Culture

Embassy concerts with winners of the German Business Music Prize

By supporting young winners of the German Business Music Prize, the Wilo-Foundation enabled them to perform in an international context and thereby helped to advance their musical careers.

Creating Caring Connecting

Europe

Poland, France, Czech Republic, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland

Warsaw, Paris, Prague, Rome, The Hague, Bern

Funding period: 2012, 2014, 2016-2019

Since 1953, the Cultural Committee of German Business within the Federation of German Industries (BDI) e.V., Berlin, has been promoting outstanding young musical talents. Since 2007, in cooperation with the ARD broadcasting corporations, it has organized the annual competition and German Business Music Prize “Ton & Erklärung”. The competition alternates between the disciplines piano, violin, violoncello and voice. Participants, who are students up to the age of 27, are called upon to convince both through outstanding artistic performance and through their verbal communication of their musical interpretations. A jury of experts as well as the association’s music committee select the prizewinners.

The first embassy concert took place in 2012 at the German Embassy in Warsaw, featuring German Business Music Prize winners Valentin Radutiu (cello) and Per Rundberg (piano). Photo: Cultural Committee of German Business within the Federation of German Industries (BDI) e.V., Berlin

In 2014, German Business Music Prize winners Charles-Antoine Duflot and Elsa Dreisig performed at the prestigious Palais Beauharnais of the German Embassy in Paris. From left to right: Elsa Dreisig (German Business Music Prize winner, mezzo-soprano), Lucie Sansen (piano), Martin Klett (piano) and Charles-Antoine Duflot (German Business Music Prize winner, violoncello). Photo: Cultural Committee of German Business within the Federation of German Industries (BDI) e.V., Berlin

Between 2012 and 2019, the Wilo-Foundation helped to enable and foster international encounters through music. As part of its long-standing active membership in the Working Group for Cultural Promotion within the Cultural Committee of German Business, the Wilo-Foundation supported the international music format “Embassy Concerts”, in which young prizewinners of the German Business Music Prize competition presented their talents to an international audience.

The German Business Music Prize winners (from left to right) Menna Cazel Davies (voice), Elisabeth Brauß (piano) and Fabian Müller (piano) at the prizewinner concert in 2016 at the historically significant German Embassy in Prague. Photo: Cultural Committee of German Business within the Federation of German Industries (BDI) e.V., Berlin

The series of Embassy Concerts with young prizewinners of the German Business Music Prize, funded exclusively by the Wilo-Foundation, took place at the following German embassies or at the ambassadors’ residences:

Warsaw (2012): Valentin Radutiu (cello) and Per Rundberg (piano)
Paris (2014): Charles-Antoine Duflot (violoncello) and Elsa Dreisig (mezzo-soprano)
Prague (2016): Elisabeth Brauß (piano) and Fabian Müller (piano) as well as Menna Cazel Davies (voice)
Rome (2017): Fanglei Liu (violin) and Friedrich Thiele (violoncello)
The Hague (2018): Elena Harsányi (soprano) and Stefan Astakhov (baritone)
Bern (2019): Milena Wilke (violin) and Till Hoffmann (piano)

Photo Header: Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft im BDI e.V., Berlin

Our funding partner

The Cultural Committee of German Business within the BDI e.V., Berlin, has been promoting and coordinating the German business community’s commitment to the arts and culture as a non-profit association since 1951. It supports innovative projects in the fields of visual arts, music, literature and architecture and specifically promotes young talents. The aim of the Cultural Committee is to strengthen dialogue between business, the arts and society and to provide new impulses for cultural life in Germany.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) forms the global framework for action for socially, economically and ecologically sustainable development. Our funding commitment also supports these sustainability goals. With this project, we are making a contribution to achieving the following SDGs:

What are the SDGs`?