ALICE’s new Music Group strengthens diversity
06.09. 2023
ALICE takes a significant step towards broader representation in the live music industry. A new Music Group will collectively curate the program and set the direction for the venue’s artistic profile. This will result in greater transparency and alignment between the diversity of the concert program and the processes that drive its curation.
With a new Music Group, ALICE is embarking on new paths to work towards broader representation and stronger concert experiences. The Music Group will lead ALICE into a new era where the venue is not just a concert business but also a part of a democratic conversation and a place of extremely high quality throughout the realm of music. This is explained by venue director HC Gimbel.
“Not only will we work on a new way to curate a concert scene and achieve broader representation, but we will also qualify each concert evening for our audience and move the conversation about music closer to the table. On that basis, I am happy to finally introduce our new Music Group of highly competent and very diverse individuals,” says HC Gimbel.
Strong capacities
The Music Group brings together skills, insights, networks, and perspectives that span widely across the music industry. The group includes Sofie Westh, co-founder and project manager of the award-winning non-profit organization Another Life, Isabel Douglass, founder of Lux Boreal and the booking agency Tone Chamber, and Ulf Eriksson, artistic director for music at the cross-disciplinary venue Inkonst in Malmö.
Furthermore, Malika Mahmoud Henriques will be attached as a consultant to advise the Music Group with a special focus on the electronic scene and DJs, while ALICE’s current booker, Nanna Ruus, will serve both as a booker and artistic producer.
A unique and progressive approach to programming
Collaboration and transparent artistic leadership are imperative for the live music industry today. At ALICE, the behind-the-scenes processes should be transparent to the audience when they stand in front of the stage.
“By prioritizing transparency, curiosity, and breaking down barriers, we are excited to lay the foundation for an entirely new approach to venue curation. Our goal is that the progressive collective effort not only reflects in the program but also in ALICE’s diverse audience and in future iterations of the Music Group,” states the Music Group.
By opening the curatorial space, the goal is for concertgoers, musicians, and partners to experience a broad and diverse representation. In a broader perspective, this approach should ensure that various individuals have access to all aspects of ALICE’s work – from curating the program and participating in the organization as partners to being on stage and having new experiences as an audience. This approach to artistic leadership is unique in the industry, both in Denmark and internationally.
“We see our diverse backgrounds as a strength. We hope that the progressive idea of collective programming will yield music experiences that feel fresh and challenging to categorize,” say the entire Music Group.
The Music Group will start on September 15th. The first results of their programming will unfold from February 2024, when ALICE, after several years of traveling around the city, returns to its venue in the backyard of the Union cultural center in Nørrebro.
Facts about the Members of the Music Group:
Sofie Westh is the co-founder and project manager of the award-winning non-profit organization Another Life, which works to increase broad representation and improve conditions for marginalized individuals and women in the Danish music and cultural life. She has many years of experience in project management, festival leadership, and booking across genres, as well as extensive knowledge of new musical trends nationally and internationally.
Isabel Douglass is the founder and agent for the booking agency Tone Chamber, known for its work across new compositions, jazz, and global music. She is also the project manager for Lux Boreal, a festival for Nordic music. Isabel holds degrees from the Music Conservatory in Aarhus and California State University in San Francisco in performance studies and music technology, and she has over 20 years of experience in the music industry, including as a booker, project manager, and manager.
Ulf Eriksson is the artistic director for music at the cross-disciplinary venue and stage Inkonst in Malmö. He is also the founder and director of the Intonal Festival, which has been in existence since 2015 and is Sweden’s leading festival for experimental contemporary art and music. Additionally, he runs the record label Kontra-Musik, which has also expanded into a booking agency with a focus on experimental music. Ulf is based in Malmö.
Malika Mahmoud Henriques will also assume a role as an advisor to the Music Group, with a special focus on the electronic scene and DJs, offering her extensive experience to the group. Malika is among other things the founder of the independent internet radio station MMH Radio, former music director for the Strøm Festival, and a member of the music and nightlife committee in the Municipality of Copenhagen.
Nanna Ruus will serve as ALICE’s artistic producer and booker going forward. Nanna has broad experience in booking, management, strategy, and volunteer leadership, including her role as a label manager for the record label Escho and as the founder of her own agency, Whirligig. In 2023, she was named one of the Nordic Music Biz Top 20 Under 30.
