Music from Platée at the Münster-Therme

©Hans Jörg Michel
On January 31 2011 The German Opera on the Rhine will be presenting a very special evevning of Baroque music from the Opera Platée in the historical art nouveau swimming baths Münster-Therme on Nordstrasse in Pempelfort.
Tickets are (€18 seats) and €14 (standing) inc. small culinary delights after the peformance.
Platée premieres at the Opera House Düsseldorf  on January 28, I'll be there as an Opera Scout, do watch out for the review, it runs until February 12.



Evita presented by Creative Arts





Have you always wished to be part of a stage production?
Well now you might well have a chance - Timo White of Creative Arts Group is looking for musicians for his forthcoming production of Evita to be performed on June 11 and 12 2011.
The website is in German but rehearsals are in English, stage director is none other than former dancer, Catherine Roth, who gave time for a special workshop for our volunteer project English Now! some time ago. Small, small world, English-speaking Düsseldorf.


Information in English can be found on the website here, then go to the (en) press releases on the left, or just contact Timo direct.
Rehearsals are just beginning so if this is something you would like to be part of, and over 70 actors, musicians front and backstage hands have signed up so far, do get in touch.
Don't just read this and think I'd like to do this but ...
Make contact with the group, you will have a great time, meet lots of new people and if you have never been in a stage production before you will be part of a team like no other. There will be drama and tension, you'll be exhausted; but at the end of the show the audience will be enchanted and you will have a very, very big smile on your face!
I know, I've taken part in productions in London and they have made up some of my most memorable moments ever. 
Timo White: Timo.White@cagev.com, he'd love to hear from you.

A Man of Letters

©Dreampark


It's English theatre time again on February 18 at 7pm when The English Speakers Circle present the theatre group Dreampark performing 'A Man of Letters,' a comedy about a northern English man, his career dreams for which he has no talent and fate which twists its way into his life as only fate does. 
''A Man of Letters' is written by Tim Firth who later went on to write 'Calender Girls,' the 7th most successful British Film of all time.

Tickets, €7.50, available from Susan Jones 0211 31 79 322.

Saal 1 
Weiterbildungszentrum, 
Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz, 
Düsseldorf

Hänsel and Gretel

©Frank Heller
Come and join us at the first RhineBuzz event of the year which takes us to the popular fantasy, fairy tale opera Hänsel and Gretel on January 26 at 7.30pm at the Düsseldorf Opera House  with the Deutsche Opera on the Rhine. A delightful performance written by Engelbert Humperdinck with an ensemble that includes the Stefani Kleeberg Girls Choir Düsseldorf.


There's an Opera Talk on this piece here
As always, we benefit from excellent seats in the stalls and second tier at greatly discounted prices and for this performance we have a very special offer for children.
Please email opera@rhinebuzz.com for details.

Klaus Mettig. Works 1976 - 2010 at museum kunst palast

Self Portrait © Klaus Mettig, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2010
China, September - October 1978 (Beijinng Yanan Xian Luoyang) 
© Klaus Mettig 
Photograph RhineBuzz

This show runs until January 23. The museum is open from 1 - 6pm on Christmas and Boxing Day.


The RhineBuzz community have been invited to the opening of Klaus Mettig. Works 1976 - 2010 this evening at the museum kunst palast at 7pm.
This is a monumental show, even the hardened journalists said 'wow' as they walked into the impressive exhibition halls at the press preview. We are treated to large format panoramas - his most recent work, wall installations of black and white photographs visualising a chronicle of our times, intriguing an enlightening, and huge slide projections also showing social and cultural documentation and important world happenings of over 40 decades.
His observations include milestones such as China shortly after the death of Mao; Moscow on the evening before Perestroijka; New York from Nixon to Obama.
Rare shots of Bhutan; South Korea at the beginning of the 1990's.
Klaus Mettig. Works 1976 - 2010 © Klaus Mettig 
Photograph RhineBuzz
Mettig lives in Düsseldorf.
An excellent catalogue accompanies the exhibition with text in both English and German.

Pierre Bonnard at the Von der Heydt-Museum Wuppertal



This gorgeous exhibition closes on January 30 - don't miss it!

The Von der Heydt-Museum in nearby Wuppertal is a beautiful, extraordinary museum.

Bonnard Colour Magician, the current exhibition, is a celebration of colour as few other. As you wander around the halls the use of all pigments and nuances abundantly painted by Pierre Bonnard (1867 - 1947) charm and delight in paintings from his early works influenced by his meeting with Toulouse - Lautrec to his later masterpieces created in the great Mediterranean light of Le Cannet on the Cote d'Azur.

Le débarcadére de Cannes 1928 - 1934 Pierre Bonnard
Not only are you treated to an extensive collection of paintings tracing the artist's entire working life but Dr Gerhard Finckh, curator of the show and director of the Van der Heydt-Museum has also produced a very informative and interesting film on Bonnard which you can also see at the exhibition. It is in German, but I had a friend with me at the press conference who doesn’t speak German and he definitely said that the pictures, both of the rich paintings and wonderful shots of Paris and other areas of France gave you an excellent impression of Bonnard's life.
This is a truly beautiful show, calm and gently cheering on cold winter days. It is accompanied by a gorgeous catalogue.
Take a trip to Wuppertal, it takes around 30 minutes on the train from Düsseldorf.

The museum is just a very short walk through the pedestrian zone from the main station.
Bonnard Colour Magician runs until 30 January 2011

Von der Heydt-Museum
Turmhof 8
42103 Wuppertal

Costume Sale at the Opera House





The costume department at the German Opera on the Rhine treasures some 44.000 deep beneath the Heinrich Heine Allee. 
In October the Opera House hosted its first costume sale for many years. It was a massive success with 150 people queueing to get in before the doors even opened!


Be sure to be there early to pick up fantastic bargains. This is an extraordinary opportunity to buy a rare gem not available anywhere else.


This is now to be repeated on Wednesday January 12 from 5 to 9pm.




Opera House Düsseldorf
Heinrich Heine Allee 16a
40202 Düsseldorf

Opera Gala for the German AIDS Foundation February 2011




December 1 is World AIDS Day
"Last year, nearly half a million babies were born with HIV. By 2015, 
that number could be zero."


The Gala will take place on 5 February 2011 at the Düsseldorf Opera House.


The first details of the second Düsseldorf Opera Gala for the German AIDS Foundation were announced at the end of 2010.

The first Düsseldorf Gala in February 2010 raised a much needed €150,000; all of this went to helping specific projects within the Foundation on both a local level here in Düsseldorf, such as sheltered accommodation for those living with HIV/AIDS, and for the exemplary DREAM project that, amongst other programmes, treats pregnant women with HIV in Mozambique to ensure that their babies have every hope of being born healthy. As I explained to visitors on the Mapplethorpe tour it costs just €650 to treat an expectant mother with HIV and provide her baby a staggering 98% chance of being born HIV free.
The Düsseldorf Gala on 5 February will include highlights from Wagner, Pucinni, Rossini and Verdi brought to you by a star-studded ensemble including Ketevan Kemoklide, Stuart Neill and Ildebrando D'Arcangelo.
Due to illness the line-up has now been changed, American tenor, Eric Cutler, soprano Takesha Meshé Kizar and baritone Artur Rucinski will now be taking the stage.
Please give something today. You can donate in Germany online here or if you would prefer to donate to an English language platform do take a look at the incredible SING project headed up Annie Lennox who recently won Barclays Woman of the Year for her work with HIV/AIDS.
Tickets available from just €49 for the Gala from the Opera Shop on Heinrich Heine Allee in the centre of town.

100th International Womens Day - ProExpat Support and More and RhineBuzz at the International Library


As part of the 100th International Women’s Day in March, the City of Düsseldorf is hosting a whole programme of events.
ProExpat Support & More and RhineBuzz, both founded by women with international backgrounds, will be presenting their relocation services to the international community on March 22 at the International Library from 12:00 until 16:00 in English, with a special emphasis on the spouses who are often neglected when an overseas contract comes into the home.
March 22 - Presentations at 13:00 and 15:00 
The International Library
Telephone: 0211 8368963
Entry is free, the library also has a children’s area
Come along and meet us!
Refreshments will be kindly provided by the Goethe Institute
ProExpat Support & More provide personalised relocation services bookable from half a day to a complete package.
RhineBuzz - what’s happening in and around Düsseldorf, offer events and trusted information based around arts and culture in the city. Come and discover the 'Best of Düsseldorf' with us!


For further information please contact:
Lantijn Zijlstra                                                                         
0178 716 0880                            


Caroline West
0163 204 2249
info@rhinebuzz.com                    

ISR Info Day January 22nd



Would you like to know more about the International School on the Rhine in Neuss?
January 22nd sees an information day from 1 until 4pm - you can take a look around the school and hear presentations at 1.30pm and 2.30pm. 
See what the happy families at ISR have to say.




" ... since October, universities are wanting to snatch up ISR graduates.  The first offer came in for a Grade 13 ISR student from the University of Glasgow in Scotland for Neuroscience. .............
 ..... perhaps where a Grade 12 student, ISR teachers and the SABIS® administration can abound with pride is with the offer from University of Cambridge!
All in all 12 universities, 14 offers, 6 students.  These numbers will only grow as offers from the United States start coming in and once students can apply for German universities in July.  Of the 12 universities, 2 are in the Times Higher's Top 200 Universities worldwide list, 3 are in the Top 100 and 2 are in the Top 10!!  Cambridge is ranked number 6 in the world.
Many congratulations to All!

Ballet on the Rhine b.o6

Bravo to Martin Schläpfer and his incredible dancers! The Opera House celebrated another huge triumph for this outstanding ensemble at the premiere of b.06 last night.
If you are thinking of joining us on December 18, stop thinking about it and simply reserve a ticket. You will have a fabulous evening!
When the curtain came up and the dancers took a bow after the piece 'Forellenquintett' the roar of the audience sent a shiver down my spine. What a privilege it must be to be a member of this company. No wonder Schläpfer is currently taking every prize in his reach. 
My complete review will be on the Opera House site soon.
***********
Martin Schläpfer is truly putting the Ballet on the Rhine on the map with his stunning performances. b.06 has received rave reviews from the Opera House in Duisburg, December 3 sees the premiere in Düsseldorf that I will be visiting as an Opera Scout.





Expect strong, emotional dancers, music from Schubert, the Libertines and John Adams.
And wellington boots.
The final RhineBuzz event of the year takes us to see the Ballet on the Rhine with the performance b.o6 on December 18 at 7.30pm.
Excellent seats in the stalls and third tier available at discounted rates. Email opera@rhinebuzz.com for details.


My review can be downloaded from the Opera House site here: "Erlebte Oper... Erlebter Tanz" - Impressionen unserer Scouts zu "b.06"

Adieu 2010

Saying Goodbye to 2010 will be a catharsis for me and I will look back at the year with very mixed emotions.
Carrying me along throughout the year were numerous moments of pure excellence in arts scene in the city of Düsseldorf,  much of which I've been most fortunate to experience much of this up close and personal.


My most memorable moments of 2010 have been:


©Gert Weigelt
1. Rhine Ballet "Signing Off"  by Paul Lightfoot and Sol León. Part of Martin Schläpfer's b.03
Simply beyond amazing. A piece of passion, ripping farewell and beauty to remain with me always.


©Andreas Dommenz



2. Simone Kermes at the robert schumann hall in museum kunst palast.
A personality and voice to admire, what a thrilling performance!  Cannot wait to see her again at the robert schumann hall in June 2011.


3. Now that's a hard one - there were sooo many moments that I'd put into this position:


KiKiFe, the Children's Film Festival, where we introduced the first International Children's Jury with ISR has left me with many wonderful memories. The students were such a delight, I am proud of the work they did and the magic we made.


Buika and The Mozart Requiem from altstadtherbst stick in mind as does the extraordinary encounter at the concert given by Aki Takase at the Approximation Festival. This was such a passionate, unique concert and one I would never normally have visited had it not been for RhineBuzz. A true discovery.
It was also a privilege to be able to talk about and admire the exquisite, porchelain-like portrait of Isabella Rosselini at the Mapplethorpe Retrospective at the NRW-Forum. Such a mesmerising woman we met at the NRW-Forum in 2009.


Thanks are often boring to those not involved, so I'll apologise here and now. This is a an absolute must though as without the people who interact with us, RhineBuzz would be just another networking group and we all experience that, thankfully much, much more.


So my heartfelt thanks go to Tanja Brill, Frau Jokel and Herr Schmiedel at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.
WoW! I'm in and out of The Opera House so often these days, now with three functions and I love each one equally. I knew when I took the first tour some 18 months ago, that I wanted to spend more time there and now, here we are!
The press conferences are quite different from those of the fine arts. Less formal, somehow warmer. I recently told a close friend, an opera singer, that everyone is just so very nice! He answered it could be because all the staff are out there night after night, live and spontaneous interacting with their audience. Front and back stage. It's a real calling to wish to work there and boy do you sense this! I really mean it. I've not encountered huge egos, I'm always greeted with a genuine, warm smile, and my often naive questions are greeted with such enthusiasm. 
The Opera for All events and Opera Scouts project are aimed at bringing new people to the Opera and I'm privileged to be such a part of this. My knowledge of the Opera was so limited when I received their first call in December 2008, and now I just cannot imagine RhineBuzz without this institution of such history, passion and longevity.


To Marina Schuster at museum kunst palast who welcomed me with the biggest smile and such a wonderful spark for all things new. Our Arts Sessions are just the BEST.  We all love them so and they have introduced a very different aspect of the arts to many RhineBuzzers. Sabrina, our lovely instructor, thank you. Our continued partnership with mkp is a treasure, the exhibition halls are monumental and the robert schumann hall offers a fabulous musical program, especially for young people; I look forward to working even closer with you all in 2011.


Also, very special thanks to:
Krista and Isabel at ISR
Steffi, Helma and Krista Konzok at the DMT
Kurt Helbig
Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk at the Glasmuseum Hentrich
Maria von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk who was very kind
Tina Adomako 
Daniel Fiene at Antenne Düsseldorf
Danielle and Rita at the NRW-Forum
Werner Lippert
Amina Johanssen and Barbara at KiKiFi
Colin Sinclair
Claudia Holthausen at altstadtherbst
Mike Woodiwiss
Bernd Ahrens
Andreas from Kwadrat
Mark and Dinesh from Meetup


To Nicola, Ann-Katrin, Eveline and John, my invaluable soundboards and all our admins on the facebook group
And to Feli, always Dear Feli, now loving it in San Francisco


Adversely to Diva_Girl. Thank you for bringing us John and Herbert. Such great, great guys!


Most of all to YOU, the RhineBuzz community. Each and every one of you who comes to our events, our readers and all of you who post and talk about RhineBuzz all over the place, spreading the word, helping others, especially the city newcomers, find a connection to us. 
You are such a diverse and enriching group of people. I'm so happy we have all found each other.
To my precious friends who help where they can, despite madly busy careers and often rigorous travel.


I'm very proud that RhineBuzz is not just about having a groovy time, as recent difficult situations have shown. When one of us needs help, we are all so willing to do what we can. A simple post brings in mountains of information. RhineBuzz is a trusted link to so many aspects in Düsseldorf, often when the formal connections are just too daunting to approach, or when family abroad are clueless as to how procedures work in Germany and need to fix things for their loved ones here. The community is quite simply brilliant. Thank you.


©Bernd Ahrens Photography


Happy New Year to you all, all over the world! 
To those who have been in Düsseldorf and are now elsewhere, 
we miss you and love hearing what you are up to now. 
To those who have yet to discover us and this wonderful city, welcome.
 And to those at home across the globe for the holidays, 
come back to us safely.
2011 will be simply brilliant! Roll on Eurovision!

To quote a recent, very special post, "RhineBuzz flows!"
 I just couldn't agree more. 
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