100% female programming
Valuing the place of women artists in contemporary music is a priority for Stéphane Amiel, founder and programmer and Adriana Rausseo, co-programmer festival "Women Get Involved". This major event of the independent female music scene has been able to establish itself in the artistic landscape, affirm its necessity and impose itself to respond with authenticity to their under-representation on a large number of stages of shows, mark its difference by the quality and essence of its programming. It became the first international festival offering a 100% female program.
The event creates a positive impact on the trajectories of women and non-binary people in the current music sector, drawing on the support, participation and expertise of a network of actors committed to women’s equality-men in contemporary music. The 2023 festival reaffirms its commitment to four objectives: - make women artists visible - raise public awareness of equality and inclusion - increase the presence of women on stage behind the scenes and elsewhere - federate, mobilize and network the actors and actors of the sector.
On stage, confirmed artists and new talents
For this new edition, the festival celebrates the French scene with the presence of Silly Boy Blue, En Attendant Ana, Les Vulves Assassines, Juste Shani, We Hate You Please Die… alongside international artists including Grandmas House, RVG, Ada Oda, Ailbhe Reddy, Genn…
Defend the emergence and make the generations dialogue
LFSM continues to defend the emergence while making dialogue between generations, as evidenced by the arrival of the English artist Gina Birch, founding member of the iconic post-punk band of the late 70s The Raincoats or the four-handed project between Jeanne Balibar and Cléa Vincent. This edition also returns to the tradition of touring, a fundamental lever for networking and the visibility of women artists. In Île-de-France, Coline Rio and Sisterhood Project are on the scene of contemporary music Les Cuizines in Chelles, La Gale, Juste Shani and Sopycal for The Hangar Ivry-sur-Seine and Tracy De Sá, Asfar Shamsi and Médusa TN to La Clef in Saint-Germain-en-Laye
The poster for the 2023 edition was created by the visual artist © Katrien de Blauwer
LFSM 2021 and 2022 concert review
Following the health crisis experienced and experienced by all artists in 2020, it seemed urgent to us to return very quickly with the festival in 2021 to provide maximum support to emerging artists who have been hardest hit by this event. That’s why we wanted to propose 14 evenings in 11 different rooms with a 70% French artists. It is in this same momentum that we built the edition in 2022 with 14 evenings in 8 theaters of the capital and 9 concerts around Paris (in Ile-de-France)
The first assessment we can draw from these two post-covid editions concerning live music is as follows:
- Difficulties to regain the level of attendance before 2020; and more precisely on emerging artists, who were most impacted and weakened by this period.
- We have also seen an exponential demand for artists to perform at the festival, proof of the symbolic and effective place that this event represents for many artists.
- And it is in this desire to give maximum visibility to young artists that we have multiplied the opportunities for venues and partnerships in Paris and Ile-de-France in 2021 and 2022 (as a reminder on average 28 evenings proposed).
5 evenings in Paris from 28 November to 2 December
It is on these observations (decrease in attendance for small to medium-sized cinemas, as well as on the emergence) that we built the 2023 edition more cautiously for the November/ December edition. We will propose 5 evenings in Paris from November 28th to December 2nd (Café de la Danse, Petit Bain, Mécanique Ondulatoire and PopUp) and 6 evenings in the suburbs (Ivry-sur-Seine, Chelles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye) from November 23rd to December 8th. Reinforcing our partnership with Le Hangar in Ivry-sur-Seine, we have 3 days of programming with a special evening dedicated to a jam of musicians open to all.
Les Femmes S'engage is the mechanism for more equality and inclusion in contemporary music, created by the festival Les Femmes S'en Mêlent in 2021.
Its goal is to help increase the presence of women in live music, encourage artistic creation, promote networking, Give more space to artists to express their commitments and raise awareness among the public and stakeholders in the sector about the prevention of HSV.
"propose a cultural program that meets the real expectations of the field"
Since the first year we have chosen to federate many national initiatives specialized in these themes, in order to propose a cultural program that meets the real expectations of the field.
Since 2021, we have managed to directly reach 400 people during the workshops, screenings and meetings proposed with a net increase in attendance in 2022 due to a larger offer of actions. Indeed, during the first edition, we proposed 4 days of meetings, free workshops, debates and screenings on 2 locations in Paris (the Consulate and Petit Bain).
In 2022, and following the dynamic of our artistic program deployed on 14 evenings and 8 rooms, we proposed in 10 days, 9 technical and practical workshops and 4 days of meeting on 4 places of the capital (FGO Barbara, Petit Bain, the Bold City and the Ephemeral Point).
On this edition, we noticed a significant demand from emerging artists for practical workshops to acquire or strengthen their technical skills. These initiatives facilitate access to the means of production and encourage artistic creation. In the same way, workshops to support and structure projects are in high demand and provide keys to understanding the music ecosystem, to better position its project and make it evolve.
"actively involve various actors in the sector to reach a wider audience"
We also found that certain themes deserved more meeting time than the workshops and that it was necessary to actively involve various actors in the sector to reach a wider audience. This is the case of topics such as career sustainability and ageism, parenthood, unfreezing the world of work, the mental health of artists and music professionals as well as inclusion and the fight against discrimination.
The results of these two years indicate that it is still necessary to continue to offer these spaces, both non-mixity and public, to make a contribution to a richer and diverse cultural landscape and music.
In 2023 we reaffirm our commitment to our objectives which are: to make women artists visible, to raise public awareness of equality and inclusion, to increase the presence of women on stage behind the scenes and elsewhere, and to federate, mobilize and network stakeholders in the sector.
Stéphane Amiel, Founder/programmer and Adriana Rausseo, Co-Programmer
Discover the entire program from November 23 to December 8
"Women Make a Commitment"
From 15 November to 8 December workshops, masterclasses, meetings and screenings in Ile de France
For the third year, the "Les Femmes S'engager" program takes place alongside the artistic programming. Les Femmes S'engagement relies on a wide network of actors committed to inclusion and equality in contemporary music, in order to propose actions that seek to have a positive impact, in the trajectories of women and minority people.
For 2023, the "Les Femmes S'engage" device is deployed for two weeks with workshops around MAO, mixing and sound, but also around the music ecosystem and the structuring of projects, synchro, writing and stage coaching. Several days are organized on the theme of the well-being and mental health of artists, the fight against HSV, music in the image and group musical practice. A partnership is also created around gender equality and inclusion, screening and meeting with the Pop&Psy festival.
Programming
Projection Her Smell in partnership with the Pop & Psy Festival, November 15, 2023, Cinema Le Brady, 8:30 pm
Workshop – Be guided in your musical project with Musiciennes & Co, 22 November 2023, Petit Bain, 11h00, Free on registration
This new action mechanism implemented in November 2021, under the leadership of Adriana Rausseo and Stéphane Amiel, with "Women Commit", accompanies the artistic programming to support gender equality in contemporary music. It thus paves the way for hundreds of women by allowing them to consider the approach of new vocations or perfect their experience. |
Long before the gender debates, Les Femmes S'en Mêlent (LFSM) was, from the beginning, a response to the under-representation of women in most festivals (mainly summer) thus becoming the first international event defending the musical creation of women artists. Les Femmes S'en Mêlent (LFSM), strong in its history, has worked to offer alternative programming by defending artists in their career development, through concerts throughout France and internationally, while promoting gender equality-men in contemporary music with its action plan (workshops, conferences, meetings, screenings and debates) Women Commit.
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