The profile of the participants in the Cultural Management Academy 2016 – 2017, which started today, 4 April, is very diverse.

They range from translators to producers of a capella ensemble, from critics to contemporary art curators, from specialists in working with cultural minorities to human resource and finance experts of cultural organizations.

All of them are united by their common understanding that the sphere of art and culture is to be run professionally and bring revenues.

This year, the geographic scope of the Academy also expanded; besides Sofia and Plovdiv, there are managers from Stara Zagora, Dupnitza, Veliko Tarnovo, and Belgrade.

The Cultural Management Academy is a postgraduate programme by Goehte-Institute and Sofia Municipality through Sofia Development Association in cooperation with Sofia University and the cultural institutes of Austria, Great Britain, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

The program aims to increase the knowledge and skills of cultural managers of municipal and independent cultural institutions and organizations. The programme includes 23 participants from municipal cultural institutes in Sofia, from the independent cultural operators (NGOs) from the whole country, and from the cultural sector in Serbia.

The Cultural Management Academy is held for a third consecutive academic year.