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Goals and support

Supporting, sponsoring, helping – the Friends of the Berliner Philharmoniker are involved in a variety of ways:

Purchasing high-quality instruments
Funding assistance for musicians in the orchestra enabling them to purchase instruments of their own
Improving the facilities of the Philharmonic Hall, e.g. in the areas of sound technology and the design of the lobby
Critically examining and presenting the history of the orchestra
Sponsoring specific orchestra projects

Last but not least, the board members of the association provide advice and support to the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation.

Our projects

Since 2003 the “Friends” have raised almost € 2 million including many interest-free loans granted to members of the Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra to purchase instruments.

2019

Purchase of a historical guestbook of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Grant for the organisation of Kirill Petrenko’s welcome concert at the Brandenburg Gate (24.08.2019)
Grant for audiovisual upgrading of the Chamber Music Hall / Digital Education
Grant for free orchestra platform seats for young music lovers

2018

Grant for audiovisual upgrading of the Chamber Music Hall / Digital Education
Purchase of a Steinway concert grand piano
Grant for the organisation of the European concert in Paris on 1 May 2019
Grant for the management of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s picture archive

2017

Grant for audiovisual upgrading of the Chamber Music Hall / Digital Education
Grant for the production of an illustrated book about the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle

2016

Purchase of a viola by Domenico Busan, Venice 1780

2015

One-time grant to support the work of the Orchestra Academy
Grant to purchase a bust of Claudio Abbado
Grant to support the archive with regard to the Abbado legacy

2014

2013

2012

2011

The purchase of a Tourt-Violin-Bow for use by the Berliner Philharmoniker
Travel grant for a UNICEF Project (Haiti) of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Purchase of the foundation Heckelphone
Grant to restore the organ

2010

Underwriting the transcription and translation costs of the Victor-Hußla-Letters
Grant for the purchase of a concert piano for the Philharmonie
Grant for building a joint archive of the Berliner Philharmoniker Stiftung

2009

Grant for modernising sound technology in the Chamber Music Hall
Grant for the acquisition of a B-Piano
Financial aid in the acquisition of the Stradivari Ex Hubai

2008

Grant for the creating a video project on the history of the Philharmonie
Grant for the restoration of the Philharmonie Organ
Buying a new double bass

2007

Purchase of 4 Baroque violin bows
Purchase of the Storioni violin
Grant for the planning costs of the extension of the Philharmonie

2006

Acquisition of a photographic artwork for the foyer of the Philharmonie
Grant for the Klaus Stoll DVD project
Grant for research of the orchestra’s history for its 125-year jubilee
Grant for the “Entartete Musik” (Degenerate Music) exhibition

2005

Grant for the redesign of the East Entrance of the Philharmonie
Grant for the documentation of the history of the orchestra between 1933 and 1945
Grant for the documentation of the history of the orchestra on its 125-year jubilee
Grant for educational work, financing of instruments as well as special activities of the Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker (Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation)

2004

Purchase of a Bechstein grand piano for the Berliner Philharmoniker
Second grant for enhancing the acoustics and lighting
Grant for the redesign of the East Entrance of the Philharmonie
Purchase of the remaining stock of Peter Muck’s 100 years of the Berlin Philharmonic
Additional grant for publishing the Abbado book

2003

Enhancing the acoustics in the Chamber Music Hall
Funding the youth work of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Taking over the Stresemann archive
Grant for publishing the Abbado book