Mayor Benz: “An impressive example of how young people can build bridges”
Thirteen-year-old musician Bela Baier from Darmstadt won third place in the "Original Music" category of the Young Artists and Authors Showcase (YAAS) creative competition organized by Sister Cities International . This year's theme was "Friendship: The Heartbeat of Global Peace." Bela impressed the jury with his original composition " Piece of Peace ," beating numerous competitors from all over the world.
Mayor Hanno Benz congratulated the musicians on their success: "It fills us with pride that a young Darmstadt native is conveying such an important message about peace and friendship on the international stage with his music. His work is a striking example of how young people can build bridges between cultures with creativity and commitment."
Peace translated into music
In Piece of Peace, Bela describes how peace can grow: "Peace begins with calm; only the heartbeat can be heard. Peace is quiet. This is how friendship can develop. Through more and more voices, through more friendship, peace becomes louder, more multi-voiced, more dense." The starting point was a piano melody, which he further developed on the computer into a multi-layered composition with sounds from instruments from all over the world. He was supported by his teacher Martin Grebenstein from the Darmstadt music school "Atelier für Musik."
Background to the competition
The Young Artists and Authors Showcase is hosted annually by Sister Cities International , a global network of cities in over 140 countries. Young people between the ages of 12 and 18 can artistically express their vision of a peaceful world – in the categories of art, digital works, essays, poetry, music, and photography. The winners receive prize money, and their works are exhibited internationally, serving as inspiration for people around the world.
More than 340 young people participated in this year's competition. 36 award winners were announced on August 14, 2025. The motto for 2026 has already been decided: "Voices of Today, Visions of Tomorrow." Young people from Darmstadt are also invited to participate again.
More information about the competition is available at sistercities.org/yaas .
( DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/dk)
