26 Ars Acustica specialists from 14 EBU Member countries were welcomed to Cologne by Prof. Karl Karst, Head of WDR3 Cultural Channel, and Elisabeth Zimmermann, Chair of the Euroradio Ars Acustica Group. Following detailed presentations by Christian Vogg, EBU Head of Radio, on the EBU Community Platform and future plans, and Pierre-Yves Tribolet, Euroradio Manager, on the new structures of the EBU, statistics and evaluation of the Euroradio Ars Acustica activities and programme exchanges, the Group proceded to the election of the Chair and Vice-Chair for 2014-2015. Marcus Gammel (DEDKU) was unanimously elected to the post of Chair, replacing Elisabeth Zimmermann (ATORF) who did not wish to be re-elected for a third mandate, preferring the post of Vice-Chair, to which she was elected by acclamation.

The two-day Plenary Meeting was filled with very animated discussions, listening proposals and exciting presentations by Ars Acustica members and guest speakers, such as Knut Aufermann and Sarah Washington on Radia Network, and Andrey Smirnov from the Theremin Center at Moscow State Conservatory on Graphical Sound and Noise Music in the early Russian sound movies (1929-1934), to name but a few.

The Plenary Meeting was followed by the final listening and voting session of the newly created "Palma Ars Acustica" Competition. The €1,000 award went to the Lithuanian composer and concept artist Arturas Bumšteinas whose work, presented by DeutschlandRadio Kultur, was praised by the jury for its colourful sound worlds made up of vocals, harpsichord and harsh noises. Honorable Mentions were awarded to two productions entered by Czech Radio: Michael J. Schumacher's "The Episodes" and Jorge Boehringer's "Wind Icon/River Totem".

Special press bulletin on Prix Palma Ars Acustica available here.