In this conference paper, I am studying the role of musicians in times of crisis with the Cuban case as an example. Cuba is experiencing numerous challenges, among those mass emigration, which profoundly impact the daily practices of musical life. This research contributes to International Cultural Management by examining how cultural agents, especially musicians, navigate challenging environments and uncertainties, operating as Artpreneurs within Cuba's state-controlled context.

Conceptual Framework and Research Interest
Recent studies on artists as civil society actors in crisis contexts have primarily taken a policy-oriented stance, focusing on foreign cultural policies or established institutions (e.g. Lettau, 2021; Schneider & Kaitinnis, 2016). This paper adopts an entrepreneurship studies perspective, emphasizing the individual artist's viewpoint and their sense-making of their artistic entrepreneuring within crisis contexts. It also fills a gap in academia by considering those operating at the intersection between official and unofficial spheres, often underrepresented in scholarly discussions.

The study aims to comprehend how Cuban musicians cope within their professional lives amidst crises.

I address this question from an entrepreneurship studies perspective by drawing on the notion of “artistic entrepreneuring” (Holmes & Beyes, 2022), which takes into account the aesthetic constitution of entrepreneurship as social change. Entrepreneurship research has already drawn attention to how entrepreneurs face crises and highlighted aspects of learned preparedness and collective emotions, among others. Identity aspects, too, have proven to be of particular importance in coping with adversities. Research has, however, often neglected the specific context, e.g., in the Global South (Radu-Lefebvre et al., 2021).
When adapting these insights from entrepreneurship studies to musicians, it is necessary to consider specific aspects of the artistic identity as well. For this study, I will take into account the notion of “calling,” understood as a “consuming, meaningful passion people experience toward the domain” (Dobrow & Heller, 2014, p. 2) as it has shown to be decisive for following career pursuits as musicians, even under adverse circumstances.

My research questions are therefore:
- How does a context of crises impact both artistic and entrepreneurial facets of (Cuban) musicians’ work identities?
- How do those, in contrast, shape their coping strategies with these extreme adverse circumstances?

Description of the Setting
The case study of musicians in Cuba is particularly interesting because it is an extreme case: Cuba is internationally perceived as the “Island of Music,” and the Cuban government has always used Cuba’s musical heritage as an asset while musicians have experienced both privileges and censorship. Even today, the state still strongly influences the operating context of artistic life. Despite all obstacles, musicians are, however, acting outside the state-run institutions. They are designing and implementing new organization and funding models, acting as Artpreneurs, though often at the intersection between the legal and the illegal (Monasterio Barsó, 2018).
The pandemic and the massive reduction of tourism after 2020 proved to be a pivotal point that accelerated the existing dysfunctional mechanisms in Cuba’s economic system and led to a deep crisis that reached all aspects of professional and daily life (Thiemann & Mare, 2021). The ongoing wave of emigration, particularly among young and talented artists, significantly impacts the cultural sector's future.

Methodology
I have chosen a qualitative, agency-centered approach in order to focus on the perspective of the actors involved. The research design follows Yin’s (2013) approach to developing theory from a case study.
A longitudinal design with several field trips in 2023/2024 is implemented. A total of 20 semi-structured interviews with musicians were conducted between February and June 2023. These interviews encompass diverse aspects such as patchwork careers, artistic visions, motivations, and coping strategies amidst crises. During another field trip in September and October 2023, follow-up interviews were conducted, and new interview partners were added to the sample. A last field trip in March 2024 will include another set of follow-up interviews. Additionally, observations during rehearsals or concerts of the interviewees enrich the data, offering an internal perspective of their daily practices by observing them in their direct work context. Furthermore, (background) interviews with arts managers, diplomats, and music journalists in Cuba were conducted, too, to better understand the context.

The interview data was transcribed, and a Grounded Theory approach of object-related theory building (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) is currently being applied, drawing on the framework by Gioia et al. (2013).

Sampling
Theoretical sampling was applied to find interviewees that cover different “dimensions” to capture potentially contradictory perspectives:
• local focus vs. substantial international scope and network
• freelance vs. state-employed musicians
• routine vs. innovative projects
The fluidity between the music genres is significantly higher in Cuba than in the European music contexts. The interviewees were often active in traditional Cuban music, jazz, classical music, and popular music at the same time.

The contacts in the field could be accessed due to my former work position as a project coordinator for a Cuban-European music exchange program. My role as an insider-outsider to the field and as a researcher from the Global North in a Global South field requires a thorough self-reflection regarding my positionality in the research.

Outlook on Results and Implications
The data analysis is currently in process. One more round of follow-up interviews will be conducted in March 2024 so that I can present the preliminary results of all interview rounds at the AIMAC.
A first analysis of the interview data explains that the context of crises makes it mandatory to develop patchwork careers. There is no single case of a musician who lives from only one type of work activity, such as playing in one ensemble or having a fixed position in an orchestra. These patchwork careers imply that musicians have to navigate “multiple work identities” (Caza et al. 2017), e.g., pianist, composer, teacher, and music entrepreneur. They often have to align their artistic visions and pursuits with the reality of adverse circumstances by drawing on entrepreneurial concepts as bricolage.
The migration flux profoundly impacts the sense of belonging to the community. It not only shapes how the musicians see themselves as part of the community but also how they renegotiate what it means to be a Cuban musician or Cuban music entrepreneur. The notion of “Cubanía” often comes up in the interviews and is linked to aspects of identity. The concept of "calling" emerges as a significant driver behind their decisions.

The research's implications are both practical and theoretical. It illuminates how cultural actors make sense of adverse circumstances, shape their work identities, and cope with such situations. One prevalent strategy is leaving the country, as has done a considerable number of the interviewees since the first interview round and as most of the interviewees plan to do as soon as an opportunity arises. Further research could trace these paths and link them to research on immigrant artistic entrepreneuring.
On a practical level, my research will help to design support programs for musicians in adverse circumstances. It can also be relevant for implementing international cooperation initiatives that foster a strong sense of meaningfulness for the local project partners to maintain the sense of a “calling.”

References:
• Caza, B. B., Moss, S., & Vough, H. (2018). From Synchronizing to Harmonizing: The Process of Authenticating Multiple Work Identities. Administrative Science Quarterly, 63(4), 703–745.
• Dobrow Riza, S., & Heller, D. (2015). Follow your heart or your head? A longitudinal study of the facilitating role of calling and ability in the pursuit of a challenging career. The Journal of applied psychology, 100(3), 695–712.
• Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2013). Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Research. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 15–31.
• Holm, D. V., & Beyes, T. (2022). How art becomes organization: Reimagining aesthetics, sites and politics of entrepreneurship. Organization Studies, 43(2), 227–245.
• Lettau, M. (2020). Künstler als Agents of Change. Auswärtige Kulturpolitik und zivilgesellschaftliches Engagement in Transformationsprozessen. Arts and International Affairs, 10.18278/aia.5.2.6.
• Monasterio Barsó, F. (2018). Music Production and Cultural Entrepreneurship in today’s Havana: Elephants in the room, Queen’s University Kingston, http://hdl.handle.net/1974/24851.
• Radu-Lefebvre, M., Lefebvre, V., Crosina, E., Hytti, U. (2021). Entrepreneurial Identity: A Review and Research Agenda. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(6), 1550–1590.
• Schneider, W. & Kaitinnis, A. (2016). Kulturarbeit in Transformationsprozessen: Innenansichten zur "Außenpolitik" des Goethe-Instituts. Springer VS.
• Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Procedures and techniques for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Thiemann, L. & Mare, C. (2021). åMultiple Economies and Everyday Resistance in Cuba: A Bottom-up Transition. In: Hoffmann, B. (Ed.), Social Policies and Institutional Reform in Post-COVID Cuba, Opladen, Berlin & Toronto: Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH, pp. 183–206.
• Yin, R. K. (2013). Designing Case Studies: Identifying Your Case(s) and Establishing the Logic of Your Case Study. In: Case Study Research: Design and Methods (5th ed., pp. 25–65). Sage Publications.