The Wilo-Foundation and its patron Dr.-Ing. h.c. Jochen Opländer are committed to supporting the Konzerthaus Dortmund, which was initiated by Dortmund's business community over 20 years ago, as a partner foundation, thus enabling outstanding musical events at the highest level. The family foundation has now extended its commitment for a further three seasons.

"The Wilo-Foundation is continuing its strong cultural sponsorship in Dortmund and is continuing to focus clearly on the themes of world class and international understanding as well as innovation and talent promotion," explains Evi Hoch (Chairwoman of the Wilo-Foundation). In addition to sponsoring international world-class concerts by orchestras as part of the orchestra cycle, including the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the "Exclusive Artists" section will support performances by Israeli pianist and conductor Lahav Shani in the 2025/26 season. Lahav Shani, who is just 35 years old, has been Chief Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra since 2019 and is also currently conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He is set to become Chief Conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra from 2026.

In addition, the funding for the innovative "Neuland" series presents sensual concert formats with experimental musicians and ensembles that correspond to the atmosphere and character of the respective programme. The foundation also continues to support the "Community Music" education programme at the Konzerthaus Dortmund. The format is aimed at anyone interested in music - regardless of previous musical knowledge or stage experience. The programme focuses on making music together, learning and sharing experiences.

Background:

For the first eight years, the Wilo-Foundation sponsored the concert opera series, which had a profile-building effect for the Konzerthaus and brought stars such as Cecilia Bartoli to Dortmund. At the start of the 2019/2020 season, the Wilo-Foundation became the main sponsor of the newly introduced orchestra residency format with the world-famous London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). The outstanding orchestra will be closely associated with the Dortmund Konzerthaus for three years and present its musical brilliance under the direction of world-class conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and François-Xavier Roth. In order to extend the promotion of excellence to other international orchestras, the Wilo-Foundation also supported the concert series "International Orchestras II - Master Concerts" from the 2020/21 season.