Conference: Cultural Events as Political Spaces?

A collaborative event bringing together Germany’s classical music scene, featuring exciting talks exploring the question of how politics and culture influence each other. And a keynote speech with Maria Kalesnikava, recently released Belarusian opposition activist and musician.

Opening hours: 16:00–23:00

18:00 Happy Hour – with everything that makes you happy

19:00–20:30 Meet Your Hobby – with recreational groups of all kinds: Urban skechers

21:30–22:30 Listening Session – with Rebekka Salomea

Keynote address by the Belarusian musician and civil rights activist Maria Kalesnikava
Venue: Studio, Beethovenhalle

Beethovenfest welcomes civil rights activist and musician Maria Kalesnikava, one of the most prominent voices of the Belarusian democracy movement. In December 2025, she was released after more than five years in detention in Belarus. In 2020, she was one of the leading figures in the peaceful protests for freedom and democracy, which were violently suppressed by the Lukashenko regime.

In her keynote address, Maria Kalesnikava will speak about what it means today to take a stand through culture. She is convinced that democratic states must not only promote art and culture, but also protect them. For art creates spaces for dialogue, strengthens freedom of thought and gives people a voice, even where others try to silence them. Art and culture transcend borders and connect people across political systems and social differences.

During her imprisonment, which she was at times forced to spend in complete isolation, literature and music in particular became an indispensable source of inner freedom and hope for her. Drawing on this experience, she speaks about the power of culture to preserve human dignity, facilitate dialogue and strengthen democratic values.

Lecture by Prof. Dr Dr Udo Di Fabio (lawyer and former judge at the Federal Constitutional Court), followed by a discussion with the audience
Venue: Chamber Music Hall, Beethovenhalle

The renowned lawyer, university lecturer and former judge at the Federal Constitutional Court, Udo Di Fabio, will provide an overview of the limits and possibilities of artistic freedom and the political mandate of art. »Artistic freedom« is guaranteed in Article 5 of the German Basic Law and derives from freedom of expression. Artists have the freedom to engage in creative work independently of political circumstances. However, they are always dependent on these circumstances, on their material situation and also on the public.

Following the now long-past debate on anti-Semitism at the last Kassel Documenta, the discussion regarding the permissibility of political motivation in artistic creation (whether by the artists themselves or through corresponding contextualisation by cultural organisers) has reignited in recent months, for instance in the wake of pro-Palestinian rallies during the Berlinale. At the same time, there is debate over the extent to which the state may or should intervene in artistic and cultural expression – for example, the vetting of bookshops by the security services in connection with the Bookshop Prize, or – against the backdrop of Israeli policy in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank – the disinvitation of certain artists on the grounds of their Israeli origin or Jewish faith.

Udo Di Fabio examines how far artistic freedom, as enshrined in Article 5(3) of the German Basic Law, extends and must be allowed to extend, and what consequences art and culture must also accept, given that artistic freedom does not automatically entail a right to state funding. And what does the multifaceted concept of artistic freedom actually mean, given that it can be understood both as the independence of art from political influence and as the freedom to exert political influence?

Following his lecture, Udo Di Fabio will be available to answer questions from the audience.

Kay Voges (Artistic Director of Schauspiel Köln) and others in conversation with Leonie Reineke
Venue: Seminar room C, Beethovenhalle

How are cultural practitioners responding, in terms of their programming, to the current political and social crises (wars, anti-democratic movements, climate change, the growing influence of AI)? Do they face particular challenges in addressing these issues for their audiences? To explore this, we have asked Kay Voges, Artistic Director of the Schauspiel Köln, to talk about the project he co-initiated, »TRUth on STage« (TRUST), which is funded by the EU and has sparked a collaboration between theatre and journalism. In partnership with eight other European theatres and the investigative network CORRECTIV, the aim is to transform high-profile investigative reports into theatre performances.

This is a very explicit way of understanding the political mandate of art, one that also provokes criticism. By contrast, the concert hall is traditionally a far less political space than the theatre. However, thanks to the diverse and interdisciplinary formats of new music, this eminently public space is now often being made more receptive to social debates. What opportunities does contemporary music have to address current political issues and strengthen civil society values – on stage and perhaps also through other formats outside of concerts? In a discussion moderated by music journalist Leonie Reineke, the participants will discuss the nature of the interface between art and politics and address questions from the audience.

Oxana Omelchuk (composer) and Marc Sinan (composer) in conversation with Anselm Cybinski (WDR editor for new music)
Venue: Seminar room B, Beethovenhalle

What role do current political and social circumstances play in the (musical) creative process? Are the works being created a reflection of their time? In different ways, the German-Turkish-Armenian composer Marc Sinan and the Belarusian composer Oxana Omelchuk also take a stand on non-musical issues in their works. Furthermore, through her teaching role at the Cologne University of Music, Oxana Omelchuk is also very familiar with the current perspectives of the next generation of composers. In conversation with the WDR editor for new music, Anselm Cybinski, the perspective of someone who, on behalf of public service broadcasting, decides what is worthy of support and suitable for broadcast is also brought to bear.

Katarzyna Wielga-Skolimowska Artistic Director, Federal Cultural Foundation
Maria Kalesnikava musician and civil rights activist
Dr Birgit Schneider-Bönninger Head of the Cultural Affairs Department, City of Bonn
Steven Walter Artistic Director, Beethovenfest Bonn
Moderator: Leonie Reineke

Venue: Chamber Music Hall, Beethovenhalle

This central panel discussion will use music as an example to explore the role that art and culture play in open societies and under authoritarian regimes. Against the backdrop of the freedom movement in Belarus and Maria Kalesnikava’s experiences, she will be joined in discussion – moderated by Leonie Reineke – by the Artistic Director of the Federal Cultural Foundation, Katarzyna Wielga-Skolimowska; the Head of Cultural Affairs for the City of Bonn, Dr Birgit Schneider-Bönninger; and the Artistic Director of the Beethovenfest, Steven Walter.

They ask whether non-political art can exist at all, given that all art is created within specific social contexts – including that of past centuries. Given that artists and cultural practitioners are products of their time, they remain dependent on their financial circumstances and public reception, even in free societies. On the other hand, works of art often cannot be pinned down to a specific message. They can be co-opted by various political positions or may also offer justified criticism of social ills.

Whilst in Belarus one puts oneself in real danger by criticising the government through artistic means, in our liberal democracy artists and cultural institutions are increasingly facing accusations of being »too left-wing« when their programmes address issues such as justice, tolerance or awareness. As a cultural organiser, how does one address the concern that taking a stance might leave one open to attack?

Where does the line lie between the need to take a stand in the cultural sphere and the freedom of culture and of the artist from political pressure?

Workshop led by Dirk Kaftan (General Music Director, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn) and Tilmann Böttcher (Chief Dramaturg, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn)
Venue: Seminar room C, Beethovenhalle

Change is one of the defining themes of our time – in politics, society, the climate and culture. But how does an institution change when its very purpose is to develop identity, quality and trust over the course of decades? Taking the symphony orchestra as an example, we explore the relationship between change and continuity: what must change in order to remain relevant? And what must remain the same to make change possible in the first place? A thought experiment on the future of cultural institutions, caught between change and the power of persistence.

Workshop led by 
Rose Bartmer (Director of Outreach, Diversity and Transformation and Deputy General Director at Theater Bonn) and 
Guido Vaněk-Preuß (Co-Director of Tanzgenerator Bonn, Co-Director of Tanzwerke Vaněk Preuß, Board Member of Kulturzentrum Brotfabrik Bonn e. V.)
Venue: Seminar room B, Beethovenhalle

What changes when we think about culture radically from the audience’s perspective – rather than from that of institutions, programmes or beliefs? Drawing on systemic perspectives, this workshop puts the usual certainties of cultural practice to the test. For when culture is primarily preoccupied with observing itself, it not only easily becomes a foreign entity to people who do not feel addressed by it, but also loses the ability to engage with the other, the unfamiliar and the contradictory. Through a brief introductory talk followed by working groups, we will explore questions of resonance, participation and public relevance: Who constitutes the audience today? Who are we failing to reach? And what cultural venues does a democratic society need?

Dr Sven Sappelt (Curator, Bundeskunsthalle) and others
Venue: Chamber Music Hall, Beethovenhalle

Democratic culture is never neutral; rather, it is based on specific values and norms that have been established throughout history in the face of opposition. The arts also benefit from these historical achievements – for example, in the form of artistic freedom or cultural funding, but also in terms of equal opportunities and the accountability of those in power. Even if individual cultural events do not explicitly address political issues, they therefore always take place within a specific political context and normative framework. In Germany, this context has been committed to democratic ideals since 1945. Seen in this light, accusations of bias and demands for neutrality on the part of public institutions appear to be nothing other than veiled attacks on our democratic culture. We are therefore all called upon to remain vigilant and to actively resist these attacks. In this panel, we wish to discuss what this means in concrete terms and how it can best be achieved.

Venue: Seminar room C, Beethovenhalle

Workshop by and with Lissa Meybohm, Carlotta Lipski, Elena Bechter and Marlene Unterfenger (TONALi Academy students)
Venue: Festival Salon, Beethovenhalle

Posture, friction, filter bubbles: How much political debate does the art of tomorrow need?

The TONALi stage academy students invite you to a musical tea ceremony that blends discussion, performance and a ›bubble breakdown‹. Over a cup of steaming tea, we’ll talk about stance, friction and the question of how we want to engage in discussion with one another. Who is listening? Who is speaking? And who is left out? Amidst tea sayings, sound rituals and controversial conversations, we’ll step out of our bubbles and look beyond the rim of our cups.

Do come along, bring your views with you – or change them!

Workshop led by Ursula Haselböck (Artistic Director of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival) and Konstantin Udert (co-founder and Managing Director of the Detect Classic Festival)
Venue: Chamber Music Hall, Beethovenhalle

A few days after the state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, we will work with other participants to examine the socio-political conditions, demonstrable local impacts and real success factors of cultural work in structurally disadvantaged rural areas, using the example of an East German regional festival and a utopian combination of international acts, the alternative scene and local structures. In conclusion, we aim to formulate proposals for the development of cultural policy measures that can contribute, on a supra-regional basis, to the creation of equitable living conditions and to social cohesion.