Banja Luka, May 27, 2025_The “Western Balkans Songwriting Hub” has been inaugurated in Banja Luka in the presence of Ms. Milada Šukalo, Banja Luka Mayor’s Advisor, and Ms. Letizia Fischioni, AICS Tirana Regional Office Deputy Head. The advisor thanked AICS for supporting the creation of the music center in Banja Luka, a city included in the UNESCO circuit of creative cities.
Ms. Fischioni congratulated the City of Banja Luka for the work carried out and hoped that the center could create a real community for young musicians, not only for the city, but for the entire Western Balkans region, also thanks to the digital platform provided by the project, allowing the center’s visitors to connect with professionals.
The project “The Western Balkans Songwriting Hub” was selected in the framework of the second call for proposals launched by the “Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans-CC4WBs” programme, funded by the European Union and managed by the UNESCO – AICS – British Council consortium. “The Western Balkans Songwriting Hub” is implemented by the City of Banja Luka in partnership with the national platform for creative industries “Serbia Creates”. The financial contribution of CC4WBs amounts to 44,540.00 euros.
Project activities aim at equipping two music writing centers, one in Banja Luka and one in Belgrade, with specific tools for production and recording of music, involving at least 150 young singer-songwriters from the Balkan region. The selected artists will participate in three cycles of mentoring with industry experts on music writing, arrangement and mixing. Mentors in Banja Luka will be proposed by the Serbian partner, except for the Bosnian vocal coach who will work with both Serbian and Bosnian young singer-songwriters.
In order to facilitate networking and collaboration between artists and industry professionals, a digital platform has been created. This platform will help creating a community of industry professionals, going beyond geographical limits and enabling regional collaborations.
The project will continue until February 2026. A final event is planned to valorize the work of the students.
