Next wave of speakers revealed for the Tallinn Music Week 2026 conference
Resident Advisor co-founder Paul Clement, acclaimed saxophonist and composer Maria Faust, self-development and applied neuro-science expert Ben Nothnagel, Music Cities Network Managing Director Lena Ingwersen, and leading Baltic and Latin American music industry figures among newly announced Tallinn Music Week (TMW) conference speakers.
- The TMW 2026 conference takes place at Nordic Hotel Forum’s conference centre in Tallinn from 10–11 April, co-hosted in collaboration with Music Estonia
- TMW 2026 PRO passes for the music and creative sector professionals are on sale for the best price until 31 January.
Now in its 18th edition, TMW stands as one of Europe’s premier music industry gatherings, bringing to Tallinn about 1,500 industry professionals and delegations from around the globe. The second wave of conference speakers features influential voices from electronic music culture, jazz, cultural policy, cognitive science, and music industry innovation.
Paul Clement, who co-founded Resident Advisor (RA) in 2001, will appear in a public interview discussing how he built what became the world’s leading platform for electronic music culture. Over two decades, Clement grew RA into a global operation combining journalism with event discovery and ticketing. He’ll address the challenge of building sustainable digital platforms whilst staying grounded in purpose rather than chasing trends.
The tension between artistic integrity and industry demands runs through contemporary music practice. Maria Faust, the Copenhagen-based Estonian saxophonist and composer, has built a reputation for uncompromising work. Her latest album Sacrum Facere: Marches Rewound And Rewritten (2025) earned the Annual German Critics Prize for tackling authoritarian thinking. She’ll discuss navigating the intersection of music, politics, and creative independence.
Industry pressures extend beyond creative concerns to personal wellbeing. Ben Nothnagel, Senior Adviser at Aalto University Executive Education, addresses the connection between cognitive function, performance, and wellbeing in the creative sector. He will cover decision-making, emotional intelligence, self-leadership, and emotion regulation in fast-changing environments.
The wellbeing conversation extends to structural barriers. Tobba Andersson, who runs the Marginal Music network, has spent a decade working to open the industry to neurodivergent and disabled artists. Andersson will share practical approaches to making structural change within independent music communities.
The spaces where music happens—our cities—play a crucial role in community wellbeing. Lena Ingwersen has spent over 15 years strengthening physical music ecosystems. As Managing Director of Music Cities Network (MCN), she leads international collaboration efforts, having co-founded Act Aware and transformed MCN from a temporary project into a permanent association, focusing on how cities can harness music’s cultural, social, and economic power.
City-based festivals embody these principles in practice. Katariina Uusitupa, newly appointed CEO of Flow Festival, brings extensive experience in festival management and production. Having served as COO and Production Manager at Helsinki’s Flow, one of Europe’s leading music and city festivals, she will share insights on leading culturally and financially sustainable events through periods of transition and growth.
Latin American perspectives bring voices from rapidly growing markets. Cristian Vera, Director & Head of Booking at Melao Music / Helico Music, promotes emerging Latin and African music internationally. Egor Korolevitch, Show Producer at GOS Concerts, will explore sustainable touring routes and the unique realities of Latin America’s live music market.
The Baltic region features strongly among newly announced speakers. From Lithuania, Lauras Lučiūnas founded Green Lakes Pressing, an independent vinyl manufacturing hub, and Creative Industries agency, where he’s worked with artists including The Roop on two consecutive Eurovision national selection victories. Marija Astromskaite, also at Creative Industries, manages Plié, whilst co-organising Lithuania’s music industry event MURMURS. From Latvia, Guna Zučika founded Every Little Thing and curates the newly launched Riga Music Week’s conference. Estonian speakers include Kertu Mägar, Co-Founder of FAAR Music, discussing her work with Estonian songwriters writing for K-pop acts.
Other new speakers include Jonathan Fröberg, Creative Manager at Universal Music Publishing’s Film & TV Department, discussing sync licensing strategies across the Nordics and globally; Filip Košťálek, Artistic Director of Colours of Ostrava, sharing perspectives on innovative festival programming in Central Europe; and Stella Kalac, Festival Production Manager for Goulash Disko Festival, discussing production management and developing rural residencies.
They join the previously announced first wave: former Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto; Glastonbury’s Green Futures Field Production Manager Lisa Branigan (Nasta); Cooking Vinyl founder Martin Goldschmidt; Sibelius Academy Dean Kaisa Rönkkö; Culture Ireland Director Sharon Barry; I Land Sound founder Paap Uspenski; Sweden’s leading cultural critic Andres Lokko; CEO of First Music Contact Angela Dorgan; CEO of Jazz Denmark Eva Frost; CEO of Music x Media Lotta Savolainen; CEO of Estonian Authors’ Society Mati Kaalep, and Founder of Music Export Georgia Mariam Karalashvili-Laan.
TMW 2026 runs from 9–12 April in Tallinn, with the conference at Nordic Hotel Forum from 10–11 April and showcase festival across the city’s various venues from 9–11 April.
TMW 2026 PRO passes for music and creative sector professionals are on sale for the best price until 31 January at the TMW webshop.
PRO Pass for €200 (end price €250) provides access to the TMW conference and DigiPRO platform as well as priority access to the music festival.
The TMW PRO programme offers inspiration, practical activities, and networking options to international music industry professionals, artists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.
Festival Pass that grants access to all the music festival events is available for €79 (end price €95).
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About Tallinn Music Week
Now in its 18th edition, Tallinn Music Week (TMW) stands as one of Europe’s premier music industry gatherings, held annually in the capital of Estonia, Tallinn since 2009. The festival consists of three main programme elements: music festival, conference, and city-wide culture programme.
TMW 2026 is organised by Muusikanädal NGO in collaboration with Shiftworks, various partners, and co-curators. The conference programme is completed in collaboration with the national music industry development centre and export office Music Estonia.
TMW conference is supported by Nordic Hotel Forum, Telliskivi Creative City, the City of Tallinn, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, UNESCO City of Music Tallinn, and Embassy of Canada. Conference programme is co-curated with Music Estonia.
TMW is a co-founder of The Federation of International Music Conferences (FoMC), and a member of the European talent exchange programme ESNS Exchange, the global gender equality network Keychange, and the European showcase platform for global music UPBEAT.