Following last week’s announcement of the Sixth edition of the Edinburgh International Culture Summit (EICS), the organisation can announce more details of the programme for the first full day of the event that will be dedicated to the exploration of Culture & Education.
Culture & Education will examine the unique role the arts and the concept of play have in the education curricula and explore how the creative and collaborative skills attained through cultural practices develop skills and learning habits essential to life in a cosmopolitan and digitised world.
Internationally-acclaimed violinist and Director Designate of the Edinburgh International Festival, Nicola Benedetti, will set the tone with a keynote address, with a second keynote being given by Deirdre Quarnstrom, whose work has brought the video game Minecraft to mainstream education.
Contributing to the conversation will be Fairouz Nishanova who, as Director of the Aga Khan Music Initiative, runs interregional music and arts education programmes with worldwide performance, outreach, mentoring and artistic production activities.
Rosemary Nalden, founder of Buskaid, also joins the Summit to talk about the classical music schools she established in the Soweto suburbs where her passion for music has been shared with hundreds of township children and transformed lives.
Head of the School and Community Team at the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, Serin Kim Hong brings 20 years of experience of heading up projects such as International Arts Education Week, El Sistema Korea, Arts-Flower Seeds Schools, and the Asia-Pacific Arts Education Observatory.
Cognitive scientist and author, Professor Guy Claxton is one of the UK’s foremost thinkers on creativity, learning and the brain. His ‘Building Learning Power’ which cultivates strengths necessary to thrive in this current global context, influences educational theory and practice across the world.
Born into a Griot family from the Gambia, Sona Jobarteh is a pioneering musical icon of her time and the first female within this tradition to become a professional virtuoso on the Kora. Sona will share her dedication to social development and educational reform in Africa and will be joined by Todd Hoffman, co-director of The Gambia Academy US.
Australian-born, Berlin-based violist Tahlia Petrosian, a soloist chamber musician and one of the foremost innovators transforming classical music in the 21st century, will be joined by Deirdre Quarnstrom and Ministers to discuss how new physical parameters in a digital world enable educators to reimagine the classroom.
Strategic Director at Education Scotland, Ollie Bray, an experienced school leader and project manager, brings his passion for improving the lives of children and young people bringing great insight to the Summit sessions.
Strategic Director of Education Skills and Culture for the City of London Professor Anne Bamford is recognised nationally and internationally for her research in education, emerging literacies and visual communication, and is an expert in the international dimension of education.
Camilla Høg is from Kulturprinsen Development Centre for Children and Youth Culture, Denmark, a development centre for children and youth culture, which creates projects, builds cross-cutting partnerships, networks and communities in Denmark and abroad.
Invitations have been issued to Culture Ministers across the globe to attend EICS with hybrid opportunities being considered to support those unable to travel. The inclusion of a fully integrated youth programme ensures the Summit hears from young artists and cultural leaders to share visions for the future and inspiring multinational, cross-generational cultural exchange.
The sixth EICS will take place from 26th – 28th August 2022 at the Scottish Parliament.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 