The 2014 Beethovenfest in Bonn, Germany

Every year in the fall, Beethoven’s native city of Bonn celebrates the Beethovenfest, welcoming renowned international orchestras, esteemed ensembles, award-winning soloists and promising young talents. This year the festival takes place from September 6 to October 3, and Deutsche Post DHL is proud to once again serve as a main sponsor.

The theme of the 2014 Beethovenfest is "Divine Spark", a reference to the great composer’s “Ode To Joy". Sparks are sure to fly at the 60 events planned for this year’s festival season. On the program are Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the London Symphony Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting Gustav Mahler’s sixth symphony and Andris Nelsons presenting all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The sparkling program also encompasses all of Beethoven’s violin sonatas and piano concertos. Other highlights include performances by Germany’s oldest chamber music orchestra and the world’s northernmost orchestra - the Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra. To see the full program, visit the festival website.

Deutsche Post DHL is a long-time partner of the Beethovenfest. In addition to providing financial support to cultural life in the city where the company is based, the Group offers an excellent supporting program at its Post Tower headquarters. These free events are designed for Bonn residents who are interested in classical concerts and modern interpretations. More than 30,000 visitors have been reached through these events in the past.

This year the Post Tower Lounge will host a series of 20 concerts, ranging from classical music and chansons to a "Young Persons' Stage" and chamber music. The 2014 program also features concerts designed especially for children. Last year's first such event focused on Mozart's "Magic Flute" and was extremely popular among the young audience. In addition to the program in the Post Tower, the Group is supporting concerts by "Clear the Stage for Beethoven" that secondary school students from Bonn perform at central venues throughout the city.

"It is always a great feeling to enthusiastically support a cultural highlight in Bonn where around 8,000 of our employees live and work," says Christof Ehrhart, Director of Corporate Communications and Corporate Responsibility at Deutsche Post DHL. "With our support, we want to make sure the motto of the Beethovenfest, 'Divine Spark,' is felt by many guests."