Hannover (Germany), a UNESCO Creative City of Music, launched the “Worldwide wo+men in concert”project to support musicians and sound technicians around the world affected by the pandemic, via organizing online solidarity concerts.
Initiated in October 2020, the project has invited musicians and in particular female and LGBTQIA+ artists to organize concerts at the place of their choosing ranging from small to big locations, home to office space, amongst others. The concerts are then recorded and broadcasted online and on other social media channels. A series of interview of the recording artists are also provided to not only allow for broader outreach but increased visibility for the artists.
As a part of the financial support mechanism, the city of Hannover provides each participating artist and technician a fixed fee, thus allowing them to supplement their livelihoods in times of pandemic. Since the beginning of the project, two online concert series have been organized bringing together 16 performances. Building on the power of music and women empowerment, the project has attracted many viewers and has also received financial support via spontaneous donations.
In addition to musicians from Hannover, other UNESCO Creative Cities of Music also participated in the project from worldwide, such as Praia (Cabo Verde), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Bogota (Colombia) and Salvador (Brazil). The cities of Metz (France) and Leiria (Portugal) also took part in the project by providing financial support to participating musicians from their cities.