EPASA NEWSLETTER

EPASA Newsletter is your update on what’s happened and what’s happening in the coming time in the EPASA community. You’ll find short summaries from board meetings, working groups, an overview of upcoming events, open calls, and much more!

EPASA General Assembly 2026 & Board Elections

The EPASA General Assembly 2026 is just around the corner! Join us Saturday, 7 November, from 14:30-16:30 CET, either in person in Hamburg as part of this year's AEC Annual Congress or online.

The General Assembly is your opportunity to have your say and help shape the future of our European performing arts student community. Remember to register to attend - sign up HERE!

🗳️ EPASA Board Elections - Apply by 28 October! 🗳️

During the General Assembly, we will also be electing two new EPASA Board Members! Are you passionate about representing performing arts students across Europe? We encourage you to apply!

To apply, submit your CV (max. 2 pages), a letter of motivation (max. 1.000 words) outlining your eligibility, and the name(s) of your nominator(s).

Please read the Election Roles and Eligibity carefully before applying. EPASA particularly encourages applications from underrepresented groups and regions.

Find the registration and application links on our website HERE!

EPASA Online Sessions 2026

Our EPASA Online Sessions 2026 are well underway! This year's sessions explore topics related to wellbeing, personal growth and professional development in the performing arts.

On 22 September, we kicked off the series with an insightful session on Imposter Syndrome, led by Míríam Bayés, and experienced leadership coach with a background in neuroscience and complexity theory. We were delighted to see you joining us and engaging in meaningful discussions on this highly relevant topic. Thank you to everyone who participated!

📣 Join us for our next online session - already this week! 📣

On Wednesday, 28 October, we welcome Camilla Overgaard Bangsø from the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark, for a session on Self-Leadership & Time Management.

As a musician and Assistant Professor in Artistic Entrepreneurship, Camilla brings extensive experience in career development for musicians. Together, we will explore how self-leadership and time management can support a sustainable and fulfilling career in the performing arts.

We hope to see you there - sign up HERE!

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

EPASA Conference 2026: How To Be A Healthy Student - "Self-Leadership & Time Management" by Camilla Overgaard Bangsø

28/10-2026 // 18:30 CET // Online

AEC Congress 2026: Online Welcome to Newcomers by EPASA

29/10-2026 // 19:30 // Online

AEC Congress and General Assembly 2026

4-7/11-2026 // Hamburg, Germany

EPASA General Assembly 2026

7/11-2026 // Hamburg, Germany & Online

ELIA Biennial Conference 2026

18-21/11-2026 // Zwolle, The Netherlands

REMA Early Music Summit 2026

24-27/11-2026 // Bruges and Ghent, Belgium

Artist as Teacher Seminar 2027

January/March 2027 // The Hague, The Netherlands & Online

AEC Pop & Jazz Platform 2027

11-14/02-2027 // Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Artistic Citizenship & Leadership: Nordplus Intensive Course

15-19/02-2027 // Malmö, Sweden

METRIC Symposium

26-27/02-2027 // The Hague, The Netherlands

European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM) 2027

22-24/04-2027 // Linz, Austria

The future of Erasmus+ Starts with Youth

Travel Diary by EPASA Board Member Carlo Mazzini

EPASA Board Member Carlo Mazzini recently attended The Future of Erasmus+ Starts with Youth, a conference organised by the European Youth Forum in Brussels on 16 October 2026. Bringing together young people, youth organisations and EU decision-makers, the event explored the future of the Erasmus+ programme and the role of young people in shaping it. Read more about the event HERE.

In this travel diary, Carlo shares his reflections from the event with the EPASA community.

More Erasmus = More Europe

"Imagine someone who lives far away from any major city. The only youth organisation they can join consists of three volunteers, an old laptop, and a lot of instant coffee."

This was the image we were invited to keep in mind in Brussels, where the European Youth Forum brought together policymakers, youth organisations and stakeholder to discuss the future of Erasmus+.

We often describe ourselves as the "Erasmus generation": you Europeans who know that, somewhere beyond their hometown, another city, another university, another community might be waiting for them. But perhaps that description tells only half the story. For those who already know how to navigate applications, scholarships and European opportunities, Erasmus is a helping hand. For others, it could be the opportunity itself... if only they could reach it.

The numbers presented in brussels were both encouraging and unsettling. The Commission is proposing €40.8 billion for Erasmus+ in 2028-2034, while new research shows how profoundly international youth projects can shape people's sense of belonging to Europe. Yet only 31% of youth-project application receive funding. And behind some of those rejected projects, there may be precisely that small organisation with three volunteers and an old computer.

So what kind of Erasmus+ are we building? One for those who already feel European, or one capable of making Europe a real possibility for everyone else?

Read the full travel diary HERE!

Artistic Citizenship & Leadership:

EPASA is pleased to be a partner of the Artistic Citizenship & leadership Nordplus Intensive Course, taking place at Malmö Academy of Music, Lund University, from 15-19 February 2027. We are helping spread the word and encourage students across the Nordic-Baltic region to apply!

The five-day intensive course will bring together 20+ BA and MA students from music academies to explore the question: What role can artists play in shaping more democratic, inclusive and sustainable societies?

Through workshops, artistic projects and dissemination events, participants will explore creativity, collaboration and leadership across multiple genres, disciplines and specialisations. The course awards 3 ECTS, and all expenses are covered by Nordplus.

📣 The application deadline is 30 October 2026! Share this oppotunity with fellow students and find more information HERE!

Member Portrait: National Ambassadors

Say hello to Adam and Fiona!

In this and the coming issue of the EPASA Newsletter, we would like to use our Member Portraits to introduce you to our National Ambassadors! You may have already seen them announced on our social media channels and website, but now it's time to get to know them a little better.

We'll be introducing our five National Ambassadors over the next few issues. This time, we're happy to introduce Adam and Fiona! Get to know them below and find out a little more about the people helping to connect performing arts students across Europe.

Fiona Zimmermann

Germany

Fiona Zimmermann is a recorder player and music education master’s student at the University of Music Nuremberg, where she chairs the student council and serves on the Senate and University Council. She also studies at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and Bern University of the Arts. Her artistic and research interests connect early and contemporary music, concert design, female authorship, and audience experience.

Her work in student representation has strengthened her commitment to meaningful participation, institutional accountability, and the prevention of abuse of power. As EPASA’s National Ambassador for Germany, she aims to connect students and student representatives across institutions and bring their perspectives into European dialogue.

Adam Chomiuk

Poland

Adam is a bassist from Poland, currently studying composition and information management in Wrocław. Having recently completed his studies at the jazz faculty, he remains involved in student representation.

He has always enjoyed participating in and organising student meetings where students can discuss music, art, the challenges they face as art students, and possible solutions.

This interest in bringing students together is what led him to EPASA and the National Ambassador System. Through these networks, he hopes to learn from perspectives across Europe, travel, and build meaningful international connections.

He is also keen to encourage other arts academies in Poland to join EPASA, as he believes there are many talented artists who have yet to discover this community.

AEC Congress 2026: Where To Find EPASA?

As always, EPASA will be well represented at the AEC Annual Congress, this year in Hamburg, Germany! We're excited that all out Board Members and newly appointed National Ambassadors will be joining the congress, alongside a large group of student participants.

Are you joining us in Hamburg from 4-7 November? Here's an overview of the sessions and student activities involving EPASA. We look forward to connecting with you there!

Online Welcome to Newcomers - Thusday 29 October 19:30 - Get to know your fellow newcomers ahead of the congress!

Thursday, 5 November

09:00-12:30: "From Expert to Collaborator: New Approaches to Understanding and Innovating the One-to-One Studio // Challenging the Master-Apprentice Model 2.0" (Pre-Congress Workshop)
18:00-19:30: Plenary Session I (Greetings by Natalie Roe and Marloes De Nul, EPASA)
19:30-22:00: Welcome Dinner for Students by EPASA

Friday, 6 November

10:00-11:30: "Distributed Leadership in Conservatoire Education - Do Students Want To Be Partners In Their Conservatoire Education, and How Can We Distribute Leadership Throuhout Out Institutions?"
12:00-13:15: "The Resilience Lab: Arts Leadership Through Role-Play"
19:30: Social Event for Students

Saturday, 7 November