Project: 101059181 — MERITA — CREA-CULT-2021-PLAT
MERITA PLATFORM | WHAT IT IS
MERITA - where chamber Music, cultural hERItage and TAlent meet is a new European project aimed at increasing the visibility and circulation of 38 emerging European string quartets through a dedicated platform, thus improving the sustainability of the music supply chain, increasing access to and participation in cultural activities and the promotion of European cultural heritage in a circular economy.
Having won the European call Creative Europe - European Platforms 2021, �MERITA has obtained co-financing from the European Union.
The project starts in September 2022 and for the period 2022-2025 �it involves 17 organizations from 12 European countries, coordinated� by Le Dimore del Quartetto as leader, in an innovative programme of �sustainable support to young European string quartets and cultural heritage.
MERITA PLATFORM | WHO WE ARE
The consortium is represented by Le Dimore del Quartetto (Italy) as Coordinator of 16 organisations from 12 eligible countries:
MERITA PLATFORM | OBJECTIVES
Innovating the operation of the chamber music industry by matching the demands of musical institutions with the aptitudes of quartets, thus creating new job opportunities for professional musicians.
Improving training and development of capabilities of emerging chamber music artists on how to effectively expand, internationalize and consolidate their careers.
Promoting the production and diffusion of chamber music in Europe through original outreach projects.
Promoting a sustainable business model that unites emerging chamber music artists, audiences, and cultural heritage (European mansions and historic sites), fostering the exchange of best practices and competitiveness for artists, audience engagement and development, and environmental sustainability and awareness.
These following objectives will be pursued through the MERITA digital platform as well as through a rich panel of online and onsite activities, i.e. trainings, artistic residencies, transnational and international circulation of the professional artists, studies and researches.
MERITA PLATFORM | KEY NUMBERS
17 organisations from 12 countries involved
38 quartets involved in the project�7 online trainings available on-demand for the quartets �(each quartet chooses a training on a specific topic)
38 on-site trainings / artistic residencies
around 30 European Historic Houses involved
38 innovative projects developed by the quartets
156 concerts produced by the member concert societies and festivals�(3 per participant quartet)
around 135 professional and experts mapped
TO BE A HOUSE PARTICIPATING �IN THE MERITA PLATFORM
MERITA PLATFORM | MERITA ARTISTIC RESIDENCIES
Within the MERITA project, historic houses are involved in organizing artistic residencies.
Quartets develop original special projects, with the support of a trainer organization, on one of the following topics:
The special projects will be distributed in seasons, festivals or concert series across Europe.
MERITA PLATFORM | TO BE A HISTORIC HOUSE OF THE �MERITA PLATFORM
By joining the MERITA Platform, your House will be part of an international european network enhancing the circulation of the best musical talents at the beginning of their career, and promoting the European cultural heritage.
By hosting on-site residencies, your House will consolidate a new way to live its spaces, increase its visibility and raise awareness of the various possible uses of such heritage sites through an innovative and contemporary cultural formula.
Enhancing the beauty of the territories (even the most remote) the �House becomes a cultural landmark for the local community, being able to �dialogue with its territory.
Lastly, your House will become an active player in attracting and �developing new audiences for classical music.
MERITA PLATFORM | BENEFITS
MERITA PLATFORM | RESIDENCIES REQUIREMENTS
To participate in the platform:
European Historic Houses will be in charge of matching each selected string quartet with the most suitable historic house.
Costs related to the organization of artistic residencies for the MERITA project are covered by European Historic Houses, with a lump-sum expense reimbursement of €2000 (per quartet).�NB: In the event that the house hosts only the concert test or only the residence, the reimbursement of expenses may vary accordingly.
OVERVIEW OF THE MERITA PLATFORM
MERITA PLATFORM | TARGETS
Professional string quartets with an average maximum age of 35 years old, whose members play permanently together and have already demonstrated to have all the artistic and technical qualities, as well as the vision, that are necessary to develop an international career as a quartet.
Music institutions (concert societies and festivals) are cultural centres for the community, planning activities at the service of collective and widespread cultural growth. They have the responsibility of supporting the career of new musicians, of preserving the tradition and the precious legacy of classical music but the need to innovate the proposal and the methods of use.
Audiences a variety of different audiences: children and families, disadvantaged communities, young people, older people, corporate people (allowing them to discover music at work), school and university students, and inmates. Moreover, by bringing young musicians to perform in historical spaces in a wide range of locations, many of which are often underserved by the cultural industry, new audiences are enabled to experience classical music. This is correlated with the discovery of local culture and heritage, in a holistic approach which aims to draw together music and history and so foster engagement with both local and European culture.
European historic houses all over the European territory, are an integral part of the cultural heritage. They can be private houses, tourist accommodations, farms, museums, foundations; they are all different but share some characteristics such as, availability of wide spaces, beauty, the need to be enhanced and bequeathed to future generations. �Living in a historical house means, first and foremost, keeping it alive. �The MERITA Platform involves them by offering high-quality cultural contents for their spaces and gives them the possibility to experiment with new forms of utilisation of these venues.
Cultural venues find an innovative way to experience their spaces, opening up to artists and audiences, in a sustainable model. They increase their visibility and raise awareness of the various possible uses of such heritage sites as well as their assets for the society as a whole (cultural, environmental, economic and societal impact).
MERITA PLATFORM | TRAINING AND CAPACITY �BUILDING
Online trainings, March - October 2023
On-site trainings (5-day artistic residency + test concert), September / October 2023 - April 2024
Aim: supporting the quartets in developing outreach / special projects to be proposed to concert societies and festivals
MERITA PLATFORM | CONCERTS PRODUCTION AND ORGANISATION
114 European concerts �4 extra European concerts (UK, Switzerland, China and USA)
for a total of 118 concerts
After the completion of online and onsite trainings, the presentations of the 38 innovative outreach / special projects developed by the quartets are uploaded on the platform.
�Each member concert society and festival can choose its favorite concert proposals, and hire the quartets for performing these concerts in its seasons, festivals or concert series.
FROM FEBRUARY 2024 TO AUGUST 2025
MERITA PLATFORM | NETWORKING AND RESEARCH
To allow project target groups to meet, exchange and network among themselves, a few networking meeting are organized:
2nd FEBRUARY 2024 | Stichting Strijkkwartet Biënnale Amsterdam for string quartets in Amsterdam �OCTOBER 2024 | European Historic Houses (Bruxelles) for historic houses owners/managers, in presence or online�MARCH 2024 | Europa Nostra (Netherlands) for cultural sites managers, in presence or online
One of the aims of MERITA is to develop a sustainable business model for chamber music and cultural heritage, with a long-term perspective. ��By the end of the project, a report about sustainable business model is created.
The report will also contain European Historic Houses’ research on the entrepreneurial management of historic houses, Europa Nostra’s Manifesto and a report written by Punto 3 on environmental management analysis for cultural venues.
MERITA PLATFORM | THE DIGITAL PLATFORM
The digital Platform is the main area for:
The MERITA platform strengthens the connections between local and European culture and between online and offline engagement
Project: 101059181 — MERITA — CREA-CULT-2021-PLAT