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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 at the Young Artists and Authors Showcase (YAAS) international 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 and prevailed against numerous participants from around the world.
Mayor Hanno Benz congratulated him on his success: “It fills us with pride that a young man from Darmstadt is conveying such an important message about peace and friendship on the international stage with his music. His work is an impressive example of how young people can build bridges between cultures with creativity and commitment.”
Peace musically interpreted
In "Piece of Peace, " Bela describes how peace can grow: "Peace begins with stillness, only the heartbeat can be heard. Peace is quiet. This is how friendship can arise. Through more and more voices, through more friendship, peace becomes louder, more polyphonic, richer." The starting point was a piano melody, which he developed on the computer into a multi-layered composition with sounds from instruments 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 organized annually by Sister Cities International , a global network of cities in over 140 countries. Young people aged 12 to 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, their works are exhibited internationally, and are intended to inspire people worldwide.
More than 340 young people participated in this year's competition. The 36 winners were announced on August 14, 2025. The motto for 2026 has already been chosen: "Voices of Today, Visions of Tomorrow." Young people from Darmstadt are also invited to participate again.
More information about the competition can be found at sistercities.org/yaas .
( DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/dk)
