Behind the scenes
Get a behind-the-scenes look and meet the whole team.
stARTfestival
A Festival without Borders
Radically reinterpreted classics, outstanding world premieres, multimedia spectacles, young talents, and true world stars – in Leverkusen, Wuppertal, and at other venues around the Bayer locations, the stARTfestival has established itself since 2021 as a series of events that thinks about culture differently and makes it tangible to all senses.
"We aim to make extraordinary music and formats accessible that are rarely encountered in regular concert operations. Whether world stars or new talents: The artists who perform with us enjoy challenging themselves and trust their audience to do the same."
Welcome
In 2021, Bayer Arts and Culture launched the stARTfestival. Since then, it has complemented the evolving needs of audiences in Leverkusen, Wuppertal, and other rotating Bayer locations across Germany. The center of activity is the Erholungshaus in Leverkusen. The Scala Club, just a few kilometers away, and exceptional venues like the Altenberger Dom in Odenthal are also regularly featured as performance spaces. Audiences have already enjoyed the cultural program in visually and acoustically phenomenal venues such as the Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal, as well as in Berlin and Weimar.
Artists need creative Spaces to shine
The festival is also a creative platform for the young artists of the stARTacademy. Bayer Arts and Culture enables them to network with each other, as well as meet established stars. For their performances, they are repeatedly given the opportunity to embark on a creative process with the "Carte Blanche." In this way, exciting and unprecedented programs are created – and Bayer Arts and Culture makes an important contribution to a vibrant and diverse music landscape.
Eyes and Ears open – experience Music in a completely different Way
Bayer Arts and Culture invited guests to a Lounge Night: comfortably lying on the stage, the audience experienced the sounds of pianist Beatrice Berrut. Multitalented Marc Schwämmlein and the cross-creative artist collective Kopffarben have already presented imaginative family concerts with live-painted stage sets three times. The flexible seating arrangement of the Erholungshaus also allows for concert evenings in arena seating. The format enables an intense musical experience, where the audience encounters the artists up close and at eye level.
A Piece is great but rarely performed? Let’s hear it!
The program repeatedly crosses the boundaries between genres and holds surprises for curious culture enthusiasts. Whether it’s rarely heard works or often underestimated instruments: Bayer Arts and Culture loves to present them in a new light. Thus, the accordion becomes a magical box of tricks or the tuba a solo instrument, an entire concert evening surprises with Humperdinck’s rarely performed (and charming!) Wagner adaptations, or Frédéric Chopin’s work is given a modern electronic guise.
Stay informed
The program of the stARTfestival is published annually in Autumn. Send us an email with your contact details to be added to our postal and email distribution list.
© Key Visual: Carte blanche for Anthony Roth Costanzo, Hanne Engwald/Bayer Arts and Culture Photos: Bayer Arts and Culture (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir & Tõnu Kaljuste, Guido Sant’Anna & Plínio Fernandes, Kopffarben artist collective, Joshua Williams, HaydnCreationRehearsal)