Click here to visit โฎ•ย IAMA’s website (International Artist Managersโ€™ Association)

Please take some time to read the latest interview by IAMA featuring Poney Gross, who joined the association as a Full Member this year.

1. As a performing musician, until you formed your company Zig Zag in 1997, do you think your experience has equipped you to deal with the artists you represent?

Yes, definitely. The fact that I’ve had a career as a musician and experienced the different realities and challenges of a musician’s life has helped me a lot in all aspects of the role of manager that I assume with them today.

The artists know that theyโ€™re dealing with someone who knows the profession well, which gives them confidence. Thatโ€™s a plus at the start of the relationship.
Thatโ€™s not to say that everything is easy, but there is a basis on which we can build, achieve and develop.

I’m always artistically involved in the creation of the projects (in some cases, I propose the project ideas), and there’s a fundamental team spirit and willingness to listen, not forgetting the notion of having fun in the work, to get the best possible results.

2. Your agency specialises in musics outside the more traditional Western classical tradition but your artists work with orchestras and chamber musicians too. Have you noticed an openness from the classical music world to collaborations?

Yes, clearly. The classical music world is becoming increasingly open to collaborations with artists from other musical traditions. Itโ€™s nothing new, but the interest is growing. My participation in the last two IAMAs confirms this.

A few years ago, we created our first crossover project with the Cuban a cappella group Vocal Sampling to celebrate their 30-year career. I challenged them to confront their voices with a symphony orchestra (the Orquesta del Lyceum de La Havana).

This experience revealed not only the enthusiasm of the audience, but also the involvement of the conductor and the musicians of the orchestra, who were curious and motivated by this artistic dialogue. It encouraged us to continue exploring this artistic line.

We’ve added some new original symphonic creations with Moroccan oud master Driss El Maloumi and Belgian diatonic accordionist Didier Laloy.
Collaborations with various symphony orchestras in Europe (Wurzburg Philharmonic, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Olten Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica Della Calabria…) have confirmed a very positive reception, both artistically and from the public.

We collaborated twice with the Tonkรผnstler Orchester in Vienna for the Cuban project and the one with Driss El Maloumi. There were around 900 people at the Musikverein for the first and over 1,200 for the second. These projects attract new audiences, some of whom are entering these halls for the first time and discovering what a symphony orchestra is all about. They are likely to return for concerts featuring a classical repertoire.

We are also beginning to receive interest in our crossover projects with string quartets and quintets. After working with Eesti Kontsert in Estonia at the start of the year on Driss El Maloumi’s quintet formula, our Dyad duo will be visiting the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society in December for a collaboration with the excellent Ciurlionis Quartet.

3. To create opportunities for your artists within the classical presentation setting, you are taking on the risk of promoting your own series too. Why have you undertaken this path despite the risks?

Zig Zag World is mainly a management agency, we create, produce and develop artistic proposals with our artists, but we also have, by default, to take on booking responsibilities in certain territories where we donโ€™t have agreements with agencies.

We very rarely produce concerts ourselves, because I think itโ€™s a different profession. But exceptionally, the challenge is sometimes worth it. For example, to celebrate the โ€˜Didier Laloy Symphonicโ€™ in Belgium, weโ€™re going to produce the concert at the Cirque Royal, a prestigious venue in Brussels with a capacity of over 1,700 people.

Weโ€™re putting together our own orchestra with the Nethen Chamber Orchestra, the Quartz wind ensemble and 2 percussionists.
With the date set for 8 February 2026, we have 8 months to fill the hall. A very exciting challenge ๐Ÿ™‚

4. The word โ€œcrossoverโ€ is an outdated expression to use but do you have some alternative descriptions you like to use when approaching, for example, an orchestra in Vienna or Brussels?

This is an excellent question โ€“ and a real subject for debate among professionals. Many of us recognise that the term โ€˜crossoverโ€™ means everything and its opposite, which can make projects harder to understand.

Here are a few suggested names that are on the table:
โ€ขโ  โ Musical Confluences Projects
โ€ขโ  โ Global Music Confluences
โ€ขโ  โ Bridging Sounds Projects
โ€ขโ  โ Neo-World Classical
โ€ขโ  โ TransClassical Projects
โ€ขโ  โ EthnoClassical Projects
โ€ขโ  โ InterClassical Projects

Perhaps we should launch a consultation on this subject?

5. We like to ask what members enjoy doing in their spare time. We are guessing that you like to continue playing music. Would that be correct?

Unfortunately, I havenโ€™t played for many years. I had a career as a percussionist, specialising in African and Afro-Cuban percussion. I studied in Cuba, as well as in several West African countries. I had the immense privilege of learning and playing alongside the Guinean master Mamady Keita, considered to be one of the greatest djembe players in the world. I was then his manager for over twenty years, until his passing.

I’m always curious and happy to discover new musical projects and emerging artists.

Aside from music, I’m interested in culture in general, the worrying socio-ecological and political situation in the world and certain sports, particularly basketball, which I played for a long time. I’m a fan of the Belgian womenโ€™s national basketball team (the fantastic Belgium Cats), whom I go to see in matches whenever I can.

A few video links: