Sustainability and ecological awareness are at the heart of Northern Connection. The project strives to create touring, exchanging contents and presenting music in a sustainable fashion. Sustainability takes place at several levels: social, economic and ecological.
 

Social and Economic Sustainability
 

With this program, composers will get new commissions, ensembles will get new material for their repertoire and festivals will get new program from the neighboring countries – which is sustainable and financially wise. All commissioned works get more than one performance allowing them to have a longer lifespan. New contacts, ideas and networks will strengthen co-operation and bring additional value to the contemporary art field in the northern area.​ Costs are shared by all partners and new sources of funding are being sought.

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Ecological Sustainability
 

The instrumentation of the commissioned works is intentionally small and suitable for the ensembles taking part in Northern Connection. Therefore, each ensemble can include all new works in their repertoire, and no large instruments or extended line-up of musicians are needed when touring with this program. Ultimately, this will reduce carbon dioxide emission when touring, and the new works are more likely to be performed again.

 

To minimize carbon footprint, an essential idea of Northern Connection is to move music, not people. The commissioned works will be premiered in partner festivals by local ensembles. When traveling and touring, all partners of Northern Connection are committed to travel causing as small a carbon dioxide emission as possible. This means that ensembles and composers will actively look for opportunities to have several performances and meetings at the destination area during their stay – see an example here. Planning of the project, as well as networking between the partners of Northern Connection, takes place in online meetings.