USA: New York

In New York, the Tekla Festival was a part of Sweden Makes Music. It focused on challenges and opportunities for girls and women in the music sector. For the past seven years, the consulate general and Export Music Sweden have been collaborating in Sweden Makes Music, a project run by Luger and designed to get Sweden’s music and music industry noticed in the USA. 

Tekla Workshop

Music production was the Tekla theme in New York. The workshop was led by Brenda El Rayes and Barbara Chamoun of Popkollo , a music camp for girls and transgender persons. Since starting at Hultsfred in 2003, the camp has had over 4,000 participants. The workshop comprised two groups. One of these was south American girls who had been in the USA for two years. For them, there was an emphasis on developing creative self-belief and being comfortable with testing technology. The second group came from a music school that focused on classical music. These girls had never previously composed their own music. For them, the workshop, with its use of computers and recording programs to produce music, was something entirely new.

Tekla Dialogue

As usual, a panel debate (Tekla Dialogue) was held in conjunction with the festival. The spotlight was on: female underrepresentation in music technology and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics); the lack of role models; and, how girls’ and women’s roles can be boosted. Besides Barbara Chamoun, panellists included: Mapei, a Swedish recording artist; Yamilée Toussaint Beach, founder and CEO of STEM From Dance; and, Phi Pham, executive director of Building Beats. The moderator was Vanessa Hill, founder of the Braincraft YouTube channel.