding and approaching the Theremin. Posture prep, finger movements, pitch, dynamics and finding notes in the field are also explored. The session then wraps up with attempts at finding/playing a chosen melody on the instrument, and maybe even trying out microtonality on the Theremin.

Participants should already be instrumentalists or singers with a reasonably trained ear and familiarity with relative pitch.

Upon registration. Limited places.