(NEW YORK)—Carnegie Hall’s first major international festival—Berlin in Lights—a 17-day celebration of the extraordinary city that is Berlin today will run from November 2–18, 2007, with close to 50 events presented throughout all five boroughs of New York City, at Carnegie Hall, and partner venues.

Berlin in Lights offers a snapshot of Germany’s vibrant capital city through classical, cabaret, world, and techno music concerts as well as film, architecture, literature, and photography events. The festival centers on an eight-day residency by Berlin’s greatest cultural ambassador, the Berliner Philharmoniker and its music director Sir Simon Rattle, with residency activities to include orchestra and chamber music concerts. It also includes complementary performances by the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, led by Gustavo Dudamel in his New York conducting debut. Berlin in Lights culminates on November 17 and 18 with approximately 120 New York City public school students taking to the stage with Sir Simon and the Berliner Philharmoniker for exciting dance performances of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and the premiere performances by 80 additional New York City public high school students of an original student composition, Songs: Ritual Rhythms, at The United Palace Theater in Upper Manhattan.

“With Berlin in Lights, we draw together the full range of Carnegie Hall’s world-renowned artistic and educational resources, inviting audiences to experience a unique two-and-a-half-week cultural journey,” said Executive and Artistic Director Clive Gillinson. “With great music making at its center, the festival examines a fascinating city reborn with the reunification of Germany, one that has reinvented itself in our lifetime and largely reshaped its identity through culture.”

The scope of Berlin in Lights is made possible through collaborations with a broad range of cultural partners including The American Academy in Berlin, the Center for Architecture, the German Consulate General in New York, Goethe-Institut New York, the Guggenheim Museum, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Neue Galerie New York, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Thirteen/WNET New York, WNYC—New York Public Radio, and the World Music Institute. “We’re especially grateful for the creative programming by our Berlin in Lights partners,” said Mr. Gillinson. “With their participation and enthusiasm, we are able to broaden our reach and bring a rich context to our festival theme.”

Berlin in Lights Programming:

The concept for Berlin in Lights grew out of Carnegie Hall’s plans to present an eight-day residency by Sir Simon Rattle and the world-renowned Berliner Philharmoniker. This residency, scheduled for November 10 through 18, will include three Berliner Philharmoniker concerts in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage featuring Mahler’s last three works coupled with contemporary music, four chamber music concerts in Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall with ensembles drawn from the ranks of the orchestra, and free chamber performances by Berliner Philharmoniker musicians in communities throughout the city. Complementing the orchestra’s performances will be two concerts by the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, led by Gustavo Dudamel in his New York conducting debut, and Sir Simon Rattle, on November 11 and 12. The young Venezuelan musicians have long enjoyed a mentoring relationship with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Sir Simon will share podium duties with Mr. Dudamel on November 12.

In the nine days leading up to the orchestra’s residency, a wide range of Berlin in Lights concerts, exhibitions, panel discussions, and film screenings will be presented on all three stages of Carnegie Hall and at partner venues throughout New York City, providing an illuminating exploration of Berlin’s cultural scene.

The festival kicks off on November 2 with music by retro-superstar Max Raabe and his Palast Orchester in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a cabaret performance by German chanteuse Ute Lemper at Neue Galerie, and a late-night dance party with music spun by Berlin-based DJs at the Guggenheim Museum. Other festival offerings at Carnegie Hall include: two screenings of the classic silent film Berlin: Symphony of a City with live musical accompaniment; a mini-marathon showcasing Berlin performance art and avant-garde music with KNM Berlin; music of Weimar Berlin with HK Gruber; multicultural electronica with Berlin-based Nomad Soundsystem; and a concert by the Nevzat Akpinar Ensemble, reflecting Berlin’s significant Turkish and Kurdish communities, programmed in partnership with the World Music Institute. Carnegie Hall also hosts a series of panel discussions, including four events curated by The American Academy in Berlin, that focus on Berlin film, visual arts, literature, and politics featuring such well-known participants as Henry A. Kissinger, Tacita Dean, Jeffrey Eugenides, and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck among others. In addition, there will be a panel discussion on architecture in Berlin, moderated by Barry Bergdoll, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA.

Events taking place at partner venues include Berlin / New York Dialogues, an exhibition focusing on the current architectural transformations of Berlin and New York at the Center for Architecture, including special symposia on November 10 and a special family day on November 11; a November 5 panel discussion with architect Daniel Libeskind and an ongoing exhibition of the work of contemporary photographer Roland Horn at the German Consulate; an exhibition exploring the epic film Berlin Alexanderplatz at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center; eight nights of Berlin-focused cabaret at Neue Galerie; and a week long film festival starring contemporary Berlin at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Berlin in Lights’ grand finale marks the completion of a transformational education project presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Zukunft@BPhil, the Berliner Philharmoniker education program. The Rite of Spring Project, which includes The Dance Project and Songs: Ritual Rhythms, will engage 200 New York City public school students in a two-month exploration of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring through movement and the creation of a new musical composition. Starting in September, approximately 120 students will begin eight weeks of work with a team of choreographers in preparation for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—the chance to dance The Rite of Spring at two exciting performances with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker at The United Palace Theater in Upper Manhattan. In a parallel program, 80 high school students will work with the Berliner’s education staff and musicians in the development of an original composition, using conceptual themes and musical elements from Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring to create an entirely new piece. Premiere performances of this new work, entitled Songs: Ritual Rhythms, will open The United Palace Theater programs, scheduled for November 17 and 18.

Media participation will extend the reach of the Berlin in Lights festival beyond Carnegie Hall and its partners’ venues. Thirteen/WNET will partner with Carnegie Hall to create national and local television programming that showcases the Berliner Philharmoniker’s wide range of activities in New York as well as other festival events. WNYC, New York Public Radio (93.9 FM and wnyc.org ), will partner with Carnegie Hall to develop special programming including live broadcasts and interviews, radio specials, cultural reporting, and a robust website featuring original content.