When the Berliner Philharmoniker became the first institution to be named an international UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2007, no one should have been surprised that the orchestra was singled out for this honour by the United Nations children’s fund. That international organization had been keen to add a representative of Germany to the ranks of its Goodwill Ambassadors, and the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Education outreach programme amply demonstrated the orchestra’s strong commitment to children and young people.
The German orchestra’s appointment was announced in November of 2007 at New York’s “Berlin in Lights” festival, during which the Philharmonic appeared in several orchestral and chamber concerts as well as in its educational dance project based on The Rite of Spring. The symbol of UNICEF membership is a blue cello case with the organization’s white logo. Sir Simon Rattle received it from Hilde Frafjord Johnson, former Norwegian development minister, and spoke the following words: “You’ve given us this cello case. Now it’s up to us to bring it to life.” On this page we present to you the projects to which the Berliner Philharmoniker are committed.
