Country Profiles: Germany - Institute for Cultural Diplomacy

composers gained special experiences that are totally different from the places they are
from. This subjective experience was incorporated in their works. 106 Thanks to the great
internationality, the innovative and intelligent concept and especially the long lasting effect -
the best compositions were adopted by music festivals and concert halls - ‛Into...‚ was
honoured by the Cultural Circle of the German economy (Kulturkreis der deutschen
Wirtschaft) with the German Culture Advancement award 2009 (Deutscher Kulturförderpreis
2009). 107
The Siemens Art Programme was established by the Siemens AG. It worked from 1987 to
2009 on various projects in fine arts, music and cultural history to underline the importance of
these sectors for society. Based in Germany it was not only focused on the national but also
the international level. Since October 2009 it is part of the Siemens Foundation to
concentrate Siemens‘ social engagement in one organisation. 108
7.5: LANXESS Young.euro.classic China Tour
Agent of Cultural Diplomacy: LANXESS AG in cooperation with well-known maestros and
young professional orchestra from Germany and China
Agenda: Playing music with a Chinese-German orchestra
Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: Orchestral music and participants
Target Audience: Young, talented musicians and Chinese audiences
The LANXESS AG is one of Germany‘s largest chemical groups and was founded in 2004
when the Bayer AG shut down some of its operations. LANXESS has factories in over 30
countries and, like other companies of this size, is concerned by its role in corporate social
responsibility. Therefore, LANXESS is engaging in several social help programmes.
Additionally, the company supports interesting intercultural projects like ‘Hong Kong Cyle‛
which raises awareness for the issue of clean water. One of LANXESS’s central projects, which
is a good example for cultural diplomacy is the young.euro.classic China Tour‚ which brings
talented musicians from China and Germany together to play concerts in China. The initiative
was started in 2007 and since then the members of the symphony orchestras work together
annually to create programmes with well-known maestros. From 2007 to 2009 the foreign
ministers of China and Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Yang Jiechi, have been patrons
of the project. Since 2010 present foreign minister of Germany, Guido Westerwelle, continued
the patronage. The first tour in 2007 was a great success, with two special guests attending
the beginning of the tour: Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China and Chancellor Angela Merkel
of Germany went to the concert to initiate the German-Chinese year 2007 in Beijing. In
addition to these prominent guests the orchestra was honoured to play as the only German-
Chinese cooperation at the Olympic Games 2008 in China. In 2010 the orchestra was led by
Gerd Albrecht and they were allowed to perform in the German pavilion of the EXPO in
Shanghai.
In 2011 the musicians played Vivaldi‘s The Four Seasons and various Chinese solo plays on
traditional Chinese instruments. The "LANXESS young.euro.classic China Tour" is not only a
great example of promoting young talented musicians. It also represents a great example of
cultural diplomacy as it projects ideas of both countries to a broad audience and the
musicians’ themselves. 109