Beethovenfest Bonn to Host Concert in Support of German Flood Victims

All proceeds from the festival's opening concert will be donated to relief efforts for the flood disaster in the Rhein-Sieg district

The Beethovenfest Bonn announced that its opening concert will be broadcast live for the public on August 20, 2021.

The performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony will feature the VOX BONA Kammerchor der Kreuzkirche Bonn, Le Concert des Nations, conductor Jordi Savall, soprano Sara Gouzy, mezzo soprano Laila Salome Fischer and baritone Manuel Walser.

Held in Beethoven's birthplace of Bonn, the Beethovenfest will run from August 20 to September 10. This year sees the festival's return to live performances after the 2020 edition — which was to celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday — had to be moved online due to the pandemic.

The purpose of the open-air concert is to raise money to aid the rebuilding effort following the worst floods Germany has seen in decades. Nine people lost their lives in the Rhein-Sieg district alone, and many homes and buildings sustained significant damage.

Ticket prices for the concert range from between 10 and 200 Euros, which the festival hopes will allow all concertgoers to support the flood victims as they are able.

"The flood disaster shocked us all," said the festival's director, Nike Wagner. "For us, it goes without saying that the Beethovenfest, which gives concerts every year in the communities of the Rhein-Sieg district, sends a sign of solidarity," she added.

For years, the German news outlet Deutsche Welle has provided the public broadcast of the Beethovenfest's opening concert.

"We wholeheartedly support the festival's intention to put the event at the service of flood relief this year," said DW's director, Peter Limbourg. "The catastrophe caused concern around the world.”