Šibenik’s SHIP Festival will host the next chapter in Balkan music development this September, as MOST Sessions, powered by MOL – New Europe Foundation, launches its latest open call. Designed for early-career musicians and managers with a firm local base and international ambition, the two-day training (11–12 September) offers tools for navigating the global music circuit.

Coordinated by Hangvető, this condensed evolution of the broader MOST Music programme, the initiative focuses on practical development: project planning, communication strategy, international booking, and stage performance, all delivered by professionals active across Europe’s music infrastructure.

This edition is open to artists who haven’t previously been part of the MOST programme. While the new training cohort gets stuck into hands-on workshops and mentoring, the wider project also keeps its alumni network active. Former participants will take the stage at a series of partner events through the year, including the aforementioned SHIP, Budapest Ritmo, Malomfesztivál in Orom (Serbia), the Street Music Festival in Târgu Mureș (Romania), World Music Bratislava (Slovakia), and the cross-border European Capital of Culture programme in Nova Gorica and Gorizia. The idea is to strengthen both ends of the bridge: bringing in new voices while continuing to back those already moving.

At Rhythm Passport, we’ve followed MOST’s work closely. In 2023, we were on the ground in Veszprém for Balkan:Most Festival the final showcase of the previous cycle, a striking cross-section of the region’s sonic diversity and artistic ambition [read our feature here].

We also sat down with key voices from the scene in two podcast episodes: Alice in WonderBand reflected on vocal tradition and ecological activism, while Pjev offered insight into cross-border collaboration through polyphonic singing, framing collective vocal practice as both cultural continuity and quiet resistance.

While interviews with Flying Nomads, Zarina Prvasevda, Skhodra Elektronike, Naked, and Lenhart Tapes offered deeper insight into how regional sounds are being reimagined, from Rhodope roots and Macedonian polyphony to Albanian synth-folk, Belgrade’s experimental underground, and cassette-driven cut-up aesthetics that dive into the submerged layers of Balkan music.

MOST Sessions is built for artists working from within: musicians who inhabit their traditions and know how to stretch them. There’s no single “Balkan sound” on offer here, but a web of distinct lineages: polyphonic song, Roma brass, urban folk mutations, DIY electronics fed by rural melodies, , and much more. The programme backs those who want to push these forms outward, through touring, better infrastructure, sharper media presence, and a stronger grip on the business side of things.

Applications close 25 July. Participants receive accommodation, SHIP Festival access, and travel support. The call is open to musicians, band members and artist managers across the Balkans — from Albania to Bulgaria, North Macedonia to Romania — ready to build lasting connections and careers beyond borders.

If your sound belongs to the Balkans but looks outward,
if your music carries place but resists stasis, this is your next step...
Find full details and apply HERE