Helen Mechitova Represents Georgia at International Congress in New York

Art Bridge, KAVKAZ Jazz Festival founder, and cultural entrepreneur Helen Mechitova is the first ever fellow from South Caucasus to represent Georgia at the International Congress for Performing Arts in New York. Mechitova is a visiting professor at the Tbilisi Conservatoire. In 2016 she launched an educational programme with professors Jazz Studies Professor Jamey Aeberesold in Louisville, KY, USA. Kavkaz Jazz and this educational program have appeared in the issue of DownBeat, a well-known jazz magazine.    

The congress was organized by the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) From almost 300 applications received for the Global Fellowship Program each year, only 12 candidates were chosen, and Helen Mechitova was among .

The theme this year was Currents of Change: Arts, Power+ Politics. Almost 600 delegates from over 50 countries participated, representing festivals, theatres, and arts companies as well as The Lincoln Center, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Cirque du Soleil participated in the congress which is held twice a year. It is a massive event, enabling arts managers from around the world to network and establish international contacts.

The congress opened at the legendary Apollo Theater with welcome speeches from every Global Fellowship Program participant. A seminar was organized for participants by the Asian Society Center, with discussion panels held at the Times Center.

On behalf of ART Bridge, meetings were held at Theolonius Monk Institute in L.A.

by Nino Gugunishvili