BlechKLANG needs support to Survive
The music association Blasmusikverein Carl Zeiss Jena e.V. was founded 1971 in Jena, Thuringia. The organisation which includes the Brass Band BlechKLANG (winner of the 2nd division in the German Brass Band Championship 2018) and the Jugend Brass Band BlechKLANG (current German Youth Brass Band Champion and participant in the EYBBC 2019/Montreux), has become one of the most important driving forces of the German brass band scene in recent years. With its four Brass Bands, in which musicians of all ages from pre-school children to senior citizens, rehearse together every week.
The association has been working for years to make the Brass Band culture in Germany better known. With its diverse concert offerings, music education projects for children and young people, the association's own orchestra school ‘KLANGwelt’ as well as high-quality master classes, such as the International Summer Brass Band Camp or the Jenaer Blechbläser-Seminar that feature international lecturers such as Adam Frey, James Gourlay, Roger Webster, Les Neish, Owen Farr, Sheona White, David Thornton, Alexis Demailly or Bastien Baumet, the Blasmusikverein Carl Zeiss Jena e. V. has developed regionally and nationally into a true centre of excellence for brass bands. Sadly the worldwide pandemic is now threatening the future of the association. "Actually we wanted to start planning for our 50th birthday in the next few weeks, which we will celebrate next year, but due to the strains of corona we do not know whether we will even exist then," explains Dr. Ulrich Richter, Chairman of the Board of the association. He continues: "Concert and project cancellations have reduced our income to zero, while at the same time our running costs remain unchanged. Due to our non-profit status, we have no reserves to bridge the gap. In short: Our continued existence is extremely uncertain!"
All hopes are now resting on the crowdfunding campaign #MitKlangaus derKrise (To leave the crisis with sound), which the club has launched on the startnext portal. Under the link https://www.startnext.com/mit-klang-aus-der-krise anyone who wants to help can easily donate any amount. "In addition, we have created many 'thank you' tokens, which not only reflect the diversity of the association, but with which we would also like to give something back to our supporters," says Alexander Richter, deputy chairman of the board and musical director. He adds: "We hope that many people will help us so that around 300 active musicians of all ages will keep their musical home and so that we will still exist in the 'post-Corona period'.”
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