Jazzy alpine sounds at the end: Münsterland Festival part 11 celebrates finale and draws positive conclusions

There was dance and magic, graphic and video art, city and country parties - and of course lots of music. Since 8 October, the Münsterland Festival part 11 has invited visitors to around 40 events at beautiful and exciting locations in the region, this time with Austria as the guest country. With the jazz stars of Shake Stew, two concerts and almost 300 visitors, the festival organised by Münsterland e.V. celebrated its finale on Saturday (6 November) at Burg Vischering in Lüdinghausen.

"This festival edition was a little experiment for us," emphasises Christine Sörries, Artistic Director. "Because for the first time we deliberately concentrated on just one guest country - our Austrian neighbours. Their artists inspired us with so much energy, wit, charm and skill that we can proudly say: This experiment has succeeded. Our visitors particularly appreciated the musical spectrum presented - from Schrammel music to handpan sounds, from pure jazz to future soul."

For the eleventh edition, the festival team had invited to 28 concerts, ten art events and four excursions in about 30 towns and communities in the Münsterland region. In addition, five additional events were organised at short notice to meet the great demand. The series of events, which takes place every two years, is made possible by a large number of patrons and sponsors, first and foremost the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, which once again supported the festival with funds from the Regional Cultural Policy (RKP).

Not only the artists were well received, but also the diverse venues. This time, the focus was especially on the castles and palaces in the Münsterland. From the cultural estate Haus Nottbeck to the historic walls of Schloss Senden and the classicist building of the Harkotten manor house. In addition, the festival team once again invited visitors to places steeped in history and modern architecture. "That is what makes our region: the mixture of city flair and country idyll, of old and new, of known and unknown. The Münsterland Festival conveys the special attitude to life of our region and creates new perspectives - for out-of-town guests as well as for us locals," emphasises Klaus Ehling, Chairman of Münsterland e.V..

The Münsterland Festival part 11 attracted more than 3,500 guests to the concerts, art events and excursions. In addition, there were many more visitors to the exhibitions of the artist Hermann Nitsch and the graphics project prINT. "We are overjoyed that we were able to hold the festival despite the difficult general conditions in view of the Corona pandemic," emphasises Lars Krolik, festival director at Münsterland e.V. "The demand was huge, around two thirds of our events were sold out. This shows how great people's thirst is for music, art and culture that can be experienced in real life. We are especially grateful to our local partners, without whom the festival could not have taken place."

All events took place under the current Corona Protection Ordinance, each with its own hygiene and safety concept. The 3G rule applied to all guests as well as participants. "We would like to expressly thank everyone for their patience and understanding, also during the admission checks. It was important to us to carry out these conscientiously in order to give all visitors a good and safe feeling," says Krolik.
The festival will continue in autumn 2023 with the twelfth edition and fresh insights into another guest country, as Lars Krolik emphasises: "Look forward to it!"

Impressions of the past festival weeks, information about artists, venues and the festival in general can be found at www.muensterland-festival.de.

Organiser

Organiser: Münsterland e.V.
Festival director: Lars Krolik (Münsterland e.V.)
Artistic director: Christine Sörries

Partners and sponsors

Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Regional Cultural Policy funding programme), Münsterland districts (Borken, Coesfeld, Steinfurt and Warendorf), City of Münster, LWL Cultural Department, Austrian Cultural Forum, Austrian Music Export, BERESA, Hilde and Bodo Crone Foundation, Sparkasse Münsterland Ost, Sparkasse Westmünsterland, Kreissparkasse Steinfurt, Stiftung Kunst und Kultur Münsterland, KulturStiftung Masthoff, kultur.west (media partner), Westfalenspiegel (media partner), WDR 3 (cultural partner), Münsterland-Siegel.