November 2001 - Nr. 11
New Yorker to Fund Berlin Philharmonic Youth Program
TWIG - American arts patron Alberto Vilar has announced plans to support the Berlin Philharmonic by funding a program to attract young people to classical music. The youth program is scheduled to begin next year, when Sir Simon Rattle begins his tenure as head conductor, says philharmonic director Franz Xaver Ohnesorg.
Vilar suggested his gift to Berlin would be comparable to his support for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., which is set to receive $50 million from him over the course of ten years. He also indicated his donations would be tied to the progress of the youth program. The project will involve introducing orchestral music to children and teenagers through school concerts and guest appearances, said Vilar. The Internet will also play a significant role in the program.
State Minister for Cultural Affairs Julian Nida-Ruemelin thanked Vilar for his support at a reception in Berlin Monday (October 22). "Mr. Vilar’s contributions outside his own country offer impressive evidence of the decisive role of the arts as a bridge that spans borders," said the culture minister. "It is an impressive sign of his love of culture and art."
Vilar, a Cuban exile who made his billion-dollar fortune through software investments, is New York’s leading music patron. He has also donated generously to the Wagner Festspiele in Bayreuth and the Salzburg and Baden-Baden music festivals, and sponsors a guest program for young American composers at the American Academy of Berlin.
