RhineBuzz

Schumann Festival 2012

2012-01-20T09:19:00.001+01:00

"Get Romantic"' is the tempting motto for the Schumannfest 2012. It’s an invitation to get up-close-and-personal with the sensitivity of Robert Schumann, ‘the’ German romanticist, exclusively interpreted through outstanding names of today’s music scene. His desires and despairs, his passions and personalities will be recreated in ways that makes Robert Schumann more modern than ever! One glimpse into the programme and the wide spectrum of creatively inspired ‘labours of love’ awakes a curiosity to discover more. From the Emerson String Quartett’s “Transatlantic Festoverture” homage to the beginnings of the Lower Rhenisch Music Festivals, to “The New Romantics” with the electronic wizardry of Hauschka and the magic of My Brightest Diamond, right up to the music-comedy of “A Little Nightmare Music” with over six million views on YouTube, it’s obvious that the Schumannfest 2012 will captivate audiences of all sorts like never before!

The Intendant of the Schumannfest, Michael Becker, enthusiastically invites listeners to experience the Schumann that appeals to all age groups, both 'newbies' and the well-versed to the Romantic era of Schumann. The next Schumannfest takes place from May 24 to the 4 June 2012, musically connecting with the Dusseldorf Jazz Rally at the end of May. "We Love Music" here in Dusseldorf, and May will be something to really look forward to!

Book now, and 'Get Romantic'!
Tickets also bookable through RhineBuzz

There will be extra "We Love Music" tours on offer during the Festival including press and public tours in English. Please contact tours@rhinebuzz.com for details.

Tim D. Morand

Trailing Spouses Workshop 17 January 2012

2012-01-11T22:01:00.000+01:00

Feedback from a very successful day on Tuesday:

"[This is] the most comfortable [I've felt] since coming to Germany."

"Was even better than I expected it to be. :))"

"[My expectations] were more than met. I was very impressed with the useful information presented."

More here

Thanks Everyone :)

I've already had enquiries for a follow-up, we'll certainly keep you informed!

Moving to a foreign place when your partner accepts a contract for a new and demanding job can, at times, be twice as hard on the you.
You may have been busy fixing up the new home, your partner has new challenges and new colleagues, possibly your children are at school making new friends and once you are all 'settled', do you find yourself saying "now what?"

It's not easy finding your way around a new place when you've left your friends and family behind, you don't speak the language and you find yourself at home alone. Just don't despair! Düsseldorf has so very much to offer and we are here to help you find it!

The International School on the Rhine in Neuss, (ISR), and RhineBuzz have come together to offer you a fun-filled day where you can meet folks in the same situation as yourselves and discover much that there is to enjoy and share in Düsseldorf.
Our workshop will be packed with guest speakers including the director of the Tonhalle and director of the forthcoming Schumann Fest, Michael Becker; Peter Inhoven, gourmet butcher extraordinaire who will explain all those weird cuts of meat; yoga with our wonderful instructor from USA, John Vilardo; Driving School Ludwig will let you know that you can learn to drive here too; we will have speakers on activities to do with children and information on where to shop when the crazy German closing times leave you stranded. There will even be a talk on communication in Germany and how it might differ from what you are possibly used to.
There will be so very much in this day that you can use in a most hands-on way and of course I'll be adding a few words about filling your social calendar!

Giveaways include a chance to win tickets and vouchers from Düsseldorf Marketing and Tourism, the German Opera on the Rhine, Museum Kunstpalast, Champu Stylists, the Schumann Fest and the Tonhalle.

So do come and join us on 17 January 2012 from 9 until 4.30pm at

E.ON

E.ON-Platz 1

40479

Düsseldorf

Free lunch is included!
Click here for registration, or simply send an email with your name and contact details to caroline@rhinebuzz.com

A donation of €5 to the Children's Hospice Regenbogenland is requested.

Payment please to:

ISR GmbH,

Sparkasse Neuss,

Acc No. 93366177

BSC 305 500 00

adding "Trailing Spouses Workshop" as a reference.
Questions? Call Isabel (on leave Dec 24-Jan 3) on 02131 40 388-15
or email caroline@rhinebuzz.com

This event is generously sponsored by E.ON

World Class The Düsseldorf School of Painting 1819 - 1918

2012-01-09T17:18:00.000+01:00

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

Closes January 22!

Were you aware that 'Washington Crossing the Delaware', a vast painting by Emanuel Leutze that currently hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, actually has its roots in the Düsseldorf School of Painting?

It is in fact believed that the river depicted in this icon to American history is not the Delaware but the river Rhine.

Under the patronage of Philip D. Murphy, the United States ambassador to Germany and Guido Westerwelle, the German minister for foreign affairs, the Museum Kunstpalast opened an extraordinary exhibition on September 24.

World Class The Düsseldorf School of Painting 1819 -1918 shows the rich and varied wealth of painting involved in the art's movement known as 'The Düsseldorf School of Painting' beginning in the late nineteenth century. At the time, the Düsseldorf School was amongst the leading European schools of painting.

Wilhelm von Shadow, director of the Academy from 1826, was responsible for bringing great students to Düsseldorf; such was the reputation of the training that was happening at the Art Academy that kings sent their best painters to Düsseldorf to learn more about their craft.

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

To begin the show there is a world map, pin-pointing where the painters who trained in Düsseldorf took their new trained talents all over the globe, from New Zealand to South America, up to Scandinavia and especially to the USA.
There are also fascinating portraits of some of the greatest painters of the era who spent time in Düsseldorf and also wonderful sketches showing how their working studios in the Academy once looked.

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

Loans for this exhibition have been given by some of the most prestigious museums in the world including the Louvre in Paris, the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and the Terra Foundation for American Art in Chicago.

There are paintings which have returned to Düsseldorf for the first time in 200 years. At the opening, the curator Dr. Bettina Baumgärtel was clearly touched by the richness of this exhibition.

This is a beautiful show, rich, colourful and bombastic. One Düsseldorf can be truly proud of, with some 450 works of art on show.
It will open your eyes as to the great global influence of the Düsseldorf School of Painting from the dedicated artists of the Düsseldorf Art Academy and surrounding area.

For a peek into the Academy today take a look at this CNN video RhineBuzz gladly helped put together.

The museum is offering 2 public tours in English on:

November 5 and December 17 both at 4pm.

Audio guide also available in English.

The museum is open from 11am until 6pm daily except Mondays and until 9pm on Thursdays.

World Class The Düsseldorf School of Painting 1819 - 1918

Museum Kunstpalast

Ehrenhof 4-5

40479 Düsseldorf

24 September 2011 to 22 January 2012

Il Barbiere di Siviglia

2012-01-01T23:09:00.002+01:00

The first RhineBuzz opera event of 2012 is Rossini's classic Il Barbiere di Siviglia presented by the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. A light-hearted evening for sure, not only are the tunes very hum-along-able, but the performance is also colourful, amusing and thoroughly entertaining.
The story of the infamous barber has been transformed to the world of insects, truly this is not a production you will forget in a hurry!

RhineBuzz at Il Barbiere di Siviglia on February 5 at 7.30pm at the Opera House Düsseldorf.

RhineBuzz offers discounted tickets, the best in the house in the stalls, and also a few in the upper tier. Contact opera@rhinebuzz.com for details.

This performance continues on limited dates until July 7 2012.

Deutsche Oper am Rhein - Three Premieres this Weekend!

2012-01-01T17:15:00.000+01:00

Il barbiere di Siviglia ©Hans Jörg Michel

The German Opera on the Rhein re-opens its season in Düsseldorf again this evening after the extension of the orchestra pit with a spectacular weekend of three premieres.
On Friday December 2 we will be treated to a sold out performance of Il barbiere di Siviglia. On Saturday December 3 Martin Schläpfer will baffle with b.10, including a technicolour delight I have already seen in Duisburg, and on Sunday December 4 the three days will close with a much anticipated premiere of Carmen, which has also been sold out for quite some time now!

The extension of the orchestra pit has made an enormous difference to the acoustic of the house. Axel Kober, conductor of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, confessed at the press conference that one of his predecessors at the DoR had warned him on congratulating him on his new post a few years ago that he would not, in all honesty, have great joy with his orchestra in this house as the space for the orchestra was somewhat cramped.
Now however, with an extra 23 square meters the sound of the instruments is much freer and more easily definable. Axel Kober is delighted with the new pit as was Lord Mayor Elbers at the opening of the house a couple of weeks ago.

The new, much improved orchestra pit ©Susanne Diesner

RhineBuzz will be visiting the opera again on December 11 when we see b.10. We have just a few discounted seats remaining in the stalls. Please contact us at opera@rhinebuzz.com if you'd like to join us.

I'm greatly looking forward to seeing this piece again and am indeed full of anticipation of the two operas I will experience this weekend.

That was 2011! ESC, We Love Music and So Many Incredible People

2011-12-30T05:21:00.001+01:00

Photo ©Tim D. Morand for RhineBuzz

What an extraordinary year 2011 has been!
I've met some incredible people, made some exceptional friends and experienced many wonderful and emotional performances.

The 56th Eurovision Song Contest hit town in May and along with the delegations of 43 nations, 2500 accredited journalists from all over the world; (plus a whole lot that were not accredited) I was in the team that helped set up programmes and show them the gems our city has to offer. We were determined to give our absolute best, after all, the show reaches some 125 million viewers!!!

With Ken Bruce BBC, who has presented Eurovision for the past 24 years,
at the Uerige brewery house
©RhineBuzz

My colleagues and I at Dusseldorf Marketing and Tourism worked our socks off in the run up to and during the festival. It was a unique time for the city when we could show the world the rich cultural variety and great internationality that we have here and yet also the deep Rhenisch traditions of the city. I was privileged to be commissioned to write two new tours for the international visitors we welcomed, 'Art in Düsseldorf' and 'We Love Music'.

Tim and I will be back with 'We Love Music'
in February!

The 'We Love Music' tour was originally conceived to show the astounding musical history of the city which is marked by such iconic artists such as Robert Schumann and Kraftwerk. William Cook, who was in town to write 48 Hours in Düsseldorf for the Independent was the first international guest to sample the tour with Tim D. Morand and myself, William greatly enjoyed Tim's enthusiasm and the modern way in which we presented the city - we were pretty much on a roll after that! The response from the international press has been so incredible that this tour is now part of the city's regular programme of tours. One of the nicest quotes I'd like to share with you was from Antenne Düsseldorf, the city's radio station 'Other cities have regular old city tours - but Düsseldorf has the 'We Love Music' tour...'

The public love the tour too, and for Tim and I there is nothing better then when Düsseldorfers tell us that they have experienced their city anew because of all they discovered on the tour. We love organising surprise guests and delight in giving away tickets to some of the best performances in town. The tour has turned into a real talking newsletter, if you don't know what to do in Düsseldorf come and join the tour!

'We Love Music' will be back every first Saturday of the month from February 4 at 3pm from the Tourist Info in the Altstadt.
April 7 at 5pm sees our first public tour in English.

At the press centre at the Eurovision Arena with Olan McGowan RTÉ Radio from Ireland
Tim and I worked on a piece about Kraftwerk that Olan and I are editing here

I've often been asked, 'What did the ESC bring for the city?' Well, the marketing value was immense. To put this into real figures - I took care of a Dutch journalist couple one afternoon in May. They wrote a double page piece on the city which went nationwide in the Netherlands. Had Düsseldorf paid for advertising space on this kind of scale, the bill would have come to €140.000. Multiply this times all the press that was in the city at the time, add the journalists that have already returned and you begin to get the picture.

Monika Günnewig, Eurovision VIP Volunteer and Mayo Velvo,
Düsseldorf Chansonnier in the Eurolounge

Many are surprised by what they find here, the many museums, the concert venues, the life-style, all offer a quality of life not at all anticipated by the press coming to see us. Again and again I hear 'A top venue' from those that were expecting something quite different. Maybe one of the best compliments was from Gary Bones, executive producer for the BBC Radio 2 Ken Bruce Show, (I helped put together the interviews for the 3 and 1/2 hour show they broadcasted from here), who said he'd love to come back with his other half. Considering the BBC was initially not at all keen to be in Düsseldorf, this is such a compliment for all that worked so very hard during that time.

Düsseldorf icon Freifrau von Kö is interviewed by the BBC
©Bernd Ahrens Photography

I thought it might grow quiet after Eurovision, but in many ways it has grown busier. I'm booked to show such varied people around town, from retired folks who love the arts to a Chinese group on a round-the-world music tour.

On the roof of the Tonhalle with a group from China including

top Chinese music producer Zhang Yadong

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

So what's with RhineBuzz for 2012?

We are working on many new ideas and will have to expand with new freelancers in the coming year. My time is now so taken up by looking after international press not only in Düsseldorf but in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia that I've pretty much come to my limit time and energy-wise! I've also taken on a new role with the vivanti exhibition at the Messe Düsseldorf. The RhineBuzz events have been a little neglected in 2011, I know, I'm sorry, but I'm doing all I can to bring you more and varied events in the New Year.

Our very fruitful partnership with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein will continue of course. Our first event will be Il Barbiere di Siviglia on February 5 and the AIDS Benefit Gala on March 3 2012. The new partnership in 2011 with the spectacular Tonhalle has also proved most enriching for the RhineBuzz community. We will certainly be building on this and we are greatly looking forward to the bi-annual Schumann Festival in May/June 2012.

As one RhineBuzzer wrote on facebook "Twelve months, a new year ahead...I do hope that my diary will show as many times 'wonderful evening with Rhinebuzz' as it did this year."

I will certainly try my very best to fulfil this wish!

Thank you, thank you :) to all the wonderful folks I've met in 2011 from all around the globe. You have enriched my days, and I'm very lucky to have met you all. I hope that you do return to Düsseldorf as promised and that I have another chance to show you around.

I wish you all, our readers, our visitors, my wonderful colleagues, photographers, writers and the extraordinary artists I've met in 2011 a very peaceful, fulfilling and happy 2012 and hope to see you around town soon! Keep buzzing! Your, Caroline.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-21T08:55:00.002+01:00

If you are staying in Düsseldorf there’s quite a nice choice of things you can do if you don't wish to stay home over the festive period.

My top pick would be the Ballet on the Rhine, Martin Schläpfer’s b.10, which I’ve seen twice now - and I’d love to see it again! There will be performances on December 22 and 26, and a few tickets left for each evening.

My Opera Scout review is here.

b.10 Gert Weigelt

If you want to get out and dance our favourite DJ Henry Storch is hosting a party on Christmas Eve at his Blue Note club on Kurzer Str 13 in the Altstadt with the Siam cocktail bar next door from 11.30pm.
You will be able to groove to a mixture of the greatest sounds on a couple of floor levels.

On Boxing Day, another RhineBuzz favourite, The Schumann Quartett are playing at the Robert Schumann Hall in the Museum Kunstpalast. This time with piano, it promises to be great!

So it simply remains for me to wish you all a wonderful Christmas!
If you are travelling, stay safe, I hope all goes well without delays and that you enjoy a relaxed and fun time with your loved ones. If you are staying in the city, enjoy yourselves! The Christmas Market is still on up until December 23, so there's still time for delicious goodies and maybe I'll see you around. I'm staying here and looking forward to friends, music and lots of rest after a crazy and exhilarating year.
But more of that next week .... x

©Cindy Voss Photography

Classical Music for Beginners - Leonardo Mozart, Arkadi Shilkoper, Alphorn and Christian Ehring at the Tonhalle

2011-12-18T20:24:00.000+01:00

Christian Ehring and Arkadi Shilkloper

©Susanne Diesner

On Sunday December 18 at 4.30pm the Tonhalle will host another concert in the series "Ehring goes to a concert".

Christian Ehring is a much-loved Düsseldorf entertainer who says of himself that he is an 'amateur' classical music lover ...
So Tonhalle director Michael Becker thought he was the perfect person to invite along to host a series of concerts. The first we saw, a few weeks ago featured the music of Bach. It was a beautiful concert and Ehring's input were both funny and most informative.
Yes this is all in German, but I know that many of you are learning the language and is there a better way to learn than to both hear and see?

This Sunday, a very varied programme is given the chance to seep into our souls. Ehring will also introduce Arkadi Shikloper, a Russian alphorn player (?!) - intriguing stuff!!

Arkadi Shilkloper
Alpenpfad
Sergej Prokofjew
Symphonie Nr. 1 D-Dur op. 25 "Symphonie classique"
Leopold Mozart
Sinfonia pastorella G-Dur für Hirtenhorn und Streicher
Peter Warlock
Capriol Suite
Arkadi ShilkloperFolk Song

There are still a few tickets available, you can reserve here.

Hollywood Comes to Düsseldorf!!! Halle Berry Films 'Cloud Atlas'

2011-12-17T07:23:00.001+01:00

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

So who was in town last night?
None other than the gorgeous Halle Berry who was filming all night at a top secret shoot for her upcoming movie Cloud Atlas.
Photographer Bernd Ahrens and I joined just a handful of journalists and photographers as filming began last night at 11pm outside the Dreischeibenhaus next to the city theatre. Despite the rain, all were in a jolly mood as we watched vintage USA cars pass by, re-creating a 1970's San Francisco.

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

Just how great is this for the city? Following filming in Spain and Scotland, Düsseldorf was chosen as the next location to shoot this movie which will also feature Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent and Hugh Grant. Coming up October 2012!

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

Rafael Aguirre Miñarro

2011-12-08T20:29:00.001+01:00

Rafael Aguirre Miñarro plays as surprise guest on the 'We Love Music' tour

©RhineBuzz

So how exactly do you respond when someone you've just met, says in a dark music club, 'you have to meet my friend .... he's one of the best guitarists in the world ....'?

A few days later Rafael Aguirre Miñarro offered to play his guitar on my sofa.

Time stands still when Rafa plays.

You kind of see his hands, his facial expressions, the way he totally gets lost in the music he is creating and you do nothing but feel the sounds coming from his fingertips and sense absolute awe. And I'm not someone who uses that phrase 'awesome' much at all!

Defined as 'one of the most versatile musicians of his generation' it is not difficult to see why this charismatic young man is making huge waves around the music world.

Rafael spends much of his time on planes jetting around the globe from one concert hall to the next. Next March his crazy itinerary includes the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York. When he played Carnegie Hall in 2010 he was obliged to give four encores, in Sao Paulo earlier this year nine encores!!!!

2011 has been an extraordinary year for me. I've met so many wonderful, wonderful people in this Eurovision year but Rafael has, without a doubt, a very special place amongst all the memorable characters that have passed through my life these past 12 months.

'We Love Music' guests are intrigued!

I'm privileged to say he has become my friend and along with his peers from the Robert Schumann School of Music, Luis Regidor (who won second prize for voice at this year's Montreaux Jazz Festival) and Mircea Stefan Gogoncea (winner of the Schmolz and Bickenbach 2011 competition, which Rafael won in 2007 as the first guitarist ever) and numerous other students and teachers of the school, RhineBuzz has grown into a group that includes some of the most gifted young musicians of our time. I truly am spellbound by this. If he is in town Rafael sometimes guests for us on the 'We Love Music' tour. Sitting on a park bench nearby we are delighted to introduce him as he suddenly takes out his guitar to the absolute enchantment of our guests who are just stunned by what happens next.

Tim D. Morand and I are treated to an one-on-one concert on
Ratinger Strasse after the tour

photo: Patricia Baeza Céspedes

Düsseldorfers have the extraordinary opportunity to experience this young musician, the Spaniard who has won the most guitar awards of all time, than any other Spaniard. On Sunday December 11 when Rafael plays in Düsseldorf at the Palais Wittgenstein. Tickets are just €8, as this concert is organised by the Department of Culture. You can only reserve tickets by calling 0211 89 96 294 or just be at the venue at 10.30am and hope for a ticket in this beautiful and most intimate hall. The concert begins at 11am.

I, and a whole bunch of RhineBuzzers will be there for sure!

I set up an interview for Rafa along with his professor Joaquín Clerch
by BBC Radio Two's Ken Bruce during Eurovision week at Museum Kunstpalast

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

Rafael Aguirre Miñarro on December 11 at 11am
Palais Wittgenstein

Bilkerstr 7-9

40213 Düsseldorf

Christmas Markets

2011-12-08T08:42:00.000+01:00

©C. Ilsley Photography

Advent is just around the corner.
The wonderful Christmas Markets in Düsseldorf
opened on November 17
and will remain glittery and inviting until December 23

Mulled wine, gingerbread, potato cakes, burnt almonds, sausages and lots of other delicious goodies await us - over 200 stalls of food and drink delights, plus crafts and gifts, including live demonstrations of glass blowers, woodworkers
and metal smiths make for a unique Christmas atmosphere as only Germany can offer.

Find your way around all the different markets plus information on

transportation and accommodation here

Enjoy!

Ute Lemper at the Tonhalle

2011-12-06T08:44:00.001+01:00

The beautiful dome of the Tonhalle ©B Litjes

When Ute Lemper plays in London you'll be lucky to find a ticket. The German chartreuse has always been a great personal favourite, so I'm very happy that she is playing our Tonhalle tomorrow, Wednesday December 7 at 8pm.

This extraordinary German chartreuse has collaborated with iconic contemporary song smiths such as Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Elvis Costello to magnificent critical acclaim but it is her interpretations of Kurt Weil and Bertold Brecht that she returns to again and again. Her origins of Germany stay with her always despite her professional travels and personal choice of "home" which is New York City.

As she says herself: "I like to breathe and live inside the centers of chaos in the worlds of today and yesterday."

Tomorrow's programme reads simply beguiling when she performs "Lost Tango - An Hommage to Astor Piazzolla" which, as her website tells us, she plays with "the best and true Tango Musicians of Buenos Aires, partly the veterans of Piazzolla's original band".

Do I really need to say anymore?

Tickets available from the Heinersdorff Tickets

A concert I'm really looking forward to from long before my RhineBuzz days :)

Tonhalle

Ehrenhof 1

40479 Düsseldorf

Kisses and Lies - English Theatre at the Tanzhaus

2011-12-01T13:56:00.000+01:00

KISSES AND LIES PREMIERE 4. 12. - 5. 12. 2011

DÜSSELDORF - The Sinclair Arts Theater Company present the world premiere of 'Kisses and Lies'. An original stage play written and directed by the Companyʼs founder and artistic director Colin Sinclair. 'Kisses and Lies' presents a fly on the wall perspective of six performers who have lost the meaning of friendship, loyalty and honesty.

The action takes place in confined space of the theater dressing room. As they prepare to perform on stage their already volatile and stained relationships become explosive.

Sunday 4 December is sold out! Tickets available December 5 here

8pm TANZHAUS NRW

Erkratherstr 30

40233 Düsseldorf

action medeor e.V. Benefit Concert at the Tonhalle

2011-11-22T15:04:00.001+01:00

Anke Engelke for action medeor e.V.

I'm sometimes asked how you can be involved in local charities. On November 28 there's a chance to enjoy a wonderful concert with the Düsseldorfer Symphony Orchestra and be involved in a city project in aid of the fight against malaria.

Anke Engelke is one of Germany's most loved comediennes, she is the German voice of Marge Simpson and was one of the three German personalities chosen to also present the Eurovision Song Contest here in Düsseldorf in May.

For some time now she has been ambassador for action medeor e.V., an non-profit organisation that provides medical supplies to the various spots of the world in much need of such support.

The concert at the beautiful Tonhalle on November 28 2011 is in aid of the project Düsseldorf gegen Malaria.

Please support this project. Just one euro can provide the treatment for child with malaria.

Every year about one million people die of malaria.

85% are children under the age of 5.

If you can, do join us for the concert, where we have been told a few surprises await us. TheDüsseldorf Symphony Orchestra will be playing something light and 'jazzy' for the first time, and Anke Engelke has chosen to sing!

Tickets are just €20, plus booking fee, available online here

action medeor Benefit Concert November 28 at 8pm

Anatol Liadov – Polonaise Op. 49

Giacomo Puccini – Preludio Sinfonico

Peter I. Tschaikowsky – Schwanensee (Suite)

Georges Bizet – Carmen-Suite Nr. 1

Bedřich Smetana – Die Moldau

Edward Elgar – Pomp & Circumstance

Ehrenhof 1

40479 Düsseldorf

Setting up a business in Düsseldorf – Information for foreign entrepreneurs

2011-11-08T21:59:00.000+01:00

In collaboration with Job4You GmbH & Co. KG, the Office of Economic Development of the state capital Düsseldorf is offering a new type of information seminar in English, "Setting up a business in Düsseldorf" to provide information targeted specifically at foreign entrepreneurs and founders of small businesses. In so doing, it is helping to deal with the many questions and obstacles which international entrepreneurs face on the way to a successful start-up.

The seminar is free, places limited to 12, registration is required.

Dates in 2011:

12 July

20 September

29 November
Time 1pm until 6.30pm

Seminar Location

Job4You GmbH & Co. KG

Oststrasse 168

40210 Düsseldorf

Contact and Pre-registration:

City of Düsseldorf Office of Economic Development

Mr. Pinghui Tai

Burgplatz 1

40213 Düsseldorf

phone: +49 (0)211.89-9 57 21

email: pinghui.tai@duesseldorf.de

Japan Day

2011-10-14T11:10:00.000+02:00

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

October 15 is Japan Day in Düsseldorf

This year Düsseldorf celebrates its tenth year of Japan Day.
A day full of Japanese culture, food and drink, sports, music, displays, a fashion competition, entertainment and much, much more.

Popular Japanese singer/songwriter Halko Momoi will be giving a free concert at 6.30pm at the mainstage on Burgplatz TODAY, Oct 14.

As part of the Organ Festival currently running until November 7, the fabulous Wadokyo Drums will be in concert with organ player Robert Mäuer at the Christus Church, Kruppstr 13, 40227 Düsseldorf

©ODaiko - ZENSHIN

Famous now all over the region, hundreds of thousands flock to the city come nightfall for the spectacular fireworks display over the Rhine, a gift from the Japanese community to the city of Düsseldorf for the many years of hospitality.

Düsseldorf is after all home to one of the largest

Japanese communities worldwide outside of Japan.

"We Love Music" the Tour

2011-10-10T12:03:00.000+02:00

Tim D. Morand and I at the Kriwet Exhibition at the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf

©Manfred Schmidt, Düsseldorf

Eurovision might be over, but these tours can still be booked -
please enquire to tours@rhinebuzz.com for details

Four Fixed public dates, in German, with surprise guests and concert tickets to win:
Saturday at 3pm from the Tourist Info Altstadt:
October 1 and 29
November 5 and 12

Then we are taking a break until February 4 2012
Thereafter the tour will take place every first Saturday of the month

The musical force of Düsseldorf is extraordinary, with protagonists such as Mendelssohn, Schumann, Kraftwerk and the Toten Hosen weaving its rich and influential history.

******************

Next week Tim D. Morand and I begin giving the first "We Love Music" - the ideal tour for the Eurovision Song Contest, when media eyes and Eurovision fans from all around the world will be focused on the city for this great musical event!

Düsseldorf Marketing and Tourism are offering 9 tours to the public in German and 9 in English from April 28 - May 14. All begin at 5pm and last 90 mins. They can be booked online here or at one of the DMT shops in town or at the main station.

I was commissioned by the DMT to write two new tours for the city, "Arts in Düsseldorf" and "We Love Music", so the last couple of months have been a frenzy of interviewing and getting to know so many people and institutions for these beguiling projects.

The doors that have opened for me have been a real delight to enter and although combined with all the other stuff I have been asked to get involved with for Eurovision it's all been, and still is a huge amount of work, I'm really honoured to have been asked to take this on.
Added to this I've been putting together two ESC Shows for the BBC. One for national Radio Two, the Ken Bruce show and then also for BBC Radio Berkshire, The Andrew Peach Breakfast Show.

For the last few weeks I have already been accompanying the first of the 2,500 foreign journalists expected around the city for ESC, using much of the material from these two tours for the press work. The response has been very good, the press have left not with one mainstream article about the city as host to ESC but with enough material and ideas for several cultural pieces on the city. They discovered a hub of arts and music that they simply didn't know existed!

Talking new painting and new music with Emil Schult

A very special visit to the Krypta at the Robert Schumann School of Music which
Emil Schult decorated, an absolute "insiders tip" in Düsseldorf

Tim and I crawled around 22 metres up high in the dome of the Tonhalle with sound engineer Andreas Kainz to understand how the Tonhalle actually works!

VIP Shuttle for Scottish journalist Lillian McDowall

To all those that invited me into their studios, homes and party basements :), thank you; for the phone numbers that have been passed onto me; the contacts that have generously been shared; for the time you have given me, thank you. And most of all for the trust and the smiles.

So, with all my heart, my thanks go to: Monique Maasen, Michael Schnitzler, Tanja Brill and Wilfried Schmerbach, Emil Schult, Christiane Oxenfort, Henry Storch, Meike Knoche and Andreas Kainz, Phillipp Maiburg, Christian Banasik, Rafael Minarro, Alvero Mendizabal, Luis Redigor, Vom Ritchie and JKP GmbH Management, Professor Hermann-Josef Kuhna, Daniel Fiene, Felicitas Hackmann, Manfred Schmidt, Marina Schuster, Dirk Schewe, Alexandra Iwan, Monika and Eckard Günnewig, ISR, Peter Rewald, Michael Sonneck, Susan Jones, Manfred Hill, Helma Kremer, Steffi Herbrich and Kristin Schröter

and to all the fans, music enthusiasts and numerous others who have spoken to us and shared their work and memories.

Thanks to Tim. You have taken on the challenge of working with me admirably

and are doing a fantastic job!

Strobe lighting at the recent Creamcheese Revival Party. Creamcheese probably showed Germany's first strobe lightning in the 1960s

No doubt after Eurovision these tours will continue, we have mountains of material to share with you and delicious morsels of musical surprises for the tours. Other subjects are in the planning, and we do realise that we will have to offer them at a later time. I've already received numerous emails saying that the time is too early. But the RhineBuzz community have been asking me to begin tours again for a while now and so here we are, it's a great start!

Tim and I have thoroughly enjoyed the research and the music for these tours and we are looking forward to the next few weeks, the run up to Eurovision and all the city events that will be going on enormously!

Come join the party!

CAG present Evita, a Charity Event

2011-10-01T20:17:00.000+02:00

CAG, Creative Arts Group e.V. are putting on a charity performance of Evita on October 9 at 6pm.

This will be in aid of numerous local charities.

Contact Timo White, info@cagev.com, for more information about this piece, or indeed about Cag. If you'd like to get involved in English-speaking dance, music and theatre this will be the organisation for you!

They are casting for Jesus Christ Superstar in Essen on October 15!

Evita at the

Stadthalle Erkrath

Neander Str 58

40699 Erkrath

English Theatre - The Shape of Things

2011-10-01T16:36:00.000+02:00

The English Speakers' Circle presents Neil Labute's 'The Shape of Things' on Friday October 14 at 7pm.

How far would you go for love?

What would you be willing to change?

Which price might you pay?

A story of love, and all that it entails ....

The White Horse Theatre Company is sure to put on an excellent piece. I saw a presentation by their founder, Peter Griffith, some time ago. He founded the company in 1978 and now some 35,000 people see his plays every year. His passion and pride for what he has achieved was quite simply inspirational.

Contact Susan Jones for tickets, €7. 0211 317 9322

or you can buy on the evening

Weiterbildungszentrum, Hall 1

(behind the main station)

Bertha-von-Sutner-Platz

40227 Düsseldorf

RhineBuzz Arts at mkp

2011-10-01T07:32:00.000+02:00

Workshop details here

''I have been really really really trying to make it to one of the painting sessions. Everyone that I know that has been to one has truly enjoyed themselves. You should be really proud of this event :)''

An Egyptian RhineBuzzer

"It was the best! Came home full of energy, what a great event, the After Work Art events at Museum Kunst Palast are amazing!"

A Swedish RhineBuzzer

Thanks again for the action painting event on Sunday, it was great! I enjoyed going behind the scenes in the museum kunst palast and being able to give it a go. Officially the first time I tried arts since primary school. I'm looking forward to the next one!

A Spanish RhineBuzzer

Thank you, RhineBuzz and Sabrina at Museum Kunst Palast, for opening me to the world of Pollock and for the opportunity to get to know more great people and great minds.

An American RhineBuzzer

Have been three times so far and loved every single one of the sessions. Unfortunately won't be able to make this one but will be back in full strength after the summer ;-). Keep up the great work Caroline and co at the MKP!!!

A Czech RhineBuzzer

"I feel like I've just spent a day at the spa!"

A Dutch RhineBuzzer

Hi Caroline, I am not sure if I can wait util 12th of September to be honest!!!
Was great last night, another unique experience with great artists! I am addicted now!

An African RhineBuzzer

I had such a wonderful time - I can't remember the last time I was in such a zen zone just doing art! The instructor was fabulous - she created such a nice positive open atmosphere and sort of led us in playing with stuff. AND we had really groovy background music! Everyone should come - it beats most TV shows, and it beats *yet another* evening standing around at cocktails with people, asking where they're from and how long they've been here. This gives you something more interesting to hold than a cocktail glass, and a much better return on your investment. For boys and girls.

An American RhineBuzzer

Just loved it!

A British RhineBuzzer

I was very surprised at the results at the end of the evening, even though to begin with I'll admit,
I thought to myself, "I'm not sure about this ..."
Highly recommendable and just a great, great group of people!
A British RhineBuzzer

Final Tickets to win for the altstadtherbst!

2011-09-30T13:02:00.000+02:00

altstadtherbst closes on Monday October 3 with the German premiere of Jean Paul Smadj's "The Oud according to Smadj" with an intriguing mix of music from several nations - there are still a handful of tickets available! It's bound to be a memorable closing night!!!

Smadj
©Arnauld Weil

We are fortunate enough to have two tickets to give away for this final concert; the fifth person to answer the question below, wins!

What is Smadj's Arabian lute also known as?

Email win@rhinebuzz.com

The altstadtherbst has certainly brought some fascinating acts to Düsseldorf.

Eun-Me Ahn from Korea colourfully sticks in my mind the most of all the performances I have seen so far. It was completely wild! I've been fortunate enough to see much of what has been happening at the festival and can only describe my feeling as complete admiration for Christiane Oxenfort and Andreas Dahmen who, with the help of some fabulously generous sponsors, have put this unusual and lively, and at times brave mix of performers together every autumn for some twenty one years now.
The logistics just don't bear thinking about!

The programme has included extraordinary performances such as Brian Eon's Music for Airports, which was played at Düsseldorf International by the Bang on a Can All-Stars from New York.
The experience of seeing and hearing this music being played live at the location for which it was written was quite something. The travellers stopped and gazed at what was going on, the people on the escalators seemed to move slower to the music, the public announcements glided perfectly to the sounds from the stage. Pity we can't have something like this going on at DUS more regularly!

Bang on a Can entertain both airport travellers and audience

Air France generously flew in some 40+ musicians from India for the electric and frenzied Manganiyar Seduction for which we were able to give away tickets:

Winners of the tickets to the Manganiyar Seduction:

" .... amazing! I can't stop smiling & flying. So happy!!"

©Bernd Ahrens Photography

I was also pretty surprised by Stabil Elite who played at the NRW Bank. Prize winners of a Düsseldorf young music prize, they had been recommended to me by Philip Maiburg back in March when I was researching for the "We Love Music" Tour as the young Düsseldorf band to watch out for. Now, I finally got to see them at this city festival and was so impressed by their casual, yet stylish presence and mesmerising beats. I look forward to seeing them again in a dark club somewhere in the city again soon.

Stabil Elite
©RhineBuzz

Other highlights have been Finnish Duo WHS who entertained with video art and illusions second to none in the performances "The Waiting Room" and "Speed Blindness". The godfather of video art, Nam June Paik came to mind as the audience were submersed into another world, surreal and totally intriguing.

The Waiting Room WHS
©Pirje Mykkänen

Another fabulous project was Dance of the Machines at Demag Cranes where a large audience witnessed young people who, during the day are young technical trainees at Demag Cranes, performing amongst other things, a ballet for industrial machinery and movies made by school students shown to music played by the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra.

Cheering Audience at Dance of the Machines

"Like a Hurricane" with welders on 'backing vocals'
Dance of the Machines

We been privileged to be able to give away 6 pairs of tickets to lucky winners of the RhineBuzz community, the feedback has been wonderful -

Our first winner, Devesh Komaromi from Essen wrote:

"the Eh-Me Ahn show was fabulous. Strange, but fun and stimulating and downright bizarre in places. Just our style!"

And winners from the 'We Love Music' tour "... we had also a fantastic evening with princess Bari on the Altstadtherbst. Thanks again for the won tickets during the “we love music tour with you and Tim - and other crazy musicians". We had very good seats right in the middle near the stage, great !"

We will be there at the final concert on Monday and I personally am hugely looking forward to seeing the programme for 2012 of this wonderful festival that combines classical chrous and symphony orchestras with Pacman, cranes and the very latest in electronic music to the Asian vision of the crazy royal life of a princess.

The Düsseldorfers are so lucky to have all this on their doorstep.

Einfach grossartig!

Breakdance Workshops with Flying Bach

2011-09-29T16:28:00.003+02:00

Red Bull Flying Bach
©Bernd Ahrens Photography

Red Bull Flying Bach premiered in Germany yesterday at the Tonhalle.

Last night under the heavenly stars of the former planetarium, the audience were delighted by fascinating head spins and tight moves to the sounds of Bach and the dancers from Flying Steps. The next three dates at the Tonhalle are sold out, but you still have a chance to see this show at other venues in Germany.

If you'd like to get close and up dancing with the guys, they are offering 3 breakdance workshops, all for beginners, on Saturday October 1 at the:

JC Adademy Hip Hop am Rhein

Bunsenstr 19

40215 Düsseldorf

at 12.30, 1.30 and 2.30pm

€15 per person, per 1 hour workshop.

Please register: info@jcacademy.de

I spoke with artistic director Christoph Hagel at the press conference - looks like we might be seeing him around on the 'We Love Music Tour' on Saturday!!!

Chatting with Christoph Hagel,
artistic director Flying Bach
©Bernd Ahrens Photography

A Great Idea! After Work Arts at mkp

2011-09-29T07:38:00.000+02:00

The beauty of our After Work Arts at mkp is manifold.

We enjoy the luxury of a mini, personal 'tour'. An peek at world-class paintings, a bit of background information and a whole lot more on the techniques and ideas used in one or two selected pieces in just 10 minutes.

Then we head for the studio. Robe-up and are let loose on paper, canvas and an abundant supply of paint.

Our wonderful instructor, Sabrina Haunsperger, is a young prize-winning artist. She has spent some time in New York and so is only to happy to share both her practical and theoretical experience with us in English. I see our group hanging on to every word.

Some are a little hesitant to begin. How do I begin? Where do I begin?

But once one person gets going there is no stopping us and we indulge in what I can only call paint heaven.

Now if you have ever painted at home you will appreciate the facilities at this magnificent studio all the more.

You don’t have to carefully select the paints you wish to purchase in the arts shop often at great expense - they are all there.

You don’t have one precious canvas to paint on. At home you might sit and pontificate on “doing it right” on this one precious base that you have just purchased ... The various bases we use in the studio are in ample supply.

You don’t have to protect your floor or table. Sabrina prepares the studio for us.

You don’t have to clear up. We do a bit, paintbrushes in buckets, lids on paints, but this is an enormous studio. You don’t have to clear away everything to put dinner on the table.

You are distracted by nothing. You can totally switch-off. You can do nothing but create.

Everyone completely relaxes in the studio. Phones are switched off without hesitation.

Many have said that this is just, if not more, relaxing as taking part in sports or visiting a spa.

And perhaps most precious of all we get to see masterpieces first and realise and respect that it’s very much not a case of “I can do that,” as is so often said.

Techniques and ideas, the very craft of making art; it is child’s play and it isn’t. And you only come to really appreciate this if you have a go yourself.

However, this so isn't an ‘art class’. This isn’t about learning to do something properly. There is no right way to create and the emphasis is so very much on having a go and not “can I make a fabulous painting?”

Those that thought they were 'not artstic' are astounded at what they do have to take home at the end of the day, but that’s ‘just’ a delicious by-product.

Last Thursday May 27th, was only my second session of the four we have so far hosted. I am thrilled to have started this partnership with mkp as I see and hear that many of the RhineBuzzers also are.

We have never received so many emails saying “I’d like to join but can’t mid-week” so we have booked the studio as a one-off on Sunday June 27th. We will repeat the Jackson Pollock session from April from 2-4pm. If this is a success, we will look at a regular weekend date from the autumn.

€18 buys you a whole lot. A peek at the exhibition, expert knowledge, endless paint, tools and materials to work with. Many laughs and moments of silence and contemplation.

It’s fantastic value and a really great night out. Just ask any one who has joined us so far, they don’t want to go home!

And thank you mkp. We just love you!

Karl Otto Götz Orchideenbild and our attempts having contemplated the work of Götz

RhineBuzz After Work Arts

at the Studio at mkp happens every fourth Thursday of the month
from 7-9pm.

Next date October 27 7 - 9pm

Places must be booked one week before the event.

Savion Glover - Bare Soundz Tickets to Win at altstadtherbst!

2011-09-27T13:56:00.001+02:00

Savion Glover
@Christian Altorfer

Gregory Hines: 'Glover is possibly the best tap dancer that has ever lived'.

The festival altstadtherbst brings American tap dancer extraordinaire to Düsseldorf this weekend with Savion Glover and his incredible show Bare Soundz.

Glover's resumé is astounding: he danced on Broadway at just 10 and was nominated for a Tony award at 12, winning twice in 1996 as one of the youngest nominees ever. Savion Glover is not only a dancer, but a passionate teacher and inspiration for thousands.

Quite simply, Glover is the future of tap and we here in Düsseldorf can count ourselves incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to witness this great artist live and up close in the festival marquee on Burgplatz.

Once again, we are delighted to be able to give away 2 tickets for yet another spectacular performance, Savion Glover on October 2 - just answer the following question and email the answer to win@rhinebuzz.com The first correct answer wins!

Which name does the trio Savion Glover, Marshall Davis Jr. and Keitaro Hosokawa perform under?

Savion Glover Bare Soundz @NN

Savion Glover plays at the altstadtherbst on September 30 and October 1 and 2.

Ran Jia Piano Concert, 2 for 1 RhineBuzz Special at the Tonhalle

2011-09-21T17:20:00.002+02:00

Award-winning Ran Jia is the young Chinese musician described as a 'piano poet with dramatic skill in music-making'.
Quite simply she is one of the brightest stars shining in the impressive world of the young Chinese pianists right now!

RhineBuzz is pleased to offer you all a very special 2 for 1 ticket offer for this concert.
Tickets, just €18 for two, will be available at the ticket desk on the Rhine side of the Tonhalle on Sunday evening if you mention "RhineBuzz' when purchasing. This is the 'back stage' entrance to the Tonhalle.

Ran Jia will play:

Johann Sebastian Bach
Toccata c-Moll BWV 911
Maurice Ravel
Miroirs
Franz Schubert
Sonate D 845 in a minor

Please do not hesitate to contact Meike Knoche for further details: meike.knoche@duesseldorf.de

The concert begins at 6.30pm

Helmut-Hentrich-Saal, Tonhalle

Ehrenhof 1

40479 Düsseldorf

Approximation Festival

2011-09-20T14:36:00.001+02:00

Approximation Festival opens this evening with a concert in the Tonhalle by the legendary Steve Reich, recently described in the New York Times as 'the greatest living composer'.
A pioneer of minimal compositions, his concert tonight will certainly be quite special, the atmosphere of the Tonhalle perfect for this kind of sound.
This is such an extraordinary festival of new, ground-breaking music - musically speaking, it certainly was one of my personal highlights of last year when I witnessed, open-mouthed, Aki Takase playing piano, quite simply like nothing I had ever been aware of before.

Saturday sees another interesting concert in the museum K20 when Tolouse Low Trax plays in another very special space.
Go and experience something you might know very little about, this celebration of new sounds, is at home in Düsseldorf, the very starting point of new electronic music and Kraftwerk from all those years ago.
Several concerts are taking place in the edgiest club in town, Salon des Amateurs.

Approximation Festival September 20 to 25

Eun-Me Ahn Company perform The Life of Princess Bari

2011-09-16T09:51:00.001+02:00

The Life of Princess Bari
©Young Mo Choe

What a wonderful start to the beginning of the altstadtherbst!
Having treated to us to a performance that threw the audience into a feast of colour, beautiful images, hypnotic beats and sometimes playful expressive movements, the ensemble Eun-Me Ahn thrilled the audience in the purpose-built festival marquee on Burgplatz last night. Happily rewarded with rapturous clapping, whistles and stamping feet exclaiming pure appreciation and joy, as the company took their final bows, a real magic moment of theatre was created by this South Korean ensemble that arrived in Düsseldorf fresh from the Edinburgh Festival.

Last week I met a Korean curator who told me 'oh Eun-Me Ahn, she's kind of crazy ...!" and my, she wasn't wrong. This piece is crazy, but in the nicest, nicest possible way. It was simply sensational!

The Life of Princess Bari is a real mix of the traditional Korea and very modern dance, hip hop even. The live percussionists left of the stage had everyone raptured in their seats with the energy they were immersing us in, an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair right in front of me bopped away for ages with such a lovely smile on his face. It was such a joy to see the artists and audience have so very much fun.

The Life of Princess Bari
©Young Mo Choe

How can I describe the piece? It was kind of like a mix of Alice in Wonderland meets The Yellow Submarine in an Asian world. It's all still swirling around in my mind, I'd love to go again, but am seeing French illusionist tonight, Le Soir des Monstres, at the Tanzhaus NRW this evening, also part of the incredible altstadtherbst that we are so very lucky to have here in the city every fall.

Go see! There are still tickets available for Princess Bari tonight and Saturday and to all who are going, including our lucky winners, you are in for a real treat! Lucky you!

The altstadtherbst continues until October 3.

CRYSSIS Launch Party September 17

2011-09-09T10:58:00.000+02:00

It's affectionately called British/German Power Pop, the new CRYSSIS CD "Simple Men" will make you want to dance! It's that simple!
Released on Drumming Monkey Records, there's no doubt that the deep music vibe between CRYSSIS founders Dick York and Vom Ritchie (from Düsseldorf's own 'Toten Hosen', one of Germany's biggest bands) has brought a brand new flavor to an old-school touch from the 70's and 80's, where these songs were first written and performed.

The official Release-Party on September 17 will definitely be a not-to-be-missed "back to the roots" event!

Doors open at 7.30pm.

Three incredible bands for ONLY 10 Euros!

CRYSSIS Launch Party

Haus der Jugend

Lacomblestr 10

40239 Düsseldorf

Vom Ritchie joins us for the "We Love Music" Tour
©Bernd Ahrens Photography

Tim D. Morand

50 Years of the Kunstsammlung NRW K20/K21

2011-09-06T16:03:00.001+02:00

©Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen

Presentation of the Klee Collection in Schloss Jägerhof, 1960

Dr. Marion Ackermann, director of the Kunstsammlung,
presents the latest acquisition of the collection
A watercolour entitled Polyphone Strömungen by Paul Klee from 1929
©Bernd Ahrens Photography

The State Collection of Art, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is celebrating 50 years in existence with a special KPMG evening on September 7. Both museums, K20 and K21, will be open until 10pm. Free admission is from 4pm.
The golden annivesary will be special celebrated with 'behind the scenes' tours and events in both houses, dance, literature and music and German bratwurst with gold-leaf!

K20 GRABBEPLATZ

Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen
Grabbeplatz 5
40213 Düsseldorf

K21 STÄNDEHAUS

Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen
Ständehausstraße 1
40217 Düsseldorf

SCHMELA HAUS

Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen
Mutter-Ey-Straße 3
40213 Düsseldorf

Win tickets for the altstadtherbst!

2011-09-05T11:59:00.000+02:00

Today RhineBuzz gives you have a chance to win the first of 2x5 tickets for the altstadtherbst which begins on September 14.

The first tickets we are giving away are for the performance of "The Life of Princess Bari" by the Eun-Me Ahn Company on Saturday September 17 at 8pm at the Festival Marquee on Burgplatz.
This wonderful piece will move your very soul as you are transformed into a moving world of an east-western atmosphere that combines dance, music and language.

Take a look at the altstadtherbst programme and the first person to send an email to win@rhinebuzz.com telling us which country the Eh-Me Ahn Company is from wins the tickets!

Good luck people!

altstadtherbst Sept 14 - Oct 3

2011-09-03T11:20:00.001+02:00

The Düsseldorf city calender is absolutely packed with great events all year round but a true personal favourite is the altstadtherbst which kicks off with a splendid sold-out opening concert on September 14 of Haydn and Mozart.

RhineBuzz is delighted to be able to give away 5x2 tickets for this eclectic festival of the performing arts which invites artists from all around the globe to charm and entertain us with everything from 'animation on stage' to opera to circus to a Russian playing an alphorn (!) at the most varied locations of our city from banks to industrial areas, Düsseldorf International Airport to the stunning museum K21, the Tonhalle to churches and the festival marquee which is erected especially on Burgplatz.

I interviewed Christiane Oxenfort, fellow opera scout, in the spring for the 'We Love Love Music' tour and gained an inside peek into how this wonderful festival has grown over the years and I can only say that I am in awe of how she and her business partner Andreas Dahmen have put this remarkable event together.

Happily, happily, the website is now in English and in the next few days I'll be posting personal recommendations to help you around deciding which concerts you might like to be heading to. The wonderful programme is just packed with so many amazing artists and ideas, you will so be missing out if you don't book yourself a few tickets now.
Tickets can also be purchased during the festival at the box office by the marquee, but some concerts do sell out fast so take a look now!

Half Past Selber Schuld

Today, as the German broadcaster WDR 4 accompanies us on the "We Love Music" Tour at 3pm through town we will be giving tickets away to our tour guests and on Monday we'll be giving the first tickets to the readers of this site.

So watch this space and in the meantime we are wishing have a great, sunny weekend hopefully packed with great sounds and wonderful memories. Hope to see some of you at the Golzheim Festival this afternoon too .... :)

WHS Speed Blindeness

Carmen Brown Free Concert at Stahlwerk!

2011-08-31T16:55:00.006+02:00

Due to the weather this has now been moved to the café in Stahlwerk

The very lovely Carmen Brown and her band the Elements will be giving a free, feel-good, funky concert at the beach bar Treibgut this Friday September 2.

Spent the afternoon with Carmen yesterday as she joined us for the "We Love Music" tour for the newspaper Bild.

with Rafael Minarro, Tim D. Morand and Carmen Brown on Ratinger Strasse

Carmen's so bubbly, so just ... gorgeous, her sunshine manner is quite simply infectious, her gig at the Jazz Rally in June had everyone up and bopping - you'll be so missing out if you don't come along ...

Early start at 8pm!!! :)

Stahlwerk

Ronsdorfer Str. 134
40233 Düsseldorf

Golzheim Festival with Laura Vane

2011-08-26T19:29:00.006+02:00

Come and join us for the Golzheim Festival on Saturday September 3 from 3pm around the area of the Theodor Heuss Bridge on the Golzheim side.

You really shouldn't miss this wonderful free festival on the banks of the Rhine. Headlining this year will be Laura Vane and the Vipertones from Brighton at 5pm, so come prepared for great party!

Live music carries on at the outdoor stage up to 10pm and then well into the night with a Unique Session at the Blue Note on Kurze Strasse 13 in the Altstadt.

On Sunday there will be a kiddies flea market and outdoor disco.

Jazz Rally video approved by CNN today!

2011-08-22T20:14:00.010+02:00

Tracy Bymoen films Carmen Brown

Luis Regidor plays for Tracy and Henry Storch

Many thanks to Tracy Bymoen from Canada who I took care of during the Jazz Rally in June for Düsseldorf Marketing and Tourism. I introduced her to some of the most musically talented people we have in the city for a great video she then made about the music festival and our city.

Today this has been approved by CNN and I know that all involved will be delighted to hear this.
Thanks guys, you are all simply brilliant and it's an absolute pleasure to work with you and see what RhineBuzz has turned into!

Tracy films Tim at Düsseldorf International Airport, Clueso played Hangar 8

Dusseldorf's Music Scene from Moenby MEDIA on Vimeo.

On CNN it is here

"We Love Music" with Antenne Düsseldorf

2011-08-14T23:02:00.013+02:00

We spent a great Saturday afternoon yesterday when Tim D. Morand and I gave our "We Love Music" tour to winners from local radio station Antenne Düsseldorf for Düsseldorf Marketing and Tourism.

Tim held court, giving the tour in German and engrossing and entertaining all around once again.

Tim and Antenne Düsseldorf

As Tim talked about Henry Storch outside his club the Blue Note on Kurze Strasse in the Altstadt I was able to give away Maxi CD's by Laura Vane who is on Henry's Unique record label, kindly given to me by henry earlier in the day.

Laura and the Vipertones will be playing at the The Golzheim Festival at 5pm under the Theodor Heuss Bridge on September 3. Join us for the tour at 3pm in the Altstadt and then we will all rush over to the Festival for what is guareented to be a rocking show. I met Laura in Stone last year and believe me, she puts on a wonderful show.

To finish the tour we were delighted to have two tenors from the Chorus of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Andreas Schönberg and Luis Fernando Piedra.

Some of our guests had tears in their eyes. I just love doing this, gently cojoling people into experiencing something they might not normally.

Tim introduces Andreas and Luis from DOR

I am delighted that Tim and I are able to turn the tour into such a memorable event as we know so many people in musical professions in the city who are happily keen to help out. The surprised faces of our guests are such a joy to see!

Responses to the tour were excellent; we already have new people interested in visiting the Opera with the RhineBuzz group on one of our monthly visits, another visitor said the highlight for her was discovering that we had such an excellent all-round music man as Henry Storch right here, a local Düsseldorfer, and others were just astounded at the little dip into history they discovered about their hometown hearing tales of Schumann and Mendelssohn who once worked avidly here in their neighbourhood!

This couple came from Dortmund for the tour!

"We Love Music", all fixed tours in German at 3pm beginning from the tourist information Altstadt, €10 per person. Tours in English also possible, please enquire to tours@rhinebuzz.com

Upcoming dates:

September 3

October 1

November 5

Tomma Abts at the Kunsthalle

2011-08-07T21:00:00.004+02:00

Feio 2007 Tomma Abts

Turner Prize winner Tomma Abts is a German artist and professor at Düsseldorf’s Kunstakademie (art academy). From 16 July to 09 October 2011, the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf will be exhibiting 12 of her canvases and a series of previously unknown drawings, exploring the relationship between space, lines and shapes. Abts, who currently lives in London, has already had her work featured by numerous internationally renowned art institutes.

The special thing about Abts’ paintings is that she only creates between two and eight a year because each one is subject to a painstaking production and correction process. The paintings have various things in common – each one is made up of geometric shapes painted in oil and acrylic on a 48 x 38 cm portrait format and each one is made up of multiple layers (sometimes you can even catch glimpses of the original canvas), which – as one journalist pointed out – makes you feel as if you “could really dive in and get lost in the picture”. Despite their common features, each painting is unique and there is always something new to discover.

At first glance, the paintings might not appear like much, but when you take a closer look you realise that they have more to offer. In homage to her birthplace of Kiel, Abts has given each of the paintings a person’s name from this area. I must admit that the one pictured here (Feio) actually reminds me of turquoise chopsticks tugging at black noodles surrounded by swirls of ketchup and mayonnaise! This kind of art may seem inaccessible to some, but it’s interesting to analyse and ask yourself what it means to you personally – other motifs that I personally recognise are lightning, rope, a windmill and waves, but why not see for yourself – this interesting (and very different) exhibition is certainly worth checking out!

The admission price is EUR 5.50 for adults and EUR 3.50 for concessions

KUNSTHALLE DÜSSELDORF

Grabbeplatz 4

40213 Düsseldorf

Sarah Downing, Aardwolf Text Services

Emil Schult at the Düsseldorf Art Academy on CNN

2011-08-05T17:18:00.015+02:00

I'm delighted to be freelancing for Düsseldorf Marketing and Tourism by setting up schedules and taking care of more and more international journalists and tour operators who are interested in knowing more about our wonderful city. Today we are very pleased to see that CNN have approved this video by Tracy Bymoen from Canada who was here over the Jazz Rally in June.

Apart from showing her around the city's music scene, I was happy to introduce her to Emil Schult as we took a look around the Arts Academy where Emil was a student of Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter from 1968 -72.

This was a very special RhineBuzz project bringing together the best of our city. My heartfelt thanks goes to Emil Schult for this rare chance to see his view of the oldest arts academy in Germany and Henry Storch of the Düsseldorf label Unique Records for the soundtrack from Laura Vane who will be playing here in Düsseldorf on September 3 at the Golzheim Festival and to Tracy Bymoen - thank you!

iReport —

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

Emil Schult is best known for his work with Kraftwerk, the internationally famous band formed in Dusseldorf in 1970.

However, Schult prefers to be known for his art these days. And when he is not working on his own art, he is mentoring art students, many of them from the Kunstakademie, Germany's largest and most forward thinking art school. It's a place close to Schult's heart, as he was once a student there himself.

I had the rare opportunity to peak inside the doors of the Kunstakademie with Emil Schult. As you'll see in this short interview and tour, Schult has an inspiring view of what defines art...and he is passionate about the need for more creativity in the world.

For more see my other Dusseldorf feature here: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-641500

-------------------

Special thanks to the Kunstakademie and, of course, to
Caroline West of RhineBuzz.com

for organizing this very exclusive interview.

Additional thanks to filming permissions from Destination Dusseldorf, and to Henry Storch / Unique Records for music/soundtrack permissions.

That was the Open Source Festival

2011-07-29T11:20:00.009+02:00

The Editors

Congratulations Philipp Maiburg and the Open Source team!
The Open Source press conference was already a little event in itself. Between Borders played on the stands of the Galopprennbahn (the race course) and Peter Inhoven, butcher extraordinaire, offered the press gourmet sausages of unique combinations such as The Open Source Sausage with ginger, teriyaki, wasabi and chilli!

The Festival itself, last Saturday, was magic. The standard of the bands Philipp brought to the forest of Grafenberger Wald was phenomenal for such a small festival - eclectic, very entertaining and colourful, from the eighties sound of Architecture in Helsinki to the soulful grooves of Cody Chestnut to the huge Editors who headlined and finished off the Festival. Certainly there was something for everyone in every sense of the word and note!

Two happy ticket winners,

Pedro and his cousin from Portugal, and Tim and I

The drizzle didn't put the crowd off; the atmosphere was warm, smiley and very enthusiastic. Our ticket winners from Taiwan, UK, the Netherlands and Portugal all had a great, great time and Tim and I gathered a great insight into the another aspect of the music world here in Düsseldorf that we can tell our visitors and journalists about on the "We Love Music" Tour.

"We Love Music"

We ended up at Zakk and Foyer after the Festival. Free buses shuttled the party crowd to various venues around town for more sounds into the very early hours.

The Festival certainly has the potential to grow and grow and we enormously look forward to what's in store next year!

MOVE. Art and Dance since the 1960s at K20

2011-07-28T22:02:00.004+02:00

Last Friday, I got the enjoyable opportunity to visit MOVE, an interactive art exhibition where visitors can “discover art with their whole body”. The exhibition is being held at K20 GRABBEPLATZ (Kunstsammlung NRW) from 19 July to 25 September 2011. So many times, I’ve visited museums or exhibitions and come out wishing that the whole experience could be more hands-on. Scrutinising fine art is a worthy pastime, but – dare I say it? – it can get a little old after a while, even for hard-core art enthusiasts. If you’re thirsting for something different, I urge you to visit the MOVE exhibition that focuses on the relationship between fine arts, dance, movement and choreography since the early 1960s.

Whilst the raison-d’être of conventional exhibitions is for the visitor to view the art, this exhibition turns the visitor into the art and dancers encourage the visitor’s choreographical participation in sculptures and installations. The aim is for visitors to become more self-aware and sharpen their perception of gravity and balance. Each exhibit will keep you on your toes: from exhibits such as William Forsythe’s “The Fact of Matter”, a “forest” of gymnastic rings that challenge the visitor to swing from one side to the other (and believe me, it’s a lot harder than it looks, which probably explains the liability disclaimer!) to Mike Kelley’s shocking but fascinating “Test Room Containing Multiple Stimuli Known to Elicit Curiosity And Manipulatory Responses”, starring a pissed off gorilla and some rather emotional individuals, to Robert Morris’ large wooden seesaw (or teeter-totter for you American readers) entitled “Bodyspacemotionthings”, or a pile of hula hoops with a cheerful background video reminiscent of childhood memories.

The exhibition also features a major work by famous action painter Jackson Pollock – Number 32, 1950. The painting’s production is documented by films shown in the exhibition’s interactive, digital archive, which is a compilation of more than 170 recordings demonstrating the history of art and dance. This is located in the Schmela Haus and can be visited without a ticket to the main exhibition.

K20 GRABBEPLATZ

Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen

Grabbeplatz 5

40213 Düsseldorf

Sarah Downing, Aardwolf Text Services

Biggest Funfair on the Rhine

2011-07-16T09:16:00.008+02:00

The Biggest Funfair on the Rhine is currently at home on the Oberkassel side of the Rhine.
It's truly massive - you can't miss it!

Opening Saturday July 15 and closing July 24.

The first Monday is Pink Monday, attracting some 50,000 gays and lesbians from all over the region.

The fair is steeped in tradition and history, now in it's 110th year. It is hosted by the marksmens' guild of St Sebastianus.

Again I will be joining the Düsseldorf Marketing and Tourism team this year and will have a chance to take part in the traditional 'Entenschiessen'. I'm taking a group of tour operators from UK this year, it'll be intersting to see what they make of it all!

You cannot fail to notice the huge fairground which reaches the entire length of the Rhine bank from the Oberkasseler Bridge to the Rheinknee Bridge in Oberkassel.

This is a funfair of superlatives: biggest, most colourful, highest, fastest ...

No visit to the fair would be complete without sampling the traditional Alt beer from one of the many brewery tents dotted around the fair.

Complete the fun with a trip across the Rhine on the special Kirmes Ferry which takes you back to the Altstadt way into the early hours of the morning.

If you don't like the crowds view the fair from the Rheinpromenade in the Altstadt on the other side of the river. At night it is an awesome sight.

The Rhine Funfair is on until Sunday July 24th.

On Friday 22nd at around 10.30pm there will be a huge fireworks display. Prize positions for gazing at the sparkly skies are from the Obekasselser Bridge and the Rhine Promanade in the Altstadt.

Thanks DMT - I've enjoyed working with you this past year. With Eurovision, new tours and thousands of journalists in town it's been quite a yea! I've greatly enjoyed raving to the foreign journalists about this wondeful city, met some incredible people and hope that our partnership continues in such a dynamic and enriching fashion!

Luis Regidor

2011-07-10T13:36:00.006+02:00

Luis Regidor sings for Henry Storch and Tracy Bymoen on Ratinger Strasse

If people are fortunate enough to like their jobs, this is often because of one of two simple reasons, they tend to say:

1. I travel a lot

2. I meet great people

I'm happy to say I can/have ticked both boxes.
I've travelled extensively and am more than happy to stay put in Düsseldorf right now.

RhineBuzz gives me the great, really great privilege of meeting the most wonderful people. Today I am especially delighted at all that I have experienced with this incredible community of bright and fascinating characters from all over the globe.

This afternoon Düsseldorf plays a small part in the great Montreux Jazz Festival when Luis Regidor, student at the Robert Schumann Music School here in Düsseldorf, will be singing late this afternoon, in the finals of the Shure Voice Competition, judged by none other than Quincy Jones!

When I heard morning, that Luis had made it through the semi-finals last night and was singing again today I seriously considered leaping in the car and being there to support him. I have to work this afternoon though, I'll be showing Juha Veli Jokinen of the Finnish daily newspaper "Iltalethi" around town with the "We Love Music" and "Art in Düsseldorf" tours and so really can't do this. Otherwise ...

In January I hosted a party asking the RhineBuzz community to come and sing for us all. The response was unreal. Amongst others Luis wrote to me, I saw his email at 4 in the morning and responded, " ... thanks for contacting me. This event is now full, but I'll be in touch again for the next one" I was about to send and finally go to bed when I thought, this young man has taken the trouble to write, just click on the myspace link ...

I was spellbound and stayed up until after 5 listening to the various genres Luis had online at the time, from versions of 'Cry Me a River' to heavy rock! This young musician just blew me away!!

I called him the very next day and am very happy to say we've been friends ever since.

I was overjoyed to hear he had been accepted for The Voice Competition at one of the world's greatest jazz festivals, Montreux. Luis sent me the links of what he had submitted. I knew he was on to a winner. We last met a few weeks a go when I set up an interview with Tracy Bymoen from Percy's World and CNN (who was in town for the Jazz Rally) and Luis. He was very excited at the prospect of singing for Quincy Jones, well who wouldn't be(!) and Tracy and Düsseldorf Unique Records owner Henry Storch were charmed by Luis, his humour and talent as he sang for us on Ratinger Strasse. This interview will now be shown as part of the piece on the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Luis, here in Düsseldorf we are all routing for you!!! No matter what the outcome is this afternoon you have achieved something wonderful and you give so very much joy with your music. There will be more a big welcoming party for you when you get back!

And, with Eurovision over and my batteries recharged after a much-needed holiday, a very special event is coming up for all you RhineBuzzers soon in 2012 - watch this space, but it doesn't take much to guess who will be playing for us!!! :)

Update: Luis won second place - congratulations Luis, fabulous!!!

You can see him here

Win tickets for the Open Source Festival 2011!

2011-06-08T08:40:00.002+02:00

Clare O' loughlin from UK and Pedro Custido from Portugal are our lucky winners!! Congratulations - we look forward to seeing you there!

RhineBuzz have 2x2 Day & Night tickets to give away for the fabulous Open Source Festival on July 23 2011. English info now on their website. The first music lovers to email win@rhinebuzz.com

a) where the festival is being held (daytime venue and one night time venue) and

b) which 3 'Sound of Düsseldorf' bands are playing, win a pair of tickets each.

Sorry, all RhineBuzz facebook admins cannot take part.

Many thanks to Philipp Maiburg for the prizes.

Museum Kunstpalast Restored to All its Glory

2011-05-25T23:10:00.011+02:00

With Beat Wismer, director Museum Kunstpalast, at the press conference of the re-opening of the museum

photo: Museum Kunstpalast

The Museum Kunstpalast re-opened its important and wonderful collection after two years of extensive renovation work.

Press Conference in the foyer of the west wing in front of the impresssive Thorn Prikker window. There is currently a special exhibition dedicated to Thorn Prikker at mkp on until August 8 in

In all some 450 selected pieces can now be enjoyed encompassing the spectacular Rubens Hall, one of my favourite areas in the museum which can now be seen in all its glory once again. Housing paintings that were once part of the original Jan Wellem/Medici Collection from the 17th Century, this is as The Minister for Arts and Culture, Georg Lohe said in his opening speech "Düsseldorf's treasure house".

Go along and enjoy five museums in one, including the beautiful Hentrich Glass Collection, second in Europe only to that at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Sculptures from the Middle Ages fill part of the newly-painted halls and Modern Art is well represented with works ranging from Kandinsky to Beuys, including a brand new installation of pieces from Creamcheese, one of Germany's first discos, an artists' den of progressive rock. Some of Germany's first strobe lighting and cutting edge contemporary art from the likes of Richer, Beuys and Nam June Paik, who were all regulars at the club. Find out more about this legendary Düsseldorf space and time on the "We Love Music" tour.

Bernd Ahrens and I photograph an exhibit in the Creamcheese installation

Madame Monaco becomes part of the Re-Opening

There are numerous areas in the building do go and discover for yourself, or better still join us for one of our many RhineBuzz events at Museum Kunspalast!

Classics from the 15th to 20th Century including works of the hugely
influential Düsseldorf School of Painting
©Bernd Ahrens Photography

Museum Kunstpalast
Ehrenhof 4-5
40479 Düsseldorf
Open until 9pm every Thursday