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| Kultursommer Schleswig-Holstein | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kultursommer Schleswig-Holstein |
| Location | Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Genre | Multidisciplinary arts festival |
Kultursommer Schleswig-Holstein is an annual multidisciplinary arts festival in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein that presents music, theatre, dance, visual arts, literature, and children's programming across urban and rural venues. The festival connects regional cultural infrastructure with national and international artists, aiming to stimulate cultural tourism and artistic exchange between Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Niedersachsen, Denmark and broader European networks. It operates within the cultural landscape shaped by institutions such as the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein, the Kiel Opera House, and local municipal theatres.
The festival programmes concerts, theatre productions, exhibitions, and family events involving partnerships with institutions like the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the Kieler Woche, the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Lübeck, the Schleswig Cathedral, and the Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch; it collaborates with ensembles including the NDR Radiophilharmonie, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the Elbphilharmonie, and visiting companies from the Royal Danish Theatre and the Komische Oper Berlin. As a platform for cultural exchange, it engages with funders and networks such as the Kulturbüro Schleswig-Holstein, the Kulturstiftung des Bundes, the European Cultural Foundation, the Goethe-Institut, and municipal cultural offices in Flensburg, Kiel, Lübeck, and Neumünster.
Founded in 1986 during debates in the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein about regional cultural provision, the festival evolved from summer concert series promoted by local stakeholders including the Schleswig-Holsteinischer Sparkassen- und Giroverband and private patrons linked to the Kunstverein in Hamburg. Early seasons featured collaborations with touring artists associated with the Bayreuth Festival, the Bachfest Leipzig, and chamber music networks connected to the International Musikfest Bremen. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the festival expanded programming in response to initiatives at the European Capital of Culture candidacies, the expansion of cultural funding by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes, and cross-border projects with the Nordisk Ministerråd and Danish cultural bodies in Copenhagen and Aarhus.
The organisational structure combines a central festival office with decentralized programming committees coordinated by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (Schleswig-Holstein), municipal partners in Kiel, Lübeck, Flensburg, and civic organisations such as the Kulturforum Schleswig-Holstein and regional broadcasters including NDR. Funding streams include public grants from the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein, project support from the Kulturstiftung des Bundes, sponsorship from banking foundations such as the Kulturstiftung Sparkasse Schleswig-Holstein, and partnerships with cultural enterprises like the Deutsche Bahn cultural programme and tourism organisations such as Schleswig-Holstein Tourismus. Artistic direction has included figures drawn from the networks of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, the Kiel University, and the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg.
Seasonal programmes span classical and contemporary music, theatre, dance, visual arts, and literature with festivals of particular focus including chamber music series connected to the Kammermusiksaal Berlin model, contemporary compositions commissioned for ensembles like the Ensemble Modern, and site-specific theatre influenced by practitioners from the Schaubühne Berlin and the Deutsches Schauspielhaus. Literary events have featured authors associated with the Leipzig Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair, while visual arts projects collaborate with curators from the Hamburger Kunsthalle, the Kunsthalle Kiel, and the Lübecker Museen. Family and education programmes often work with the Deutscher Musikrat and youth orchestras such as the JugendJazzOrchester Deutschland.
Events occur in historic and contemporary venues across Schleswig-Holstein including the Schleswig Cathedral, the St.-Petri-Kirche (Lübeck), the Kieler Schloss, industrial spaces in Neumünster, manor houses in Eutin, and coastal sites near the Schlei and the Baltic Sea. The festival supports cultural infrastructure projects with local museums like the Stadtmuseum Schleswig, performing arts institutions such as the Theater Lübeck, and municipal galleries in Flensburg; it contributes to seasonal tourism alongside the Kieler Woche sailing festival and regional heritage routes connected to the European Route of Brick Gothic.
Audiences include regional residents from Schleswig-Holstein, day visitors from Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and international tourists from Denmark and the Netherlands. Critical response has appeared in national outlets including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and cultural broadcasters like Deutschlandfunk Kultur and NDR Kultur, while academic interest has come from researchers at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, the Universität zu Lübeck, and the Leuphana University of Lüneburg studying regional cultural policy and festival economies.
The festival has hosted performances by soloists and ensembles linked to the Berlin Philharmonic, guest conductors with affiliations to the Deutsche Oper Berlin, chamber artists from the Quartet Amsterdam, jazz figures associated with the Berliner Jazzfest, and theatre directors who have worked at the Thalia Theater and the Volkstheater Rostock. Visual artists affiliated with the Documenta network, composers from the Baden-Baden International Festival, and writers who have won the Georg-Büchner-Preis have participated in curated seasons, while collaborations with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and visiting companies from the Copenhagen Opera House underline the festival's cross-border profile.
Category:Festivals in Schleswig-Holstein Category:Music festivals in Germany Category:Arts festivals