President

The responsibilities of the President of the ITI/UNESCO Network are:

• Leading the Network


• Liaising with UNESCO


• Scheduling and presiding over the Board Meetings and General Assembly of the Network


• Guaranteeing the quality of the work for the Network


• Public Relations, contact with organizations with similar goals


• Promotion of the Network together with the Secretary, the Board and the Secretariat of the Network


• Fundraising for the Network, together with the Secretary of the Network


• Outreach to institutions that are interested in the Network


• Legal aspects of the Network

The President is ex-officio part of the Board and can vote.

Tobias Biancone was born in Bern, Switzerland, and is of Swiss and Italian origin. A Poet and writer, he studied in French and German literature and language, as well as arts history, at the University of Bern (Switzerland).

His works have been published in German, English, Spanish, Arabic and Russian, as well as in Asian languages from Bangladesh (Bangla) and Philippines (Ilonggo, Tagalog). His collaboration with the Swiss painter Claude Sandoz was shown in the art museums of Thun and Bern (both Switzerland) and in art galleries. His dramatic work has been shown in Germany (Exhibition Opera in Bremen) and in Switzerland.

He has a long history of working for the arts, lending his expertise across varied fields, including but not limited to: attaining publication for visual artists and writers (14 volumes); and organizing culture festivals which celebrate the poetic side of the arts such as poetry, prose, music, cinema & theatre. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his work. He is an Honorary Professor of the Chinese Central Academy of Drama.

Tobias Biancone served on the board of the Swiss Centre of ITI, spent six years as president of the International Playwrights´ Forum of ITI, and was part of the ITI Executive Council for six years. He has been the leader of the General Secretariat since 2008 and main initiator and President of the ITI/UNESCO Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts since its beginnings.