Conference : Inclusivity & Representation in pop music

Following her experience as an artistic adviser to several Strasbourg artists*, Emma Mellado contributed to the creation of the Incisifves collective in September 2022. This mixed network is based on the desire to create a virtuous circle between pop music actors in Strasbourg. She is deepening her research into the issues of inclusiveness and pedagogy in the support of artists, both amateur and professional.

The Incisifves collective is a mixed collective born from the meetings and exchanges of its current members over the last few years*. It is based on the desire to create a virtuous circle between music players in Strasbourg. This collective is open to all gender minorities without distinction of profession, professional experience, age or means. Its aim is to create human and professional links. Its workshops, discussions, jams and exchange moments are all organised, managed and moderated by members of the collective, in order to enhance the know-how of people in Strasbourg.

With a background in popular education, Sophie Broyer has a dual background in contemporary music and in training, support and consultancy.

With over twenty years' experience in the management and artistic programming of SMACs (L'Antipode, l'épicerie moderne), she has also been able to experiment with festival programming (Les Nuits de Fourvière) and in a wide range of venues (Opéra de Lyon, Moulin de Brainans). She is co-founder of Bientôt la Nuit, a delegated artistic programming agency specialising in contemporary music.

She was also artistic advisor for Les Inouïes at the Printemps de Bourges festival for 5 years and is currently a member of the Chorus prize selection committee for the Hauts de Seine Chorus festival. 

At the same time, she runs her own business: Trente-trois, a support, training and consultancy company opened in 2014. She works on issues of work organisation, management, governance, change management and the prevention of psychosocial risks in the cultural sector. Highly committed to gender equality issues, she created Vogue la Nuit, a two-edition event giving visibility to women and gender minorities in artistic programming positions.

Lyne Bnc is a Brussels-based consultant and project/events manager. From the socio-cultural world to the music sector, she has been running events and launching platforms for international NGOs, feminists collectives, LGBTI+ organisations, and many more.

Since 2011, she has been a peace education trainer in CISV France, CISV Belgium and CISV International.
 In 2019 with CISV International, she was one of the key members of the LGBTQI+ working group, where she created an international analysis strategy for pratices, policies, behavior norms regarding gender and sexual/romantic orientation. Over the course of nine years she ran numerous trainings locally, nationally, and internationally on diversity, human rights, conflict resolution, and sustainable development.

During her time at the ERG art school, she was surrounded by multidisciplinary artists from all realms. With her right arm, she launched ERGOTE Radio, an live radio documenting the creative projects developed by students and teachers. After graduating in Digital Arts, she then enrolled in a Masters in Cultural Management at the
Université Libre de Bruxelles, where she wrote her thesis on the first "Women's Culture Heritage Day" of Belgium.

Not afraid of big-scale opportunities, she joined the team of The Belgian Pride asbl for the 2019 edition, the last in-person Pride event in Brussels since the covid-19 pandemic. She then got hired in 2020 to run the 2021 edition as well as working on durable working practices for the ever-changing organisation.

In 2018, she started another path in the music industry, and quickly noticed the lack of women at the early stages of the music world. That was the spark that helped her launch the first Femme Jam Sessions in 2019 (jam session for FINTA people*) in partnership with The Crazy Circle. 
After working with Astrid B., Simon Cornelis, the Bru·X·elles Festival, and Lou K, she now primarly focuses on consulting on the topic of gender-based violence and the place of FINTA* people in the music sector. 

Since February 2022, she has been the creator and host of the live show She They Sounds on Radio Vacarme, where she interviews FINTA* people active in the music sector.

Carole Blond-Hanten is a researcher in the "Labor Market" department at LISER (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research).

Her professional focus shifted towards gender equality when she became responsible for the Gender Equality Service in a municipality (City of Differdange, 2004-2007). During this period, she co-founded the National
Network of Municipal Gender Equality Officers and served on the Board of Directors of Cid Fraen an Gender Asbl, among many other active roles.

With a Master's degree in sociology from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), she worked for NGOs and local authorities before pursuing a scientific career at LISER. 

Her main research areas are gender and industrial relations. At LISER, she is part of the national correspondents' team for EUROFOUND and mainly participates in studies and research projects funded by public actors: she has produced reports on various topics such as wage transparency, female entrepreneurship, childcare services, among others. She has expertise in qualitative methodologies. 

In 2020, she received an Award for Outstanding Promotion of Science to the Public from the FNR for the project "The GG goes 'round! De GG geet ronderëm!" which aimed to raise awareness about gender stereotypes and
spark scientific curiosity among young audiences. Currently, she continues to pursue this path. In parallel, she is completing a doctoral thesis at the University of Louvain, supported by the FNR, on the role and place of social
partners in the implementation process of gender equality in Luxembourg. Additionally, since 2013, she has served as the president of the staff delegation at LISER.

Initiated in 1989 and established in 2014, the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) is a public research institute located in Luxembourg under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Integrated into a unified legal framework (law of 3 December 2014) LISER’s missions are to undertake both fundamental and applied research in social sciences that aim to advance knowledge, support public policy both at the national and European level and inform society.
Established in 1989 and created in 2014, the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) is a public research institute located in Luxembourg under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. LISER's missions include conducting fundamental and applied research in social sciences to advance knowledge science, support public policies (at national and European levels), and inform society.

Linn Meissner is co-founder and chairwoman of the regional Music Women* network musicNRWwomen*.
She is also on the committee of the nationwide umbrella organization Music Women* Germany. Linn studied music at the ArtEZ Conservatory in the Netherlands and holds a master’s degree in Arts Management from the Cologne University of Music and Dance (Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln).

Since 2018 she has been working as project manager of popNRW for the State Music Council (Landesmusikrat NRW) of North Rhine-Westphalia. This program supports the most promising acts from the region and promotes them abroad at international music festivals. In addition, every year, the program honors the best up-and-coming and most outstanding artists with awards. popNRW is also presenting workshops for music business newbies during the c/o pop convention.

PopNRW is supporting promising and ambitious young bands from all over North Rhine-Westphalia since 2012, with the aim of strengthening the top-class music scene in NRW and making it nationally competitive. The year-round support programme is geared to the special needs of young musicians and consists of various modules and offers. Among the best-known NRW acts that popNRW has discovered and promoted in recent years are Giant Rooks, AnnenMayKantereit, Roosevelt, International Music, Amilli and Die.

PopNRW is funded by the NRW Ministry for Economics, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy and made possible by the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science, the Landesmusikrat NRW and the NRW KULTURsekretariat.

Natalie von Laufenberg has worked in marketing and communication within the cultural sector for the past ten years. After successfully completing her master's degree in musicology from the University of Vienna (AT), she 
gained valuable experience in the music industry, working for international music company Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH. She has also worked as the Philharmonie Luxembourg's press and PR officer for two consecutive seasons. Since then, she has led international marketing campaigns for major artists across all genres. 

Most recently, Natalie has delved into the non-profit sector as the communication and PR manager for the CID Fraen an Gender in Luxembourg. 

CID Fraen an Gender is a feminist library in the heart of Luxembourg, with over 32,000 books, CDs, magazines and music scores. It covers topics such as intersectional gender research and feminist theory, women in art and music, STEM and politics, the female body, health and sexuality, novels and a wide selection of empowering literature for children and teenagers. Furthermore, the CID is a center and a meeting point for feminism and gender in Luxembourg. Since its beginnings in 1992, the CID pursued the goal of promoting gender equality by covering many different areas, ranging from cultural to pedagogical to socio-political topics. The CID is financially
supported by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Diversity, the Ministry of Culture and the City of Luxembourg.