New formats, up-and-coming talents: The Audi Summer Concerts program for 2023 is confirmed
- A focus on promoting young talent: Opening concert on June 23 with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine under conductor Oksana Lyniv
- For the city, in the city: three open-air concerts, a children’s concert, a festival café in the historic city center – and an in-house musical production
- Guest stars ranging from Martin Grubinger and the Jussen brothers to clown Peter Shub and orchestras from Bamberg, Duisburg, and Berlin
From June 23 to July 23, 2023, Ingolstadt will be alive with music. For four weeks, guests at the Audi Summer Concerts 2023 will be treated to a program of diversity, innovative spirit, and close connection with the audience. International stars of the classical music scene will feature, as will up-and-coming young artists. But there will also be dedicated events to entertain children and young people. The program, which breaks down genre boundaries with forays into jazz and rock, will also once again take to the stage at the Audi plant: Five of the twelve concerts will take place on the AUDI AG grounds.
A focus on promoting young talent, a program that dares to experiment and develop unique formats, and last but not least, an invitation to all Ingolstadt residents to engage in dialogue and exchange with a festival café and a flash mob in the historic city center: The Summer Concerts 2023 hosted by AUDI AG have a fresh new profile. “We want to put on a festival that will resonate throughout the city. After all, the Audi Summer Concerts have been a mainstay of the cultural calendar in Ingolstadt for over 30 years. The Audi ArtExperience is our way of helping to enrich our locality with a diverse program of art and culture. As the largest employer in the region, we view cultural engagement as part of our social responsibility,” explains Xavier Ros, Board Member for Human Resources and Organization at AUDI AG.
A sophisticated opening – with a love of experimentation
The program presented to the press today in Ingolstadt comprises twelve concerts. It will get underway on June 23 in the Auditorium (Festsaal) of Ingolstadt Municipal Theater with a concert by the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.With musicians between the ages of twelve and 22 from 32 cities in Ukraine and under the direction of prominent conductor Oksana Lyniv it is a clear sign of solidarity with the victims of the war. Genre boundaries will be demolished two days later at the Audi museum mobile when the Signum Quartet from Bremen presents “Between Arcadia and Anarchy”, a concert with classical works from Schubert, Mozart, and Stravinsky, as well as a second part entitled “Rock Lounge”, where the string ensemble reinterprets tunes by the rock bands Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Radiohead. The German-Italian Delian Quartet will delight Ingolstadt with two performances, both to be held at the company restaurant on the Audi plant grounds and both featuring unusual accompaniment: On July 8, classical music and jazz will unite, with jazz pianist Julia Hülsmann taking the stage; and on July 9, American clown Peter Shub will join the party – in a children’s concert called “Sidekick” on Sunday morning.
Three Audi Klassik Open Air concerts in Klenze Park
Three open-air concerts in Klenze Park follow the next weekend, the first on June 30 with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by Kent Nagano and featuring celebrated Dutch piano virtuosos Lucas and Arthur Jussen. The brothers have been performing together since childhood, even appearing at the Concertgebouw concert hall in Amsterdam at the ages of 10 and 13. In Ingolstadt, they will perform Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos. On July 1, the Georgian Chamber Orchestra of Ingolstadt will take to the stage, with the young Ukrainian violinist Daniil Gonobolin as soloist; Audi ArtExperience is providing support for Gonobolin with his education at the Karajan Academy in Berlin. On Sunday morning, July 2, the third and final Klassik Open Air concert “Von Nord nach Süd” will be given by the Audi Philharmonic Wind Orchestra conducted by Pietro Sarno.
An in-house production by the Audi Young Persons’ Choral Academy
An in-house production by Audi Summer Concerts 2023 is eagerly awaited. On July 7, the Audi Young Persons’ Choral Academy will perform “Scenes from Goethe’s Faust” by Robert Schumann together with the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra in the Auditorium (Festsaal) of Ingolstadt Municipal Theater. Axel Kober, Duisburg’s preeminent conductor, will perform this major late work of Schumann’s alongside an illustrious cast of soloists. Austrian director Michael Sturminger, whose production “Jedermann” was a theatrical hit in Salzburg in 2017, highlights the score’s scenic moments with a minimalistic visualization using video projections. “Our in-house production is our way of adding a second focal point to the Audi Summer Concerts, in addition to our promotion of young talent, and thus bringing a unique perspective to the festival,” explains Sebastian Wieser, artistic director of the concert series.
Exceptional performer Martin Grubinger
On the festival’s third weekend, the Munich Opera Horns and actor Johann von Bülow will show how music and spoken word can harmonize and split sides with their event “Der ganz offene Brief - eine musikalische Lesung zum 100. Geburtstag von Loriot” (event in German). The renowned Bamberg Symphony Orchestra will follow on July 16 with a newcomer project featuring baritone Thomas Hampson. The concert, with works by Mahler, Haydn, and Berg, will be conducted by winners of the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition. Then, on July 21, things will get louder: Austrian drummer and percussionist Martin Grubinger will demonstrate his breathtaking skills in Hall B at the Audi plant. Grubinger is also considered one of the world’s best marimba players and has performed in major concert halls around the world, including a seven-hour percussion night at the Beethovenfest in Bonn and a “percussion marathon” at Vienna’s Musikverin concert hall.
Welcoming Salzburg Festival as a guest
Last but not least, an Austrian tradition will be revived on the banks of the Donau. After interruptions due to the pandemic, the Salzburg Festival will close the Audi Summer Concerts on July 23 as a special guest, with a production by the Los Angeles Master Chorale conducted by Grant Gershon and directed by Peter Sellars. AUDI AG has been the main sponsor of the world-famous cultural event on the Salzach River since 1995.
The ticket shop and a detailed program of the Audi Summer Concerts 2023 can be found here.
