Ensemblia
The Ensemblia , the “Festival for Music. Theatre. Dance. Art ... ”is the oldest cross-disciplinary festival in Germany and takes place every two years in Mönchengladbach .
In 2007, WDR was the Ensemblia's “cultural partner” with its radio wave WDR 3.
Main focus of the festival
The festival with a focus on music offers a platform for contemporary work in all cultural fields, from theater and dance to art exhibitions. It should offer the opportunity to think outside the box and to work. It goes without saying that the Ensemblia includes mediation, animation and connection, be it through preparatory events or introductions, street actions or the involvement of Mönchengladbach groups and associations, or through the acquisition of hosts with whom artists live.
The workshop work on Ensemblia was also the subject of a diploma thesis at the Cologne University of Music.
From the very beginning, the festival's programmatic orientation was aimed at both confrontation and a combination of old and new, known and unknown, as well as serious and popular music. The Ensemblia is considered provocative, bold and lively in renowned expert circles. The artists of the festival are always looking for new challenges and have made it their business to always be on the lookout for new areas.
The ensemble has been shaped differently over the years: For some years the focus was set by special consideration of a country or topic, in others by mentors and composers or ensembles in residence.
The festival, designed as a biennial event, was supported in the intervening years by the smaller Ensembletta, which served as preparation and animation for the Ensemblia until 1997. In contrast to the basic idea of making Ensemblia programmatically international, the Ensembletta mainly involved the strengths and possibilities of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city of Mönchengladbach.
Works (selection)
Around 300 works, performances and choreographies were premiered or German premieres as part of the Ensemblia. The festival and the composition competitions advertised for it offered encounters and discussions with numerous renowned and as yet unknown musicians. The careers of numerous composers and musicians have been promoted through this festival.
competition
A composition competition was held every two years until 2013 .