Art that inspires: more than 8,000 guests attended the stARTfestival 2025

Leverkusen, July 4, 2025 – Bayer Arts and Culture's stARTfestival captivated audiences with a diverse program of music, dance, and theater. From April to June, a total of 25 events took place in Leverkusen, Monheim, Wuppertal, Dormagen, Darmstadt, and Weimar, ten of which were sold out. The festival set new standards in art mediation, providing space for artists and audiences alike to explore and experience.

"The stARTfestival is a place of encounter where tradition and innovation go hand in hand – art that touches and transcends genres and boundaries," Christoph Böhmke, Director of stARTfestival.

Focus on Diversity, Attitude, and Innovation

Bayer Arts and Culture presented an impressive range of formats and genres. Highlights in Leverkusen included a sold-out evening with Iris Berben, who read texts by Sasha Marianna Salzmann, as well as the "Graphic Opera" by Grigori Frid, a production of the Hamburg State Opera that innovatively told the story of Anne Frank. The stARTacademy newcomers Guido Sant’Anna (violin) and Joshua Williams (tuba) performed with renowned ensembles as part of their Bayer Arts and Culture sponsorship, showcasing the impressive acoustics of the Historic City Hall in Wuppertal. The early sold-out evening in honor of composer Arvo Pärt with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Concerto Copenhagen under the direction of Tõnu Kaljuste left lasting impressions on the Dormagen audience. In Leverkusen, Silvia Gribaudi, the "prophet of the liberated body," questioned beauty in dance through her choreography and confronted the audience with their own notions of satisfaction. In Weimar, Giorgi Gigashvili and Kato Kvaratskhelia delighted audiences with their program "The Human Voice," which combined Georgian folk and jazz elements. The younger audience was not neglected, with the now traditional family concert and several sold-out offerings for children and teenagers. With partner institutions such as the Leverkusen Jazz Days, the Knechtsteden Early Music Festival, the World Jewish Congress, and the Weimar Classical Foundation, Bayer Culture once again secured high-caliber partners and supporters this year. WDR recorded the concerts featuring Dafné Kritaras and the poetic journey into the world of Maurice Ravel with Christiane Karg and Dominique Horwitz.

Outlook for the stARTfestival 2026

Bayer Arts and Culture is planning a diverse and exciting program for the coming year. A special highlight will be a concert at the Weimar National Theater. Additionally, Bayer Culture, together with partner institutions such as Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall, is commissioning a new work by Gabriela Lena Frank and premiering an adaptation of Brahms' A German Requiem by Kebra-Seyoun Charles at Altenberg Cathedral. The complete program for 2026 will be available at the end of October.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health and nutrition. True to its mission "Health for all, Hunger for none," the company aims to benefit people and the environment with its products and services – contributing to solving fundamental challenges posed by a continuously growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to making a significant contribution to sustainable development through its business operations. At the same time, the company aims to increase its profitability and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands worldwide for trust, reliability, and quality. In the 2024 fiscal year, the company, with around 93,000 employees, achieved sales of 46.6 billion euros. Research and development expenses amounted to 6.2 billion euros. Further information can be found online at www.bayer.com/en.

Forward-Looking Statements

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