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District Administrator Will: "Local cultural work creates spaces for talent, education and participation"
The Büttelborn Youth Wind Orchestra honored with great applause on the festival stage of “Volk im Schloss”: District Administrator Thomas Will and Elke Landau from the district cultural office presented conductor Moritz Thiele with the 2025 cultural promotion prize of the Groß-Gerau district, which is endowed with 5,000 euros .
The jury praised the outstanding musical training, the intensive youth work, and the special commitment to a genre that is no longer automatically in the spotlight. The prize is awarded every two years, alternating with the cultural prize.
Young musicians on a big stage
New this year was the setting: instead of the town hall or a concert hall, the approximately 30-member ensemble received the award on the large open-air stage – charmingly moderated by Christian Döring . The orchestra gave a taste of its repertoire, including its trademark, the theme song from "The Muppet Show." Whether ABBA, Amy Winehouse, or "Pirates of the Caribbean" – alongside modern arrangements, traditional Sunday morning pieces were also part of the program.
" Here the rhythm rocks " is the motto of the orchestra, whose musicians are between 13 and 26 years old. Participation is highly valued: the young people actively contribute to the selection of pieces.
Eulogy by cultural studies scholar Schneider
Professor Wolfgang Schneider , cultural policy expert and jury member, emphasized the importance of consistent youth outreach in his laudatory speech: As early as 1990, the then conductor Dr. Martin Reitz laid the foundation with the statement, "We must do youth outreach." Today, the result is exemplary musical education in close cooperation with schools and music schools.
District Administrator Thomas Will emphasized the great importance of the prize: “Promoting local culture means creating spaces for talent, education and participation. It is important for the personal development of young people and enriches life in the community as a whole.”
Thanks and appreciation
Fred Kraus , chairman of the brass band, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the association: “We could hardly believe it when we learned of the decision. The prize means a great deal to us – it is both recognition and an incentive.” Around 60 percent of the active members of the brass band today come from its own youth brass band.
Schneider concluded by appealing to politicians to clearly commit to cultural education during the election campaign: "Especially in times of tight budgets, the comparatively small funds for culture must not be up for debate."
(Gross-Gerau district-Red/PSGG)
Featured image: A prize for the ensemble: The Büttelborn Youth Wind Orchestra receives the 2024 Cultural Promotion Prize of the Groß-Gerau district. The picture shows, from left: Claudia Weller, Heike Karcher, Gabriele Fladung (jury member), Fred Kraus (chairman of the Büttelborn Wind Orchestra), Elke Landau (district cultural office), Thomas Will (district administrator), Ulrich Conzen (long-time conductor of the youth wind orchestra), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schneider (presenter and jury member), Moritz Thiele (conductor of the youth wind orchestra). Photo: District Administration
