Fest.Spiel.Haus.Freunde is an association now

Platform for citizens interested in promoting the Festspielhaus

It's now official: the several individuals and organizations that had met last November have formed the association "Fest.Spiel.Haus.Freunde e.V." (Friends of the Festspielhaus). The group was founded upon the common aim of promoting and supporting the building and operation of the new Beethoven Festspielhaus Bonn.

Dr. Monika Wulf-Mathies was elected Executive Board Chairman during the association's inaugural meeting held in January. Dr. Michael Wüllrich, partner at the law firm Schmitz Knoth, was elected Vice-Chair and Michael Kranz, longstanding Executive Board Chairman at SparkasseBonn, was elected Treasurer of the new association. The initiative was founded by various groups, associations and foundations in the city of Bonn that are linked to Beethoven in name. "Fest.Spiel.Haus.Freunde" is now open to all citizens and organizations with the shared interest of promoting the Festspielhaus project. The association sees itself as a platform for individuals and organizations wishing to become actively involved in the effort.

Fest.Spiel.Haus.Freunde calls upon Bonn's political leaders and administration to do everything in their power to make this unique opportunity for Bonn become a reality. The construction of the Festspielhaus is to be financed by Deutsche Post DHL, Telekom and Postbank, all of which are headquartered in Bonn. The architectural design of the new concert venue has been narrowed down to the designs submitted by the architects Zaha Hadid and Herrmann & Valentiny. "A construction like this one, featuring two concert halls with world-class acoustics, will resonate internationally and undoubtedly shine positively on Bonn as a business location. It will also enhance Bonn's appeal as an international cultural center," says Wulf-Mathies. The "Friends of the Festspielhaus" association has drafted a position paper explaining its aims and objectives.

The following individuals were elected as committee members during the inaugural meeting of Fest.Spiel.Haus.Freunde: Dr. Philipp Adlung, director of the Beethoven-Haus, Dr. Lutz Engelsing, partner at the accounting offices DHPG Dr. Harzem & Partner in Bonn; Werner Hundhausen, longstanding managing director of Bonn's local newspaper the General-Anzeiger; Manfred Jung, chairman of "Bürger für Beethoven" (Citizens for Beethoven); Bärbel Richter, SPD faction vice-chair and City Council member; Annette Schwolen-Flümann, mayor of Bad Godesberg and member of the CDU faction council; Sigurd Trommer, former head of municipal planning and building control (1990 - 2006) in Bonn. Their web adress: www.festspielhausfreunde.de