The head of the International Office, Irina Villani, represented our university at the annual meeting - AEC Annual Meeting for International Relations Coordinators. The meeting has been organized since 2001 and is held every year at a different European conservatory. This year it was hosted by the Conservatorio di Musica 'Nino Rota - Monopoli', with which our university has an ERASMUS+ cooperation agreement. The small conservatory bears the name of the Italian composer Nino Rota, who contributed to the foundation of the conservatory in 1971. Nino Rota is best known to the general public for his music to Italian films, but has also composed numerous pieces for piano, chamber music and orchestra.

The meeting focused on intensifying existing ERASMUS+ collaborations and initiating new university partnerships. Ms. Villani held talks with colleagues from Budapest, Ljubljana, Amsterdam, Paris and Jerusalem. There was an exchange of experiences about best practices in ERASMUS+ projects and the challenges of the Blended Intensive Program (BIP). Discussions were also held on the topics of artistic diversity, diversity and inclusion in European higher education institutions. The critical situation of music academies in Ukraine was also on the agenda with presentations from representatives from Ukraine. The central question was with which measures European partners can support Ukrainian music academies in order to prevent the brain drain from the training institutions.

The AEC informed the participants about new and existing international musical projects and conferences. One of these projects is HarMA+, funded by ERASMUS+ strategic partnerships. The project addresses issues of transfer of practices and methodologies between higher music education institutions, especially in the field of music theory. Six European conservatories are involved in the project, and the next international meeting will be held in April 2023 at the Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanislawa Moniuszki w Gdansku, Poland. Teachers of the specialist group Music Theory are cordially invited to participate in the conference within the framework of the ERASMUS+ lecturer mobility!

On the AEC website, teachers and students can find interesting information about international music events, projects as well as publications. There is also a platform for international job postings in the field of music as well as an information page for students.

For all questions and topics of the report please contact Irina Villani.