Music festival crescendo2025: A celebration of sounds and talent in Berlin!

Music festival crescendo2025: A celebration of sounds and talent in Berlin!

The Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin) invites you to its music festival crescendo2025 from May 23rd to June 6th, 2025. Under the motto “InnerSaiten” a variety of more than 20 concerts and events are offered that deal with the musical diversity and the historical heritage of the university. The artistic direction is taken over by the renowned professors Markus Groh on the piano and Konstantin Heidrich on the cello.

At the start of the festival, Giovanni Antonini leads the UdK Berlin Symphony Orchestra with a concert that includes works by Beethoven, Haydn and Hensel. The festival's special programs are diverse and include themes such as “Maison Ravel” and “Forgotten Heroines”. The latter is dedicated to the compositions of Lili Boulanger and Mélanie Bonis and highlights their importance in music history.

Special programs and international collaborations

Another highlight of the festival is the “Fantasy Evening”, which presents works by Clara and Robert Schumann as well as Franz Schubert. As part of the festival there will also be a public master class with guitarist Marco Tamayo. The program is rounded off with a final concert that focuses on the history of the UdK Berlin.

The UdK Berlin maintains international relations and will also work with the University of Oxford for the festival to perform works by Julia Kerr and Wilhelm Grosz. The participants include students and teachers from the UdK as well as the JIB Large Ensemble and young students from the Julius Stern Institute.

A particular focus is on supporting children through a children's program called “Sing with us!”. Girls' and boys' choirs as well as participatory concerts for primary school classes are offered in order to awaken enthusiasm for music at an early stage.

Admission and program availability

Admission to the events is free. Visitors can reserve admission tickets. The full program of the festival is available online on the UdK Berlin website: www.udk-berlin.de/crescendo.

The crescendo2025 is not only a musical festival, but also part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the UdK Berlin. This will celebrate its founding in 2025 from the merger of the State University of Fine Arts and the State University of Music and Performing Arts in 1975. In February of this year, the university started its anniversary year with the event “An Experimental Ecology”, at which artistic experiments and interdisciplinary projects were presented. These initiatives demonstrate the UdK's commitment to promoting creativity and interdisciplinary exchange within the artistic community in Berlin.

The university now has around 4,000 students, a third of whom are international. It offers over 70 degree programs in all artistic disciplines. In view of the current challenges caused by cuts in the cultural budget, the UdK Berlin still sees itself as an important cultural center: over 700 events every year make it clear how much it contributes to Berlin's cultural landscape.

Prof. Dr. Markus Hilgert, who has been President of the UdK since April 1, 2025, emphasizes the importance of the celebrations: "The anniversary offers the opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our disciplines and show how important artistic education is in today's society." [udk-berlin.de] reports on the significance of this event in a broader context of the UdK's cultural commitment. The crescendo2025 festival represents a significant highlight in the university's anniversary year and promises an exciting connection between tradition and innovation in music.