This year, the Music Information Centre of Serbia (MICS) hosted the annual meeting of the International Association of Music Information Centres (IAMIC). The conference took place in Belgrade, from September 23 to 26, 2025, at the Center for Creative Industries and Innovation “Ložionica”.
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Although the Music Information Centre of Serbia (MICS) became a member of the IAMIC network only in 2023, our extensive individual and team experience in cultural organization and management inspired us to take the bold step of hosting an event such as the annual IAMIC conference and meeting.
This was also the third time that MICS took part in an IAMIC conference. Maša Vukanović represented MICS at the annual gathering in Riga (Latvia; September 14–17, 2023), while Marija Vitas attended the conference in Vienna (Austria; November 19–22, 2024). At this year’s conference sessions in Belgrade, MICS was represented by Saša Srećković, Marija Vitas, Bojan Đorđević, Oliver Đorđević, as well as Ivana Arsenijević and Miloš Prikić. The five of us formed the core of this demanding, multi-day undertaking, receiving invaluable support from the staff of the Center for Creative Industries and Innovation “Ložionica”, as well as from the leadership of the “Serbia Creates” platform.
On the first day, September 23, after the traditional IAMIC Board Meeting in the afternoon, a Welcome Reception followed, held in a relaxed and informal atmosphere, with short speeches by IAMIC President Stephan Schulmeistrat and Marija Vitas on behalf of MICS. The reception, as well as the conference program in the following days, took place in “Ložionica”, a venue that was yet to be officially opened but was already polished to such an extent that our guests – delegates from various parts of Europe and from New Zealand – were deeply impressed by its modern and creatively designed architecture and interior.
Especially for the delegates, we organized a half-hour concert by the Living Heritage Trio, one of MICS’s projects. Singer Svetlana Spajić, gusle player Boško Vujačić, and Miloš Nikolić (kaval, bagpipes, vocals) presented a segment of Serbia’s rich musical tradition. The encounter of our guests with Serbian musical roots left a strong impression. With this musical choice, the organizers created a genre precedent within IAMIC gatherings, which are otherwise most closely associated with the world of contemporary art music.
It is enough to compare this year’s and last year’s concert offerings for the delegates’ enjoyment after the conference sessions. While in Vienna, evening outings meant attending events at the “Wien Modern” contemporary music festival, in Belgrade, in addition to the Living Heritage Trio concert, IAMIC members were able to hear two world music performances (Jakob Steinkellner / Tamala) during the opening night of the 13th “Todo Mundo” Festival, also held at “Ložionica”.
In addition to these roots and world music concerts, the IAMIC 2025 conference side program on September 24 included a guided tour of “Ložionica”, a visit to the Electronic Studio of Radio Belgrade, and attendance at a concert in Studio 6 of Radio Belgrade, where Vladimir Korać (electronics) and Luka Lopičić (accordion) performed their piece “Water”. On September 26, a sightseeing tour of downtown Belgrade and the Kalemegdan Fortress was organized.
The main conference program in Belgrade did not revolve around a single central theme, as is sometimes the case at IAMIC gatherings. After the official opening on September 24, with speeches by Marija Vitas (MICS), Ana Ilić (Serbia Creates), and Stephan Schulmeistrat (IAMIC), the program began with a lecture by guest Balázs Weyer, director of the Budapest-based agency Hangvető, on music and its various social and emotional dimensions. This was followed by a presentation by Marija Vitas introducing the current project “Play It!”, jointly run by the World Music Association of Serbia and MICS with the support of UNESCO.
The first conference day concluded with IAMIC members’ presentations: “Tourbus – Network Analysis of Live Music Ecosystems Using Automated Data Collection” (Regin Petersen / Art Music Denmark), “Engaging with Māori Music at SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music” (Hannah Darroch / SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music)
The central event of the second conference day, September 25, was the panel discussion “Culture, Populism, and the Power of Music”, featuring guest Michael Custodis, a German musicologist and sociologist. Later that day, participants took part in a joint discussion titled “IAMIC Code of Common Values” and listened to two more presentations: “The Landscape Sketch” (Ward Bosmans / Flanders Art Institute – Kunstenpunt), “Developing a Chatbot for the German Music Information Center” (Stephan Schulmeistrat / German Music Information Centre: Facts on Music).
The final IAMIC 2025 conference day, traditionally held on Friday, September 26, began with IAMIC members participating in small groups in an interactive brainstorming and problem-solving session titled “Luck Circle”. In the afternoon, the IAMIC General Assembly was held.
Every gathering and conference is also an opportunity for pleasant socializing and relaxed conversations during walks or shared meals, which we enjoyed both at “Ložionica” and in several Belgrade restaurants. But everyone knows what the true highlight of such friendly, laid-back moments is — the closing party, “IAMIC Bar”.
This time, it took place at the “Crystal Hotel”, where our delegates were accommodated. As always, the party format included an “exhibition” of alcoholic beverages brought by delegates from their respective countries, followed by their cheerful consumption — lasting late into the night, accompanied by smiles and lively conversation.
Marija Vitas
Links:
IAMIC 2025 in Belgrade Conference Guide >> ǀ IAMIC Website >> ǀ IAMIC 2023 in Latvia Review >> ǀ IAMIC 2024 in Austria Review >>
