Opening Conference

Three Decades of International Exchange

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The Sibiu International Performing Arts Market opens its thirtieth edition — a rare milestone for any marketplace in the performing arts, and an occasion to take stock of three decades of international exchange. This opening conference gathers the leaders whose institutions have shaped that global conversation to reflect on how the field has changed, and where it is heading.

From the start, SIPAM was conceived not as a free-standing structure, as most markets are, but as one embedded within a major festival — FITS. That distinctive design has given it the flexibility to be continually rethought and adapted to shifting social, political, and economic conditions, repeatedly asking the artist, producer, distributor, funder, promoter, agent, and ultimately the spectator to reconsider their roles. Three decades on, that spirit of partnership now connects Sibiu with leading institutions across the world, drawing delegates from dozens of countries and, this year, hosting Circostrada’s global meeting alongside the Market. Against a backdrop its founders call the most challenging year yet for both Festival and Market, the conference frames SIPAM 2026 as a landmark edition — and returns to its guiding conviction, in Ana Blandiana’s words, that “the soul is something within us, unable to exist elsewhere.”

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SPEAKERS
Constantin Chiriac  ·  President, SIPAM & FITS (Romania)
David Baile  ·  CEO, ISPA (USA)
Hege Knarvik Sande  ·  CEO, PAHN (Norway)
Lisa Richards Toney  ·  President & CEO, APAP (USA)
Roy Luxford  ·  Creative Director, Edinburgh International Festival (GBR)
Tisa Ho  ·  Former Executive Director, Hong Kong Arts Festival (Hong Kong)

Moderator — Cosmin Chivu  ·  Director of Industry Programme, SIPAM (Romania)

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Event in English , with translation into Romanian
Duration: 1h 15min

FREE ACCESS,  WITHIN AVAILABLE PLACES