An ambassador for the Beethoven-Haus Bonn

In the summer of 2019, the members of the Beethoven-Haus association elected violinist Daniel Hope as their new president. He is now officially taking over the presidency from violist Tabea Zimmermann. Following his My Beethoven concert weekend, which he created particularly for the Beethoven-Haus on the occasion of the Beethoven anniversary year, Daniel Hope presented his plans for the Beethoven-Haus. "Beethoven inspires me hugely," says Hope, "and I feel very honoured to represent an institution that preserves his heritage with great expertise and in many different ways."

The new president has identified several opportunities for engagement: The Beethoven Week, i.e. the annual chamber music festival of the Beethoven-Haus, will be continued, but in a new fashion. "Joseph Joachim, the association's first honorary president, is my personal idol," explains Hope. "He was the one who once founded the chamber music festivals of the Beethoven-Haus society that were met with so much interest from abroad because they were the first of their kind. It is my ambition to revive the memory of Joachim in the public's mind."

As such, the festival is to be continued in 2021 already under the artistic direction of Daniel Hope. From then on, the Beethoven Week is planned to be held each year in May because this is the month the chamber music festivals of the Beethoven-Haus used to take place in. In terms of contents and themes Hope also wants to follow Joachim's concepts. The detailed programme of the Beethoven Week 2021 will be presented at the end of April in relation to the entire event programme of the Beethoven-Haus planned for 2020/21.

Another point of emphasis is the introduction of a "guest artist" who will be invited several times during a concert season for various projects.

Daniel Hope furthermore wants to strengthen the reputation of the Beethoven-Haus and increase its influence. "I see myself as an international ambassador of the Beethoven-Haus," says Hope. In this role and as a musician performing all over the world, he intends to raise awareness for the activities of the Beethoven-Haus and to win additional ambassadors, patrons and artists for the institution.

Apart from that, he hopes to approach new target groups by, for example, publications written for the general public. "I am really delighted that the new revised Beethoven biography by Jan Caeyers that was created in close cooperation with the Beethoven-Haus is published at the onset of my presidency." Daniel Hope wrote the preface for this book.

"We are extraordinarily pleased," says Malte Boecker, Director of the Beethoven-Haus, "to have Daniel Hope as our new president and with him someone with such a winning character and the ability to unite people."

For the beginning of Hope's presidency Ulrike Bohm, Head of Division at the German Ministry of Finance, gave the new president a special gift from the German Ministry of Finance: The recently minted official 20-Euro Beethoven anniversary year silver coin of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The coin is available in many banks and in many branches of Deutsche Bundesbank. Further information are provided on www.muenze-deutschland.de/muenzen-2020/beethoven.

About the Beethoven-Haus Bonn The Beethoven-Haus Bonn association, founded in 1889, is the worldwide leading Beethoven centre. It strives to preserve Beethoven's life, work and heritage. The Beethoven-Haus Bonn includes the world's most important Beethoven collection, the museum at Beethoven's birth place attracting over 100,000 visitors per year, a scientific research department dedicated to music with its own library and a publishing house as well as the Hermann J. Abs chamber music hall. Thanks to the engagement and support of 800 friends, patrons and members from more than 20 countries as well as the German government, the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Rhineland Regional Council and the city of Bonn, the association carries out various cultural tasks and initiatives of national and international importance. Since 2020 Daniel Hope, the renowned violinist, has been serving as President. In 2016 the non-profit institution Beethoven Jubiläums Gesellschaft was founded under the umbrella of the Beethoven-Haus Foundation to coordinate and promote Beethoven's 250th anniversary in 2020. 

Contact:
Ursula Timmer-Fontani
Head of Communications
Beethoven-Haus Bonn
timmer-fontani@beethoven.de
Tel. +49 228 98175-16