Glastonbury’s Green Futures Field Production Manager Lisa Nasta, former Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Founder of Cooking Vinyl Martin Goldschmidt, Dean of the Sibelius Academy Kaisa Rönkkö, Director of Culture Ireland Sharon Barry, Founder of I Land Sound Paap Uspenski, and Sweden’s leading cultural critic Andres Lokko are revealed among the first speakers for the Tallinn Music Week (TMW) conference.
- The TMW 2026 conference takes place at Nordic Hotel Forum’s conference centre in Tallinn from 10–11 April. The conference is 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 first wave of speakers for the TMW 2026 conference promises compelling perspectives on what’s defining the future of music, culture, and society.
Former Finnish Foreign Minister and Member of Parliament Pekka Haavisto will deliver a keynote on the phenomenon of “sisu” and the impact of music and culture as the foundation of societal resilience. Haavisto is a peace negotiator and defender of both democracy and human rights, especially experienced in foreign policy and international operations. He has led research into the environmental impact of wars and represented the EU and the UN in various crises all over the world.
This theme of culture as a force for resilience and change runs through all the speakers’ work. From Glastonbury’s pioneering green initiatives to Estonia’s I Land Sound festival bringing together electronic music and environmental values, from Ireland’s groundbreaking Basic Income for Artists trial to new leadership reimagining European music education, to decades of influential music journalism shaping Scandinavian cultural discourse—these speakers are implementing solutions, not just discussing problems. Expect insights spanning entrepreneurship, policy, education, and the grassroots innovation reshaping the industry.
Lisa Branigan (Nasta) is an event manager, music educator, and certified luthier whose work bridges instrument craftsmanship, sustainability, and festival production. As Director of Re-Play Music C.I.C., she leads a non-profit that has won two Music Industry Awards for “Environmental Initiative & Sustainability”. She serves as area coordinator and production manager for Glastonbury Festival’s Green Futures Field and works with major UK festivals including WOMAD and Weyfest.
Martin Goldschmidt is Chairman and Founder of Cooking Vinyl, home to The Prodigy, Marilyn Manson, Billy Bragg, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, and one of Europe’s premier artist-focused independent labels and the originator of innovative Artist Services deals. Martin also co-founded Palestine Music Expo, which staged festivals in the West Bank and five festivals in Gaza from 2021 to 2023.
Kaisa Rönkkö has been appointed Dean of the Sibelius Academy at the University of the Arts Helsinki, effective 1 January 2026. She has held leadership positions at Arts Council Finland, Music Finland, the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, and served as a Visionary Fellow for the Future UniLab project, developing strategic recommendations for reimagining the European university of the future.
Andres Lokko, born to Estonian refugee parents, is a cultural critic, broadcaster, and chief music critic for Svenska Dagbladet. The Independent newspaper once described him as “Sweden’s John Peel”. He ran the influential Pop Magazine in the 1990s, interviewing David Bowie, Prince, and Scott Walker, directed documentaries on Japanese outsider music, and presented MTV Sweden’s This Is Our Music series.
Sharon Barry is the Director of Culture Ireland, responsible for promoting Irish arts worldwide. In 2024, Culture Ireland supported over 5,500 artistic presentations in over 50 countries to audiences of almost 7 million. Sharon is also the project lead for the Basic Income for the Arts project and is responsible for implementing cultural elements of the Irish Government’s Global Ireland strategy.
Paap Uspenski is a culture curator, entrepreneur, and founding force behind I Land Sound, a boutique festival held on the Illiku islet in Saaremaa, Estonia. His leadership has shaped I Land Sound into a unique platform that combines electronic music with sustainability and international collaboration, creating an immersive island experience that has become a flagship for creativity in the Baltic region.
The other announced speakers are 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 passes are on sale 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 about 1,500 international music industry professionals, artists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.
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About Tallinn Music Week
Tallinn Music Week (TMW) is one of the most acclaimed new music and city culture festivals and key networking events for music and creative industry professionals across Europe, 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, 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.
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