The Ludwigsburg Festival will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2022 and will thus enter its tenth decade. A decade that is focused on the goals of the Agenda 2030; a decade that draws on previous treasures of the festival’s history and at the same time dares to try something new; a decade in which we want to deepen our goals as a »Festival of the Arts, Democracy and Sustainability«. Ten major events of the coming season are now going on pre-sale.

We are looking for active support in the Artistic Planning & Production as well as in the Dramaturgy: A new project manager (f/m/d) and two trainees (f/m/d) in the Artistic Planning and one trainee (f/m/d) in the dramaturgy.

In early May, Oksana Lyniv opened the 2021 season with the festival orchestra, and now the conductor, who was the first woman to take the podium at the Bayreuth Festival in the summer of 2021, will become music director of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in January 2022.

In the series of talks by and with Elisa Erkelenz and David-Maria Gramse, unusual connections of classical music with philosophy, science, (martial) arts and pop are brought to light and thus »the pudel's core« of that genre is explored from a variety of perspectives. The podcast is released on the first of every month and is also available on our Digital Stage.

Unfortunately, Javier Perianes had to cancel his participation in the original concert evening »Zimmermann Perianes Cantilena« at short notice due to illness. For this reason, Tabea Zimmermann has decided to perform an extraordinary solo programme on Thursday, 8 July at 6 pm and 9 pm respectively with the new title »Tabea Zimmermann Solo«.

Over the course of a month, nine young people between the ages of 20 and 30 came together for six online workshops lasting several hours and dealt intensively with diverse gender identities and perceptions through writing tasks, movement sequences and free exchange. A filmic insight into the work can be seen on the Digital Stage.

In the film »Saz - The Key of Trust«, the instrumentalist Petra Nachtmanova follows the traces of the saz. Hardly represented in books, the history of this Persian or Ottoman-Turkish instrument is a mystery. At the »Saz Musik Fest« on 18 June, she will present her journey from Bosnia to Iran, recorded on film, and will play songs from there together with guests.

Originally scheduled for 11 May 2020, the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung is now bringing the award ceremony for Tabea Zimmermann forward. On 15 June, her more than 30 years of work will be honoured. She will use the prize money to establish a new foundation. We congratulate the prize-winner, who will also be a guest in Ludwigsburg on 8 July!

The »Piano City« concept developed by pianist Andreas Kern will move to the digital in 2021 to celebrate the house music tradition also and especially in these times. If you enjoy playing the piano, we look forward to your contribution on Instagram or Facebook - at whatever level and in whatever genre! For more information, click here.

The year 2021 is still marked by the Corona effects, but also by digital, hybrid and, last but not least, numerous live events. Unlike last year, we were able to cover the entire festival period from 6 May to July 11 as well as the autumn dates in September and October with a total of 37 events! In addition to this we were able to present a triad of music, art installation and dance in the fall. We are grateful and happy and look back on a successful year.

The STEGREIF.orchestra invites you to an exciting new new format: In the digital 360° audiowalk you can follow individually routes to listen to Mozart’s musical and political diversity. For this you need a smartphone, headphones and sturdy shoes. From May 28 the project is available on the Digital Stage.

In a new scenic film project, the »Human Requiem« becomes an examination of the current consequences of Corona. Directed by Jochen Sandig and musically conducted by Gijs Leenaars, the Rundfunkchor Berlin offers hope and comfort in difficult times with Brahms' »Ein deutsches Requiem«. 

The Ludwigsburg Festival is launching the 2021 season with new momentum digitally. After the prelude with the »Fest Spiel Overtüre«, we now continue with a project by the STEGREIF.orchester: #bfree. Starting on 8 May on the digital stage. We look forward to your virtual visit!

What concerns you and the people from your city? Where do you experience moments of wakefulness, anger or happiness in public space? Searching for poetic moments in society, the workshop »Spoken Moments Poetry« is pursuing a digital concert experiment for collective success. Interested people from the age of 13 can register now.

The Ludwigsburg Festival opened the 2021 season with the »Fest Spiel Overture« and presented the digital audience with Oksana Lyniv, Anna Larsson, Christian Elsner and the Festival Orchestra. In cooperation with ARTE Concert, the opening concert was livestreamed on May 6 at 8pm and is now available on-demand on our Digital Stage until early November. We look forward to your virtual visit!

April 16 brings 16 new releases: The media »Dying Swans Project« by Gauthier Dance comprises 16 solo choreographies, each with a different signature. The stage version of this project will take place during this year's Ludwigsburg Festival. Visit our Digital Stage and enjoy these digital masterpieces!

Are you between 17 and mid-20s and interested with diverse and queer topics? Then sign up now for the workshop »Somewhere in Between« with director and choreographer Gary Joplin. In May and June you will spend three weekends exploring diverse identities and orientations. You can find the detailed announcement here.

Originally Edivaldo Ernesto was going to give an insight into his »Depth Movement« technique at the Tanz- und and Theaterwerkstatt Ludwigsburg in May. Due to Corona, his workshop cannot take place as planned. We are looking for an alternative date.

In the short program of last year's Ludwigsburg Festival, the performance of the Mandelring Quartet with Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartets Nos. 1, 8 and 15 was a particular highlight. On 8 March 2021, the concert recording will be broadcast by SWR 2. Perfectly the Mandelring Quartet presents Shostakovich's incomparable art between lyrical pain, pointed sharpness and smug grotesqueness.

The founder of contemporary »African Dance« has been committed for decades to the deepening and spreading of African Dance. Since the 1960s, Germaine Acogny has been realizing and manifesting her vision, enriching the african - and eventually the international - dance world as a dancer, teacher and mentor. The Biennale Danza Festival now honours her life's work with the Golden Lion. In anticipation of this year's »Sacre« project, we congratulate her!

Einstürzende Neubauten have cancelled their »The Year of the Rat Tour« for 2021. The concert planned for May 16, 2021 in Ludwigsburg has been postponed to July 9, 2022.

With »I can't breathe«, the dancer touched not only the visitors of the Ludwigsburg Festival. His renewed performance at the Romaeuropa Festival in September also convinced the jury of the Italian Danza&Danza Awards. We congratulate Edivaldo Ernesto for the award as best dancer 2020!

With the aim of contributing to an open and sustainable society oriented towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Ludwigsburg Festival 2020 set off into a new decade. The fact that social cohesion can also be created virtually is also demonstrated by Alondra de la Parra with her project »The Impossible Orchestra«.

During the nationwide lockdown to contain the Corona pandemic, the Ludwigsburg Festival ticket office will also have to close.

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were also launched by former German President Horst Köhler, among others. He and his wife Eva Luise Köhler are the patrons of the Ludwigsburg Festival for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Horst Köhler has shared his thoughts on this in a foreword.

We will have to continue living with the pandemic for a while, let's embellish the new everyday life as best we can. For example, with a (non medical) masks in the colours of the Ludwigsburg Festival.