Accompanying programme
Courage comes from the heart. At the Kronberg Festival, it is meant to be awakened: audible, visible and tangible in music, in encounters — and in action. The accompanying programme invites visitors to take away „Mut-Impulse“.
READING
“Lionheart – Tell Me About Courage”
Michael Rotschopf reads. Oliver Herbert plays the cello. Together, they conjure an hour of words and music about the courage to be oneself.
Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Mann, Natalia Ginzburg, Dawn Avery, Iannis Xenakis and Pablo Casals – their voices, along with others, come together in an unusual literary and musical collage.
Panel Discussion
“CASOURAGE” – What does “CASALS” mean today?
To this day, cellist Pablo Casals stands for artistic integrity, moral conviction, and civil courage.
How important is civil courage, also for artists? Sir András Schiff reflects on this question with publicist Paul Lendvai and the young Kronberg Academy soloists
Sir András Schiff
Paul Lendvai
Cosima Soulez Larivière
Charlotte Miles
Moderation: Maximilian Maier
Friday, 2 October 2026, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
Casals Forum, Carl Bechstein Hall
TICKETS Free admission
Please book your free ticket in advance.
Exhibition
“Pablo Casals on the Occasion of His 150th Birthday“
Encounter Pablo Casals – as an artist and as a person: The exhibition sheds light on biographical milestones as well as on the inner convictions of a musician whose influence extended far beyond his instrument. Personal insights – and even something he once held in his hands.
Tuesday, 22 September 2026 – Sunday, 4 October 2026
Casals Forum, Crespo Foyer
The exhibition is open one hour before and after concerts in the Grand Hall.
FREE ADMISSION
Workshop
“On Stage, Get Set, Courage!”
Stage fright? It’s part of the process – no reason to panic! In this workshop, Andreas Burzik – psychologist and violinist – shows participants in the Cello Masterclasses how to deal with a disruptive “too much” of excitement on stage.
Andreas Burzik, lecturer, psychologist & violinist
Friday, 25 September 2026, 2:30–4:15 p.m.
Casals Forum, Carl Bechstein Hall
Please book your free ticket in advance.
The workshop will be held in English and is open to participants in the Cello Masterclasses as well as interested visitors.
Improvisation Workshop & Challenge
“A Test of Courage: Who Am I Without Sheet Music?”
Step out of your comfort zone! Duo BartolomeyBittmann invites participants to take part in a “courage test”: participants in the Cello Masterclasses will take to the stage to master unexpected tasks.
Duo BartolomeyBittmann
Saturday, 26 September 2026, 5:00–6:00 p.m.
Casals Forum, Carl Bechstein Hall
The event will be held in English and is open to participants in the Cello Masterclasses as well as interested visitors.
Workshop
“Biathlon Challenge – Step by Step into Courage”
Courage matters on stage just as much as it does in elite sport: Participants in the Cello Masterclasses will learn how courage, mental strength, and perseverance can be trained – and how they can be applied purposefully in everyday artistic life. The connection between sport and music opens up new perspectives on inner strength and stage presence.
Prof. Dr. Jana Leidenfrost, psychologist and former GDR ski champion
Monday, 28 September 2026, 5:30–7:00 p.m.
Casals Forum, Carl Bechstein Hall
Please book your free ticket in advance.
The workshop will be held in English and is open to participants in the Cello Masterclasses as well as interested visitors.
Lecture
“Haydn’s Cello Concertos – A Challenge Not Only for the Performers”
Haydn’s masterpieces for cello and orchestra present challenges not only for the musicians on stage. For centuries, scholars and editors have grappled with fundamental questions: How often has Haydn’s famous name been exploited for forgeries? And how reliable is the surviving musical text—are we really hearing what Haydn intended?
Join us in the search for possible answers.
Lecture by Dr Norbert Gertsch – Managing Director and Head of Publishing, G. Henle Publishers
Tuesday, 29 September 2026, 2:30–3:30 p.m.
Stadthalle Kronberg, Feldbergsaal
Please book your free ticket in advance.
The lecture will be held in English.
Lecture
“How Can I Optimise my Instrument?”
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Zwieg, Head of Development at the string manufacturer Larsen Strings A/S, offers insights into how instrument, strings, bow, and bowing technique interact – and what players themselves can do to influence the response, articulation, volume, and tone colour of their string instrument.
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Zwieg
Wednesday, 30 September 2026, 2:30–3:30 p.m.
Stadthalle Kronberg, Feldbergsaal
Please book your free ticket in advance.
The lecture will be held in English and is open to participants in the Cello Masterclasses as well as interested visitors.
Lecture
“Between Conservation and the Concert Hall – Pernambuco Bows under New CITES Regulations”
Pernambuco (*Paubrasilia echinata*) is a critically endangered tree species from Brazil. Its wood is prized for its stability, flexibility, and low weight, making it the primary material for crafting bows for string instruments.
Stricter CITES regulations for Pernambuco wood—which came into effect on March 5, 2026, following the most recent Conference of the Parties—have introduced new rules governing international trade and sales within the EU. However, the species' protection status remains unchanged; it has been under special protection since 2007. This presentation examines the implications for bow makers, musicians, the trade sector, and international travel. It focuses on the practical consequences regarding documentation, ownership, and transfer, as well as how species conservation can be reconciled with the responsible preservation of the art of bow making.
Master bow maker Thomas M. Gerbeth, who lives in his adopted home of Vienna, is committed to the conservation and sustainable future of Pernambuco. Through the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative, he brings together species conservation, traditional bow making, and scientific research. His work focuses on projects in Brazil that promote the preservation, reforestation, and responsible use of this essential tree species for bow making.
Thomas M. Gerbeth (Master Bow Maker)
Thursday, 1 October 2026, 2:00 p.m.
Stadthalle Kronberg, Feldbergsaal
Please book your free ticket in advance.
The lecture will be held in German. Mr Gerbeth’s presentation will be supplemented with English-language headings and brief explanatory notes, enabling English-speaking participants to follow the key content easily.
VIOLIN MAKERS & BOW MAKERS – A glimpse into THE WORKSHOP
As part of this year’s Kronberg Festival, bow makers Daniel Schmidt and Jochen Schmidt and violin maker Dominik Wlk will once again open their new ateliers at the Receptur to visitors.
You are warmly invited to gain a rare insight into the making and maintenance of string instruments and bows. Conversations, encounters, and direct observation reveal what is usually hidden from view.
Visit the new string instrument ateliers at the Receptur in Kronberg and experience craftsmanship as part of chamber music.
Daily, 22. September – 4. October, 10:00–18:00, Admission free
Receptur Kronberg
Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 6
61476 Kronberg