DELEGATES 2026
Sungchun LEE
SoundPuzzle (South Korea)
Sungchun Lee is a global career designer, international music business producer of SoundPuzzle. Over the past decade, he has worked across artist development, global networking, and international market expansion, providing strategic consulting on artist identity, long-term career planning, and global growth strategies.
Having participated in more than 300 international music markets, arts events, and festivals across 30+ countries, he has promoted Korean music and connected artists with global opportunities. Through festivals and showcases in Korea, he has produced programs and invited artists from around the world, creating opportunities for international performances, partnerships, and business collaborations. Currently, he works with artists and cultural organizations across global markets, while advising institutions and industry professionals through consulting, lectures, and international music business projects.
Bavo Vanden Broeck
Dranoeter, Dranouter festival, Noputer Club (Belgium)
Bavo runs NPO Dranoeter. They produce the biggest roots and folk festival in Belgium (Dranouter Festival) , have a year round venue (Noputer Club) and also run a small booking agency (BeRoots)
Morgane Mathieu
Les Polysons (Belgium)
Morgane Mathieu is the Artistic and General Director of Les Polysons Festival in Huy, Belgium — a small-scale, high-quality festival dedicated to world and traditional music, set in the beautiful historic city of Huy on the banks of the Meuse River.
Passionate about voices and the power of acoustic music, Morgane is deeply committed to creating space and visibility for creative women artists within the field of traditional and world music.
Every year, at the end of August, Les Polysons takes over Huy for six days, bringing music to some of the city’s most beautiful, historic and unexpected places: from a Tibetan temple in the forest to a boat on the Meuse, from a former convent to a hidden garden tucked between the city’s rocky walls.
The festival focuses on projects rooted in acoustic sound and traditional music, while exploring new forms, unexpected encounters and contemporary approaches — from cross-cultural fusions to highly artistic and unconventional performances.
At the heart of Les Polysons is a desire to create intimate, magical moments between artists, places and audiences.
Teija Niku
Haapavesi Folk Music Festival (Finland)
Teija Niku is a Finnish folk accordionist, composer, Artistic Director of the Haapavesi Folk Music Festival, and part-time Sibelius Academy teacher, performing internationally solo and in various ensembles.
Frank Reglin
PROFOLK e.V. (Germany)
A founding member of PROFOLK – national association for Song, Folk and Worldmusic in Germany, this means over 40 years with PROFOLK (35 years as member of the managing
board). He is a representative for the North of Germany, responsible for European contacts and more. Frank is a founding member of EUROPEAN FOLK NETWORK (Bruxelles) and a member of the programming staff of the organization JAZZ FOLK KLASSIK in SYKE, that organizes concerts with European musicians playing jazz, blues, folk, worldmusic etc.
Christian Pliefke
NORDIC NOTES, CPL-Music (Germany)
Since 1992 active as co-operator of various labels. In 2005 he founded his own label NORDIC NOTES (Eläkeläiset, Okra Playground, …), other labels (CPL-Music, Beste! Unterhaltung) and a music publishing company. The focus at Nordic Notes is on world, folk and singer songwriter from Northern Europe. CPL-Music stands for folk and world music, focus on the Baltic States,Eastern Europe, Eurasia (Divanhana, Dobranotch, Alice in WonderBand, SOLE …) Christian is founder, editor and publisher of Magazin Folk Galore since 2020.
Babette Michel
Westdeutscher Rundfunk WDR, Deutschlandradio (Germany)
Babette Michel (born in Weimar and living in Cologne, Germany) is a music journalist and researcher in African affairs, working mainly as a radio host for several national cultural radio stations in Germany, including Westdeutscher Rundfunk WDR and Deutschlandradio. She started her career as an interpreter and radio editor in Kiswahili language for listeners in East Africa and later switched to her native tongue German for German listeners. Michel provides in-depth perspectives on music of the world (amongst them music from Slovakia and Czechia), challenging stereotypes and offering listeners a more nuanced understanding. F.e. every week, she hosts the radio show & podcast WDR 3 Open World, and many more programs. She also provides content on musical instruments from around the world for the series “WDR 3 Tonart – Musikinstrumente der Welt”. Her work is highly regarded for its commitment to cross-cultural dialogue. She won the European media price “Civis Medienpreis” and several price nominations (Deutscher Jazzpreis, Prix Europa).
https://www.babette-michel.de
Anna Mašátová
Cultural manager, journalist, lecturer, AMPromotions (Czech republic)
Anna Mašátová is a Cultural manager, journalist, and lecturer based in Prague, Anna has led workshops, mentoring sessions, and panels at events such as WOMEX, Ment Ljubljana, Czech Music Crossroads, World Music Festival Bratislava among others and was a mentor at MOST program. She is an active member of grant committees and juries for music awards. Anna is a Founder of AMPromotions, an agency specializing in music PR, management, and booking, she currently works as an editor for Czech Radio Vltava and an assistant professor at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts.
Ankur Malhotra
Transglobal Music Charts, Madison Music Review (India)
ANKUR MALHOTRA is an Emmy-nominated musicologist, artist and entrepreneur. He operates Madison Music Review, an event, music production and artist management company that produces the annual music festivals Musique Electronique and Willy Street Beats, as well as concerts and tours with international artists. He co-founded Amarrass Records in India in 2010 and recently launched his new record label Aural Grooves. He is a DJ/programming host on WORT 89.9FM, an artist (see aneyeful.com), and an established international “global grooves on vinyl” DJ (SpinCycle). Ankur has served as a Jury Member at WOMEX (2013), is a panelist for the Transglobal World Music Charts (TWMC), and in 2023 received the globalFEST ‘Trouble Worldwide’ Award. His work in reviving folk music and vinyl culture in India has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, BBC, WPR, Rolling Stone India and more. He is currently producing two exciting new projects from Rajasthan – Zordaar (a power trio) and The Hamira Brothers (7th generation musicians), as well as touring with sindhi sarangi maestro Padma Shri Lakha Khan and Malian guitar superstar Samba Tourè.
Petra Hradilová
Czech Music Crossroads Ostrava (Czech republic)
Petra Hradilová is the director of the international Czech Music Crossroads showcase festival and the multi-genre ART&LIFE Festival in the Streets in Ostrava. Petra has been active in the Czech cultural scene for over 20 years. Czech Music Crossroads is an international showcase festival and conference. It is attended by bands from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and rotating guest countries. The event presents local roots, acoustic, folk, fusion, and jazz music to an international audience of professionals, promoters, and journalists. In 2026, artists from Japan joined the showcase, which also features a conference with networking opportunities and speed meetings. More details are available at www.crossroadsmusic.cz/en. ART&LIFE Festival in the Streets is a free, two-day, multi-genre festival in Ostrava with over 20,000 attendees, offering a vibrant program that includes global artists, street theatre, a drum parade, children’s activities, and science shows. The festival’s highlight is a colorful parade featuring dancers, giant puppets, and stilt-walking actors, making it a celebrated summer event in the Czech Republic.
More details about the 2026 edition are available at www.artandlifeostrava.cz
Matyáš Hradil
Czech Music Crossroads Ostrava (Czech republic)
Matyas is a cultural event professional based in the Czech Republic. He leads the production
of Czech Music Crossroads and is a member of the production teams behind ART&LIFE
Festival in the Streets and Colours of Ostrava.
Czech Music Crossroads is an international showcase festival and professional music
conference connecting artists from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and a different
selection of guest countries each year. Its programme focuses on roots, acoustic, folk,
fusion, and jazz music, presenting emerging and established artists to an international
audience of promoters, festival representatives, journalists, and other music professionals.
In 2026, the showcase expanded its international scope by welcoming artists from Japan.
Alongside its concert programme, the event offers panel discussions, networking
opportunities, and curated speed-meeting sessions.
ART&LIFE Festival in the Streets is a free two-day multi-genre open-air festival held in Ostrava
and attended by more than 20,000 visitors. Its diverse programme combines international
music, street theatre, dance and acrobatic performances, activities for children, popular
science shows, and a traditional drum parade. One of the festival’s signature moments is a
colourful procession featuring dancers, giant puppets, musicians, and stilt performers,
making it one of the Czech Republic’s most distinctive summer cultural events.
More information: www.crossroadsmusic.cz/en and www.artandlifeostrava.cz
Martin Mojžiš
Trenčín 2026 European Capital of Culture (Slovakia)
Martin Mojžiš is currently responsible for international relations of the Trenčín 2026 European Capital of Culture project. Previously, he worked in the fields of European projects, support for the cultural and creative industries, and foreign relations at the local and regional government levels.
Ian Smith
Waves Vienna (Austria, United Kingdom)
Ian Smith has had a long and diverse career in the music industry, working as a musician, producer, festival and event promoter, sound engineer, and arts centre programmer. He also served for eight years as National Chair of the UK Musicians’ Union’s Folk, Roots & Traditional Music section and has worked internationally as a freelance site and stage manager. More recently, he has been active as a campaigner for artist and crew mobility, including speaking at the EU Parliament in Brussels (March 2026) as a UK co-founder of Carry On Touring.
With a background in music production and management, he is also an experienced lecturer and consultant on the music industry and international mobility, regularly appearing at conferences and teaching. He has curated festivals, managed arts centre programming, and built strong connections across the UK and European arts sectors, collaborating with organisations such as Arts Council England, PRS Foundation, and EU funding bodies.
He founded Frusion (2000) and FIZZION.eu (2014), working across multiple music genres in collaboration with European partners. As a consultant across the music and media industries, he launched UKEARTSWORK in 2020 to support post-Brexit mobility for arts professionals. He has a strong presence in Austria, where he founded Oyeah.eu in 2021, and is currently leading the UpBeat project at WAVES Vienna, supporting emerging world music artists.
Marie Hvozdecká
Czech Radio Brno, Folklor & City (Czech republic)
Marie Hvozdecká works as a folk music editor at Czech Radio Brno and as a music reviewer for the Brno – City of Music online magazine. She has a long-standing interest in the specific relationship between folk culture and cities, particularly Brno, where she lives.
This interest led to the creation of her own platform, Folklor & city, which explores where and how folk culture inspires people in the 21st century through podcasts and concerts, while its workshops encourage others to engage with traditional culture in their own creative work.
She has been an active folk dancer since early childhood. She has a particular passion for traditional folk embroidery and occasionally reinterprets its motifs in her own designs .
Milan Tesař
Music and radio journalist, festival programmer of Maraton hudby Brno (Czech republic)
Head of popular music editorial office since 1995. Author/moderator of the music programs Slyšte, lidé!, Jak se vám líbí, hitparáda Kolem se toč. Author of the scripts of the programs Třikrát z Proglasu, Noční, Hudební listování, Synkopy na kanapi. Music dramaturg (selection of songs for the all-day broadcast and, after consultation with specific editors, also for their programs). Administrator and builder of the music archive of Proglas (except folklore, brass and classical music). Administrator and author of a large part of articles on the Proglas music website. From 2021, he also takes care of the new website www.hudebnirozhovory.cz. Member of the international jury of the World Music Charts Europe ranking, since December 2020 secretary of this panel of European radio music columnists.Marie Hvozdecká works as a folk music editor at Czech Radio Brno and as a music reviewer for the Brno – City of Music online magazine. She has a long-standing interest in the specific relationship between folk culture and cities, particularly Brno, where she lives.
This interest led to the creation of her own platform, Folklor & city, which explores where and how folk culture inspires people in the 21st century through podcasts and concerts, while its workshops encourage others to engage with traditional culture in their own creative work.
She has been an active folk dancer since early childhood. She has a particular passion for traditional folk embroidery and occasionally reinterprets its motifs in her own designs .
Christina Sanoll
Music agent – Diverted music (Austria)
Christina Sanoll is the founder of diverted music, a boutique booking agency based in Vienna, specializing in European world, roots, folk and crossover bands. With more than 20 years of experience in the music business, she works with promoters and agencies worldwide, with a particular focus on the GAS region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
The agency name reflects its approach to music: straight paths from A to B often cannot compare with the richness that detours can offer. For the musician, the audience and the agent.
