In 2010, the Circle of Ruhr Initiatives (Initiativkreis Ruhr) decided to restructure the Ruhr Piano Festival under the auspices of a Foundation – a bold, innovative step which also foresaw a gradual reduction of the Initiativkreis’s own annual contribution as main Festival sponsor. At that point I had to muster a great deal of courage to remain confident in the face of such a formidable financial challenge. On the one hand, I had to succeed in stabilizing or even increasing the level of corporate sponsoring. In recent years I also implemented a series of successful fundraising measures by contacting a number of generous philanthropists. Indeed, for our new Jubilee Circle we have enlisted the support of more than 200 enthusiastic donors, whom I had the honor to invite to a special recital given on 17 November 2019 by the great pianist Olli Mustonen on the occasion of our Second Jubilee Circle Gala in Gartrop Castle. We already had the pleasure of hearing the renowned piano duo Yaara Tal & Andreas Groethuysen at an exclusive gala recital on 18 November 2018.
On the occasion of the Ruhr Piano Festival’s 30th birthday we launched our new Jubilee Circle initiative. It was officially inaugurated in our Second Foundation Concert on 9 March 2018 in Wuppertal’s Historische Stadhalle, in the company of eighteen artists who have been close friends of the Festival for many years. The previous campaign was the Silver Circle, launched in 2013 under the patronage of Traudl Herrhausen to commemorate the Ruhr Piano Festival’s 25th anniversary. A total of 290 donors responded to her invitation with contributions that helped to reinforce the Ruhr Piano Festival Foundation’s financial stability.
To thank our donors for their multiple signs of support, we invited them to exclusive Silver Circle galas: in 2017 with Khatia Buniatishvili, and in 2016 with Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lynn Harrell, and Yefim Bronfman.
The exclusive Silver Circle gala concerts in 2015, 2014 and 2013 were generously given by Sir András Schiff, Benjamin Moser, and the piano duo Ya-Fei Chuang & Robert Levin, respectively. Alfred Brendel and Pierre-Laurent Aimard concertized in 2012 at the Villa Hügel (Essen) to celebrate the success of our founding donor fundraising campaign, which had secured the participation of over 250 members. All of these outstanding musicians appeared free of charge, thereby making a generous gift of their time and their artistry in a spirit of pure friendship.
I would count it as an honor if I could also invite you, dear reader and music lover, to form part of our Jubilee Circle, to be able to include your name on our Jubilee Circle plaque of donors, and to invite you to our next Jubilee gala concert.
Everyone on my team is looking forward to welcoming you as a new member. Please feel free to write us an e-mail addressed to jubileecircle@klavierfestival.de
Franz Xaver Ohnesorg
Martha Argerich, Brussels
Juliane Banse, Munich
Michael Barenboim, Berlin
Elena Bashkirova, Berlin
Dr. Burckhard and Sigrid Bergmann, Hattingen
Andrea Bernotat, Essen
Adrian Brendel, London
Alfred Brendel, London
Till Brönner, Berlin
Khatia Buniatishvili, Paris
Michel Camilo, Bedford, NY
Frank Chastenier, Cologne
Dennis Russell Davies and Maki Namekawa, Linz
Peter and Dr. Susanne Henle, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Dr. Heinrich and Ingrid Hiesinger, Essen
Dieter Ilg, Freiburg
Marianne Kaimer, Essen
Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter and Helga Keitel, Essen
Prof. Dr. Jürgen and Gabriele Kluge, Düsseldorf
Prof. Dr. Ulrich and Johanna Lehner, Düsseldorf
Helene Mahnert-Lueg, Essen
Dr. Clemens and Claudia Miller, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Joseph Moog, Saarbrücken
Olli Mustonen, Helsinki
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Munich
Gerhard Oppitz, Munich
Thomas Quasthoff, Berlin
Ursula Reimann, Krefeld
Dr. Rolf Martin and Brigitte Schmitz, Mönchengladbach
Yaara Tal and Andreas Groethuysen, Munich
Dr. Tilman Thomas, Essen
Sergio Tiempo, Brussels
Bernd Tönjes and Ulrike Flott-Tönjes †, Marl
Prof. Günther and Christine Uecker, Düsseldorf
Dr. Hans-Georg and Gabriele Vater, Essen
Ursula and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter H. Vogel-Stiftung, Essen
Axel and Jutta Vollmann, Sprockhövel
Jörg and Christa Zähres, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Dr. Leonhard Birnbaum and Bärbel Wermerßen-Birnbaum, Meerbusch
Dr. Christoph and Susanne Chylarecki, Moers
Gerrit and Johanna Collin, Düsseldorf
Horst and Silke Collin, Düsseldorf
Duisburger Hafen AG, Duisburg
Dr. Hans-Toni Junius, Hagen
Guido and Cornelia Kerkhoff, Essen
Prof. Dr. Thomas A. Lange, Essen
Dr.-Ing. Herbert and Irmgard Lütkestratkötter, Essen
Dres. Oliver and Ophelia Nick, Wülfrath
Dres. Henner Puppel and Karin Berninger-Weber †, Mühlhausen
Dr. Alexander and Gudrun von Tippelskirch, Meerbusch
Dr. Hans-Joachim and Erika Vits, Wuppertal
Klaus von Werneburg †, Hagen
Wernert-Pumpen GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Axel Witte and Doris zur Mühlen, Essen
Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Franz-Josef Wodopia and Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, Herne
Dres. Markus and Monika Beukenberg, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Dr. Thomas Bscher and Inga Fiolia-Bscher, Cologne
Walter H. and Ute Hagemeier, Munich
Frank and Elisabeth Lenz, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Dr. Winfried and Helga Materna, Dortmund
Dipl.-Ing. Bruno and Bärbel Mayer, Bochum
Eberhard Robke and Waltraud Robke-van Gerfsheim, Wuppertal
Bettina Robke-Bergmann and Frank Bergmann, Wuppertal
Christa Thoben, Bochum
Alexandra and Viktoria Vollmann, Gevelsberg
Dr. Clemens and Gerhild Börsig, Frankfurt
Dr. Markus and Claudia Guthoff, Krefeld
Dr. Max-Peter and Marion Hirmer, München
Prof. Dr. Michael and Beate Hoffmann-Becking, Munich
Dr. Klaus and Eva Maria Lesker, Bottrop
Dr. Armin Lünterbusch and Lydia Lünterbusch-Mann, Düsseldorf
MC-Bauchemie Müller GmbH & Co. KG, Essen
NATIONAL-BANK Stiftung, Essen
Dres. Jens and Jutta Odewald, Refrath
Dr. Almut Pflüger and Gottfried Haubenberger, Munich
Otto and Kath Sollböhmer, Essen
Dr. Elke van Arnheim, Düsseldorf
Susan Weiss, Düsseldorf
Dr. Alexander Andres and Dr. Markus Klotz, Bochum
Hans-Jürgen Best and Margarete Meyer, Essen
Detlef and Gabriele Bierbaum, Cologne
Dr. Dr. Bernd and Dr. Christel Bringewald, Recklinghausen
Prof. Dr. Thomas † and Ute Budde, Essen
Dr. Klaus and Sabine Engel, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Dr. Hans Michael and Monika Gaul, Düsseldorf
Hanno and Friederike Haniel, Cologne
Traudl Herrhausen, Bad Homburg
Ulrich Hocker and Christel Kaufmann-Hocker, Düsseldorf
Dr. Edgar and Ingrid Jannott, Kaarst
Peter † and Uta Jochums, Essen
Dr. Stephan and Claudia Kinnemann, Bonn
Dr. Karl-Ulrich and Gabriele Köhler, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Dipl.-Ing. Kaspar and Sybil Kraemer, Cologne
Georg and Henrike † Kulenkampff, Düsseldorf
Dr. Helmut and Cathrin Linssen, Issum
Jörn-Erik and Sigrid Mantz, Essen
Hermann and Michaela Marth, Essen
Dr. Matthias and Barbara Mitscherlich, Horw
Dr. Jörg and Vivica Mittelsten Scheid, Wuppertal
Prof. Eberhard Schmitt and Marianne Weiß-Schmitt, Bochum
Family Tobias Schulz-Isenbeck, Erkrath
Dr. Norbert and Eske Verweyen, Essen
Dr. Klaus and Heinke von Menges, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Dr. Wulff O. Aengevelt, Düsseldorf
Arne and Annette Allée, Dinslaken
Dres. Klaus and Diana Altfeld, Bochum
Dr. Hans Christoph and Christiane Atzpodien, Ratingen
Prof. Dr. Michael Betzler, Essen
Dr. Rolf and Sylvia Bierhoff, Essen
Dr. Jens-Jürgen Böckel and Birthe Böckel-Stödter, Düsseldorf
Dr. Ludger and Dagmar Dohm, Essen
Dirk and Maria-Gabriele Grolman, Düsseldorf
Dirk and Dr. Susanne Grünewald, Bottrop
Dorothee Hartmann-Hanstein, Cologne
Dr. Dr. Herbert and Annette Höfeler, Essen
ifm group, Essen
Dr. Bernhard Kasperek and Evelyne Bezela, Herten
Prof. Dr. Joachim Klosterkötter and Dr. Ursula Hartmann-Klosterkötter, Cologne
Lars and Manuela Nickel, Essen
Jochen and Renate Opländer, Dortmund
Ingrid Peipers, Essen
Prof. Dr. Dr. Werner and Maria Peitsch, Essen
Robert and Irmgard Rademacher, Cologne
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter and Hildegund Rißler, Essen
Angela Titzrath, Hamburg
Dres. Manfred and Nicola von der Ohe, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Rolf and Michaela Weidmann, Essen
Wilhelm and Gabriele Weischer, Münster
Dres. Jürgen and Annelott Zech, Cologne
Dipl.-Ing. Roland and Margitta Agne, Cologne
Dres. Alf-Henrik and Ellen Bischke, Essen
Dr. Ulrich and Marie Luise Blank, Essen
Dr. Arnim and Ulrike Brux, Schwelm
Hans and Sabine Buchholz, Köln
Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. Peter H. Coenen and Mareike Mondrowski, Hünxe
Andreas Decker and Maria Fischer, Düsseldorf
Götz and Dr. Eva Erhardt, Essen
Christa Frommknecht, Dortmund
Philipp and Susanne Gesche, Ratingen
Prof. Henrik and Mariana Hanstein, Cologne
Prof. Dr. Engelbert und Monika Heitkamp, Essen
Thomas Hüser and Constanze Nehring, Essen
Sven Jezoreck and Kathrin Thaldorf, Wuppertal
Klaus Walter and Susanne Knittel, Wuppertal
Constanze Krieger, Düsseldorf
Prof. Dr. Norbert and Gertrud Lammert, Bochum
Prof. Franz Xaver and Franziska Ohnesorg, Cologne
Michael and Jutta Reuther, Luxembourg
Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. Georg F. † and Kwang-Cha Rump, Olsberg
Dr. Jürgen and Jutta Rupp, Dinslaken
Dr. Andreas and Sonja Sander, Essen
Georg and Petra Schachner, Bochum-Wattenscheid
Profes. Dres. Axel Schölmerich and Birgit Leyendecker, Bochum
Karl-Wilhelm und Silke Schröder, Bochum
Anonymous
Rosemarie Baumeister †, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Dr. Rainer and Anke Erhard, Wuppertal
Philippa Gerling, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Intratone GmbH, Düsseldorf
Dres. Ulrich and Susanne Irriger, Essen
Dr. Manfred Schneider and Erica Lehne, Cologne
Dr. Manfred and Ute Scholle, Dortmund
Ralf and Dr. Stefanie Schütte, Essen
Peter Trapp and Nathalie Soulier, Essen
Dres. Ulrich and Lioba Unger, Essen
Anonymous
August 2023
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