The meetMUSIC Open Air is a small, lovingly designed festival that focuses on excellent young musicians from numerous nations. After a brilliant start last year, the second edition will take place from 19-21 August 2022 in the park of Draiflessen in Mettingen, Germany.

To the great delight of Draiflessen Conference, the sisters Anouchka and Katharina Hack have taken over the artistic direction of the festival again after 2021. Together with the artistic directors, the event team has put together an inspiring, varied programme that will enchant music connoisseurs and interested people of all ages alike.

A special feature is the promotion of very young musical talent: this year, for the second time, the promotional prize for first-place winners in the national "Jugend musiziert" competition will be awarded in two categories in age group V (born 2004, 2005): Accordion and Vocal (Pop). In addition to prize money, the winners receive the opportunity to perform on our stage and present themselves to the audience alongside established musicians.

The well-known and experienced presenter Juri Tetzlaff will lead through the programme on all days. He is well-known as the founding presenter of children's television KiKa. Since 2001, he has been designing classical concerts for the whole family and, with over 100 concerts a year, is one of the most sought-after classical music mediators in Germany. His adaptations of Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, Hansel and Gretel and The Firebird have appeared on CD. In 2014 he was awarded the Echo "Classical Music for Children". Regular engagements take him to the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Essen Philharmonic Orchestra, Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra, Mannheim National Theatre and many other orchestras and theatres in Germany. He has conceived and presented concerts with the Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin (RSB), the MDR Sinfonie-orchester, the SWR Sinfonieorchester, the hr-Sinfonieorchester, the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, the WDR Funkhausorchester and the Berliner Philharmoniker.

The Open Air starts on Friday, 19 August 2022, with a culinary soirée created by Mairéad Hickey & Agnès Clément (violin & harp). The beautiful programme will be accompanied by Italian, French and Irish delicacies served in the park to match the music selection. 

Saturday, 20 August 2022, promises plenty of variety on the large open-air stage. The quartet German Gents presents its inspiring programme "Somewhere in the World" with great works for vocal ensemble. In their versatile programme, the four young passionate singers inspire with songs from Elvis Presley, Bruno Mars, Paul Anka and the Comedian Harmonists to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Paul Hindemith.

In the evening, Tess Merlot from the Netherlands and her band take their audience into the world of French chanson. This musical genre is characterised by the fact that the participating arts of literature and music "manifest" themselves directly and simultaneously. Text, music and interpretation form the constituent elements of the chanson as a trialogue. Tess Merlot and her band master this not only to perfection, but also with a great deal of passion. Classics by Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, combined with original compositions, invite you to sing along and feel good. The essence of Tess Merlot's concerts: to let the human soul come to the surface, as only French chansons can. 

On Sunday, 21 August 2022, the duo Anouchka (cello) & Katharina (piano) Hack will perform in their usual manner. Together with three musical friends Veriko Tchumburidze, Georgian-Turkish violinist, the Russian Karolina Errera (viola) and Pieter van Loenen from the Netherlands (violin) they present a varied programme in varying instrumentations: There are duos, trios, quartets and quintets. Five soloists will perform music ranging Georg Philipp Telemann via Händel and Puccini to Witold Lutoslawski and Nadia Boulange.

At the end of the meetMUSIC Open Air 2022, soprano Nika Gorič and her pianist Johan Barnoin will take us into the fantastic and moving spheres of song. Gorič is considered "a singer with phenomenal versatility and theatrical skills" and a "master of countless musical styles". The Slovenian soprano feels at home on both the opera and concert stages.

Tickets for the meetMUSIC OPEN AIR can be found here.

***For all visitors of the meetMUSIC OPEN AIR, admission to our exhibitions on these days is free of charge.