The selected New Faces come from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia. Chosen from more than 140 applications—a new record—they stood out for their local impact, drive, and potential to shape the future of the music industry.

Interest in the New Faces selection reached record levels this year, with over 140 applications submitted. The selected candidates have already demonstrated active engagement in their local environments and show strong potential to co-create future developments in the regional music industry. Young professionals are increasingly aware of the importance of professional networking and international collaboration as key factors for long-term career development in music. This year’s cohort includes music journalists, booking agents, managers, and festival organizers who are already shaping their local scenes.

In addition to attending concert and conference programs, participants will take part in targeted workshops and networking events aimed at strengthening regional connections and developing them into broader international opportunities.

The New Faces initiative is designed as a long-term platform for building a regional music network. The project enables the exchange of knowledge and experience among peers and provides direct access to leading music conferences in the region. Partner organizations involved in the initiative include MENT Ljubljana (SI), Kontakt (RS), SHIP (HR), PIN Music Conference (MK), and SoAlive Music Conference & Festival (BG).

Selected participants will receive professional passes for at least four partner events, granting them access to concerts, conference programs, and international delegate databases, and encouraging their continued engagement on the international music scene.

So, who are this year’s New Faces from Slovenia?

Veronika Černe (Radio Študent, SI)
A sound engineer, event organizer, and music journalist. She began her journey in the alternative electronic scene as a DJ and producer under the alias Raketa, which she continues to use today. She is the head of the Tresk Festival (Radio Študent), the author of the Vibe Check radio show, and the organizer of the Ghetto Babes event series, which focuses on ghetto-tech music while highlighting FLINTA creators and fostering safer club spaces. As a live sound engineer, she works at Channel Zero, Gala Hala, Gromka, and Klub K4 / Zorica. Her long-term goal is to connect her work in the music industry with her social-pedagogical background through workshops on DJing, sound engineering, and radio.

Jan Robek (Kapa Records, KREH, SI)
Jan is a musician, booker, concert organizer, promoter, and label manager. He began organizing concerts and DJ events in 2017 for the local skate collective LYC. In 2022, he took over the management of the Ljubljana-based label Kapa Records, contributing to the release of nine albums to date and organizing Balkan tours for bands auto and Čao Portorož. At Gala Hala, he is responsible for booking, organization, and promotion. He also founded his own platform, KREH, collaborating with Metelkova venues as well as local musicians, organizers, and designers. In 2024 and 2025, he worked as a stage manager at MENT Ljubljana Festival. He is also a member of the band mal pre mal.

Other nationalities:

Dona Ilijevska (Gola Planina, Mrtov Konj, MK)
A young graphic designer, booker, and manager of the collective Naked Mountain (Gola Planina) and its label Dead Horse (Mrtov Konj).

Luka Toshev (Dina Jashari, Studio Ilinden 3, MK)
A music enthusiast, musician, and creative inspired by theatre, concerts, and behind-the-scenes work. He is involved in booking, tour organization, and PR, and currently works as tour manager, booker, and publicist for musician Dina Jashari, with whom he also regularly performs.

Ana Konstantinović (Liveurope, Long Play, RS)
A cultural manager and producer working in music, festivals, and contemporary culture. She has collaborated on major projects and with organizations such as Liveurope, Arsenal Fest, Sarajevo Film Festival, Olympiad Paris, and Long Play Concert Agency, and has worked with international artists including Manu Chao, Steve Vai, Nouvelle Vague, and Circa Waves.

Boško Strugar (KST, RS)
A program manager, producer, and event organizer in music and culture, with a focus on concert and club production. As a board member and program lead at Klub študentov tehnike (KST), he actively shapes seasonal concepts, curates music and cultural events, and leads multidisciplinary teams across production, technical operations, design, PR, and multimedia.

David Mandić (Radio Tvornica, HR)
Holds a master’s degree in Communication Studies, Media, and Journalism. He has worked for print and digital media, including Jutarnji list, 24sata, and Glazba.hr. He is an editor and radio host at Radio Tvornica, where he shapes the station’s programming and musical profile through the show Večernji pogon.

Matea Božić (yem., HR)
A communications and media specialist with a focus on music, live events, and contemporary culture. She developed her storytelling skills through work in cultural media, including television reporting for Croatian national broadcaster HRT4, covering music, visual arts, theatre, and the wider arts scene.

Zhelyazko Ganchev (Zvuk I Kartina / BubbleGum Records, Samodiva Society, BG)
An independent music professional from Sofia working in artist development and event organization. He is co-head of the independent label Zvuk I Kartina / BubbleGum Records and collaborates with Samodiva Society, a non-governmental organization supporting independent artists in development, project coordination, release planning, campaign strategies, and day-to-day operations.

Georgi Kazasov (Smiles Music, Caravan Party, BG)
An event coordinator and music professional working within the family-run event organization company Smiles Music. For over a decade, he has played a key role in developing the Caravan Party festival in Arapya, hosting leading Bulgarian artists while also supporting emerging talent.