Coalition factions back festival director

The coalition factions in the Brandenburg state parliament have backed the Lausitz Festival and its director Daniel Kühnel. A motion by the Left Party parliamentary group to restart the transnational multi-genre festival and retender the artistic director was rejected by a majority on Thursday.

This was due to accusations by regional artists that they were not involved in the festival's program development. Another point of criticism is the lack of transparency in appointing the director of the festival, which has existed since 2020. There was no call for tenders. Daniel Kühnel was given a five-year contract without the festival's advisory board being consulted.

When asked about this on Thursday, advisory board chair Kathrin Winkler said that the advisory board had been kept informed at its meetings and was also in contact with the director and the Lausitz Festival team beyond the meetings. "At no point were there any objections to the appointment of the artistic director. On the contrary, Daniel Kühnel's concept was approved unanimously," explained Winkler, who is also Managing Director of the Lusatian Lakeland Tourism Association.

Artistic advisory board does not decide on the artistic director

Brandenburg's Minister of Culture Manja Schüle (SPD) pointed out in the state parliament that the artistic advisory board was created to give regional players a voice. She made it clear that it should provide support in terms of content, but that the decision on the artistic directorship is made by the supervisory board.

The Left Party parliamentary group in Brandenburg had criticized that the artistic directorate was primarily working towards organising high culture for a small circle of interested parties - instead of representing the region and its creative artists in their entirety.

Minister: Lusatia Festival must create even more trust

The Lusatia Festival should invite the world to Lusatia, make it known and strengthen regional identities, explained the Minister of Culture. There would be no compromise on the quality of the festival. Director Kühnel had been able to bring great artists to the region with his network.

At 80 percent capacity last year, Schüle believes that even more can be done to reach people with the festival. According to Schüle, it is plausible that a young festival must first develop and build trust, even after the pandemic years. She would like to see artistic directors treated with respect and partnership as equals.

This year, the fifth Lausitz Festival's program includes a concert by the WDR Big Band at the Kulturweberei in Finsterwalde. The Grammy-winning Latvian Radio Choir will perform in the Görlitz parish church of St. Peter and Paul. The multi-award-winning French-Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin will play at the New Castle in Bad Muskau.

The festival takes place from August 24 to September 14 in Brandenburg, Saxony and the Polish border region. The federal government provides around four million euros annually with the aim of developing the festival into a leading cultural brand.