Berlin and Glasgow find harmony with Orchestra Project
When it was announced that Berlin and Glasgow would co-host the 2018 European Championships, the two cities immediately set about to ensure that visitors to the multi-sport event would also get a proper taste of their cultural heritages as well.
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Case in point: the Berlin/Glasgow Orchestra Project, which marked the halfway point of the Championships in style last night with free concerts occurring simultaneously at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin and George Square in Glasgow.
The concerts began at 7.00pm Berlin time, 6.00pm in Glasgow. They featured the Brandenburger Symphoniker in Berlin under the musical direction of Errico Fresis (Berlin University of the Arts), and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland in Glasgow under the musical direction of Paul Daniel (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). The concerts were linked to each other by livestream.
Aleksander Dzembritzki, Secretary of State for Sport at the Berlin Senate Department, had high praise for the collaboration between Berlin and Glasgow and between the sport and cultural activities: “There has never been anything like this: about 4,500 top athletes, 50 nations, 7 of the most important sports in Europe, 2 cities, an extraordinary cultural program - a multi-sport event combined with a party in the heart of our city.”
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is located at the Breitscheidplatz in the City-West area of the German capital. The Breitscheidplatz is also part of the European Mile that will host the medal ceremonies during the Championships in addition to daily entertainment inside the Generali Arena.
The European Mile also features an innovative cultural project “Mix the City,” which offers fans the opportunity to mix their own beats to a live event. The global project brings together local sounds from Glasgow and Berlin online. The music made by different artists can be combined, enriched with pictures of the cities, and then sent as a video to the world to reach even beyond the borders of the European Championships.
