From family singing and classical concerts to international jazz stars

What visitors can expect at the 5th German Music Festival from 9 to 12 May has been decided today. Mayor Barbara Ludwig and the organisers of the Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Musikverbände e. V., represented by 1st Vice President Michael Weber, Managing Director Harald Eßig and Federal Music Director Heiko Schulze, presented the detailed programme for the 5th German Music Festival.

Over 300 organisations will be coming to Chemnitz for the German Music Festival, including numerous foreign orchestras and ensembles from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy and Pakistan. In addition to 145 wind orchestras, 68 brass bands, nine brass bands, 33 youth wind orchestras and twelve children's and junior orchestras are also registered. The participation of eleven choirs and two alphorn groups will also guarantee a variety of musical highlights. A total of 15,000 participants are expected to take part in 315 concerts and 216 competitions.

"It's definitely worth coming to the German Music Festival. The programme has something to offer for every musical taste. Many guests have already confirmed their attendance. The Chemnitz music and art scene itself can show how diverse and powerful it is. Museums, cultural institutions and clubs are participating in the German Music Festival with their own programmes. A great deal of commitment is already going into the preparations so that Chemnitz will be a good host," says Mayor Barbara Ludwig.

Michael Weber, 1st Vice President of the BDMV: "The focus of this music festival will of course be on brass and minstrel music in all its diversity. It will once again showcase the quality of amateur music in a fluid transition and in co-operation with professional ensembles and artists. The integration of other musical and artistic disciplines in a cross-over with wind and percussion musicians will make it exciting. I am looking forward to a melodious and lively Chemnitz in which young and old are harmoniously united."

For young and old

On Thursday, families are invited to the big family gala "Komm lieber Mai und mache..." in the main hall of the Stadthalle from 11 am for a sing-along concert with Gerhard Schöne and the MDR children's choir.This will be followed in the afternoon at 4 p.m. by the big family sing-along on the open-air stage in Küchwald, to which all families are cordially invited.

Young visitors to the music festival can also try their hand at the "Cultour 4 you" from Thursday to Saturday and go on a musical discovery tour in the sound box and while making instruments with the MDR youth music network Clara.

The "Sound Trail" organised by the Saxon Mozart Society invites you to learn a lot about music and musical instruments. It starts at the power station and leads along the castle pond, via the park railway to Küchwald. On Friday and Saturday there will also be wind band competitions and the children's and young orchestra meeting with a big joint concert on Saturday at 5 pm on the market square.

International guests from the twin cities

International stars have been announced from Chemnitz's twin towns. Eight twin towns have accepted the invitation. Jack Schantz, one of the great jazz musicians on the American scene, is coming to Chemnitz. He now teaches at the University of Akron and will be accompanied to the German Music Festival by seven of his young university musicians. A 45-piece youth wind band is expected from Łódź. The group Pekko Käppi from Tampere will perform genuine Finnish music with old instruments and vocals. Folklore groups from Volgograd and Taiyuan as well as musicians from Manchester and Usti nad Labem will bring world music to Chemnitz.

Further programme highlights

Open-air concerts with rock, pop and jazz bands, competitions, competitions and gala concerts will take place throughout the city centre on all four days. Panel discussions, specialist forums and a music trade fair will offer further opportunities for encounters in addition to the music. Highlights of the four-day programme include the open-air concert with the band "Blassportgruppe" on Thursday evening at 8 pm, the gala concert with the Bundeswehr Music Corps on Friday at 8 pm in the Opera House and the gala concert by the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra, also at 8 pm in the Great Hall of the Stadthalle.

On Saturday at 3 p.m., the Saxony State Youth Wind Orchestra in the Stadthalle and the euphonium soloist Steven Mead with the Bavarian Police Orchestra at 8 p.m. in the Opera House promise extraordinary sound experiences. On Saturday evening from 9pm, the Big Band of the German Armed Forces will perform on the show truck for the long party night on Johannisplatz. The ecumenical church service on Sunday at 10 a.m. and the big community concert followed by a parade with over 4,000 participants, both on Theaterplatz, are further highlights of the four-day programme.

Chemnitz flavour

With the aim of giving the German Music Festival a tangible and clearly audible Chemnitz flavour, numerous players from the city's cultural life will be involved in its preparation and organisation as part of the Chemnitz Window. For example, the Chemnitz Municipal Music School, the TIETZ, the Chemnitz Municipal Theatre, the Parkeisenbahn Chemnitz gGmbH, the Weltecho, Chemnitz museums, the players of the carillon in the tower of the New Town Hall and many of the city's cultural associations, choirs and ensembles will create a programme that reflects the city's diverse, cosmopolitan cultural landscape. For example, the Accordion Harmonists will play on the Brückenstraße stage. The big band of Chemnitz University of Technology, the Collegium musicum der TU Chemnitz e. V. and the Musikbund Chemnitz e. V. will also take part in the programme.

The city library presents sheet music and CDs on the subject of brass band music. The Chemnitz Industrial Museum is organising special guided tours of the museum under the motto "Saxony makes music" - music and musical instrument making in the exhibition. The Schloßbergmuseum will be open until late at night and will be hosting a video presentation on the "Chemnitz Concertina - A forgotten musical instrument? At the Chemnitz Tram Museum, the Stasi Records Office is hosting a lecture by Michael Rauhut on the subject of "Subcultural Music in the GDR", followed by a panel discussion and live music with the band "Wind, Sand and Stars".

A special highlight will be the Chemnitz Sound Night on 10 May. From 10 p.m., Neumarkt will be immersed in a multi-season show of projected light and song. This first part is organised by the Chemnitz Artists' Association. In the second part, one of the best German youth selection orchestras, the Nordbayerisches Jugendblasorchester, plays works of popular classical music, e.g. excerpts from Pictures at an Exhibition and Carmina Burana.

Poster series draws attention to the German Music Festival

To get people in the mood for the German Music Festival, a 5-part poster series will be launched with the publication of the programme. The posters will be displayed in public institutions, at partners and supporters over the coming weeks. The motifs are also available as postcards. Anyone interested in posters can obtain them free of charge from the City of Chemnitz press office. All further information can be found at www.chemnitz.de.

Supporters

The organisers of the German Music Festival are not only supported in the programme. Important sponsors are the federal government, the Free State of Saxony, the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony and the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung together with the Sparkasse Chemnitz.

There are also numerous co-operations, including with the Saxon Wind Music Association, the Saxon Education Agency and GEMA.

Contact the organiser:

Press Office German Music Festival 2013
Bianca Pahl
Telephone: 0351 563 943 - 11
Fax: 0351 563 943 - 10
E-Mail: presse@deutsches-musikfest.de

Contact Press Officer City of Chemnitz

Katja Uhlemann
Phone: 0371 4881530
Fax: 0371 4881595
E-mail: katja.uhlemann@stadt-chemnitz.de