Next Saturday, 14 December 2024, there will be a great finale to this year's kammerkonzerte.koeln programme with a concert by the Arisva Quartet. But then we face a uncertain planning for the coming 2025 season, as there is currently no certainty regarding the occupancy of the Humboldt Hall or our funding from the city of Cologne and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
After getting through the most difficult covid years so successfully with our chamber concert series and then mastering the change of venue from the Kölnischer Kunstverein to the Humboldt-Saal so well last year, we are now facing new difficulties again: Firstly, we are currently unable to plan any new concerts in the Humboldt-Saal, as it is still unclear how and by whom a future regular scheduling of the Kammemusiksaal will be organised. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the KRM (Kulturraummanagement) of the City of Cologne, who are working hard to find a solution. However, as is always the case when several departments and offices are involved, things are not progressing at the speed we would like. We very much hope that this hall, which is so important and for chamber music in Cologne, will soon be available to our series and the other players in the independent music scene.
A further burden and uncertainty are the austerity measures announced in the cultural budget of the City of Cologne and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city's new budget is not expected to be adopted until next spring. We will probably have to wait that long to get any clarity at all about financial support. For the coming year, we have once again planned a top-class programme with six top ensembles from Cologne and NRW. At the moment, it is not possible to predict which of these we will be able to realise and when exactly.
Nevertheless, we very much hope that we will be able to realise our concert of the Astor Trio on 5 April 2025 in the Humboldt Hall, which was originally planned as the second concert of the year. Until then - and beyond, of course - our ensemble will fortunately also be playing in a wide variety of line-ups in the Cologne area. We would particularly like to recommend the two concerts in the wonderful ballroom in the Altes Kurhaus Aachen: on 15 February 2025 with Luciano Marziali solo and on 4 July 2025 the big summer concert with our entire chamber ensemble.
So there is still a lot to hear and experience at our live concerts. In order for this to continue, we need you above all - dear audience: remain loyal to us, experience the fantastic concerts - whether in the Humboldt Hall or elsewhere - and support us in particular with a sponsoring membership in our non-profit organisation.
Thank you very much!
Your Tobias Kassung
(Artistic Director)
