Following proposed budget cuts on Sept. 19, 2024, due to a budget emergency of the State of Berlin and the necessary and drastic savings requirements in 2025 and 2026, including for the cultural budget, numerous cultural figures in Berlin have released statements appealing to the senate. Joana Mallwitz, chief conductor and artistic director of the Konzerthausorchester said, “We should all realise by now that we need to strengthen the core of our society and its cohesion, and that we need to give our cultural identity a positive image.
So our aim must be to make it even easier to have access to music and culture. The damage that would be caused by cuts to the cultural budget would be immense and would not only severely affect us as a cultural organisation, but also jeopardise the cohesion of our society as a whole.” Berlin Philharmonic Cheif Conductor Kirill Petrenko added, “If we want to maintain Berlin’s extremely important cultural diversity and continue to attract the best in their field from all disciplines, we must not tamper with the financial foundations of our institutiuons, let alone call their very existence into question.
” The Berlin State Opera’s Music Director Christian Thielemann noted, “Berlin’s classical music scene is unrivalled, and has a worldwide reputation. In addition to concerts in the city, we all contribute to making Berlin synonymous with cultural excellence through our tours and media broadcasts. Do the politicians really want to all.