Some dates in Bonndorf Castle are postponed due to the ongoing lockdown. However, there is joy about the loyalty of customers and sponsors.

A bitter blow for artists, but also for cultural institutions such as Bonndorf Castle: art and cultural institutions must remain closed until May 16 inclusive, according to the provisions of the Corona Ordinance (version of April 19, 2021). Affected are from the program three of the total of six planned events that the cultural team of the district had scheduled until mid-June. New dates have already been set for them.

Saturday, May 22Exhibition opening Kleider machen Leute, Herlinde KoelblSaturday and Sunday, June 5 and 6Exhibition tours with Herlinde KoelblSaturday, July 3, 7 p.m.Reading, Elke HeidenreichSunday, 31. October, 5 p.m.Scholarship concert, Natalia Dauer and Julia PleningerSaturday, May 29, 7 p.m.Piano concert, Saleem AshkarSunday, June 13, 11:30 a.m.Matinee cultural talk, Susanna Heim talks with Austrian feature critic Paul Jandl about Glück! Feeling? Condition? Expectation?September 18 to October 24Planned exhibition for the competition Verwandelt? or Transformed!

The seasonal opening date, the exhibition “Kleider machen Leute” (Clothes make the man) with works by portrait photographer Herlinde Koelbl (April 15), had already been cancelled due to increasing numbers of infections. Now the head of the cultural office, Susanna Heim, has to cancel the replacement date on May 1 with a heavy heart. The reading with Elke Heidereich (Thursday, May 13, 6 p.m.) as part of the supporting program for “Kleider machen Leute” and the scholarship concert with Natalia Dauer and Julia Pleninger (Saturday, May 15, 7 p.m.) will be postponed. For the time being, the previous seasonal schedule for events starting May 17 remains in effect.

Artists have to carry heavily at the further restrictions, expressed Susanna Heim in the discussion with this daily paper. Financially, the temporary closure of the Bonndorf cultural institution and the cancelled events naturally mean a cut, which Susanna Heim could not yet quantify. However, Susanna Heim also said: “We have already had many registrations for all events, which makes us happy and shows that people are longing for culture.”

The sponsors

What also motivates the team, she said, is the response from sponsors. In this difficult economic situation, more than half of the nearly 100 sponsors have already transferred their contributions, the cultural office manager explains. Many of these sponsors, she says, have themselves been affected by the Corona restrictions and the economic consequences, such as small retail businesses. The fact that these in particular continue to support the cultural work is a very strong sign, she says.

Alternative dates

Susanna Heim is hopeful despite the current situation. “After the program presentation, we received many advance registrations. We have therefore made an effort to find alternative dates. Following John Lennon’s saying: ‘Life is what happens while you are making plans’, the Corona situation is already ruining all our plans again. That is very unfortunate. But what makes us happy is that we were able to find alternative dates with all the artists.”

The tickets

Reservations already made retain their validity, promises the head of the cultural office. If new dates can not be perceived, ticket holders should contact the cultural office of the district under the telephone number 07751/86 74 02. According to Susanna Heim, the newly issued program of the district is always subject to the castle being allowed to reopen as a cultural institution. And also under official requirements, “which currently prescribe nightly curfew restrictions from 10 p.m. anyway,” says Susanna Heim.

Freising folk musician celebrates his 90th birthday today

The folk music scene would not be so rich if it were not for the Freising family musician Meindl. The head is Theo Meindl sen. The celebrates 90th birthday.
The family

With four siblings, Theo Meindl grew up in the town to which he has remained loyal all his life. The love of folk music was already implanted in him by his mother. It was she who encouraged him to learn the zither – a passion that has accompanied him throughout his life. At the tender age of 18, he also met his present wife Anna (born in 1933) during zither lessons. In 1956 the wedding bells rang for the two of them, and they have been married for 65 years – the foundation stone for the Meindl family music. Together they have four sons: Theodor junior, Klaus, Bernhard and Robert. All of them started their folk music careers with the flute, the two older ones then learned the clarinet, Bernhard the accordion and Robert the double bass. As soon as the quartet of Meindl offspring was big enough, the foundation of the family music came about.

The group

For 52 years now, the Meindl family music has stood for genuine customs, for true folk music. And this was and still is appreciated: For example, in 1980 the family music played for Prince Luitpold of Bavaria on the occasion of the launch of the dark “King Ludwig Beer”. For the appearance at folk music competitions one applied – and was successful. Twice the group won the “Zwieseler Fink”, finished with “excellent” at the International Innsbruck Folk Music Competition three times.

Even today, Meindl considers it a special honor to have been invited to the New Year’s reception of the Federal President in 1981 – as one of 25 citizens nationwide. And even though Theo Meindl has received many awards for his services to folk music – from the cultural prize of the district to the Federal Cross of Merit: The profession that Meindl learned after the war has nothing at all to do with music. At the Schlüter company in Freising, he did an apprenticeship as a technical draftsman and later trained as a plant engineer. He remained loyal to the company until his retirement.

Continuity

And all other areas of Theo Meindl’s life are also characterized by continuity: for example, he has been involved with the Alpine Club for 62 years – he is now even an honorary member. “For 33 years I was a tour guide and organized six hikes every year,” he recalls. It was also at the association’s “Freisinger Hütte” that his enthusiasm for singing was awakened. The consequence: 35 years ago, Theo Meindl founded the Alpine Club Choir. About himself, the jubilarian once said, “I like any music where you can sing along.”

The prizes

Theo Meindl and his family music have received awards and honors time and again: Anna and Theo Meindl have been recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany since 1982, the Silver Citizen’s Medal of the City of Freising, and in 1982 they received the Culture Prize of the Freising District, which was awarded for the first time at that time. Theo Meindl’s look back on many decades of love and devotion to folk music: “In the many years of our musical life we have matured. I have recorded all the performances in what are now 22 photo albums. We still sing and play today and hope it will continue for a while.”

The recipe for success

The secret of success was once described by Theo Meindl as follows: “Luck and a lot of hard work were necessary for it.”

“My drive never goes like this,” is how Theo Meindl describes his state of health in his typically Boarian way. He regrets that he cannot and must not celebrate his 90th birthday because of the Corona situation. But Theo Meindl would not be Theo Meindl if he did not look to the future with optimism and trust in God: In August, he and his Anna will celebrate their iron wedding anniversary. And by then, he hopes, it will be possible to meet again in a larger circle. “That’s when we’ll catch up on everything.”

Of course, Theo Meindl is still musically active. But even there, apart from a few concerts at Christmas in churches, for which they have freshened up the ensemble playing a bit and practiced playing at a distance, performances by the Meindl family music are not possible at the moment. Meindl’s greatest wish for his 90th birthday? “That the health does not get worse.” After all: vaccinated against Covid-19 he is: “I am immune.” Immune to Corona, but not immune to his love of folk music.

Marc Pircher, host of the show, gives young groups or artists a chance here to present themselves and their music.

The program “Mit Musi durch die Heimat” is a new hit parade with Marc Pircher on Volksmusik TV. Here, young groups or individual artists are given the chance to present themselves and their music to a large audience, just as they did at the legendary “Grand Prix of Folk Music”.

For this purpose, Marc Pircher traveled with a film team from Vorarlberg to Burgenland and visited each artist or group at home. A home story was shot by each participant at a beautiful place in his home and a music video. Both are then presented in the broadcast. The broadcast of the program takes place on the private channel Volksmusik TV twice a year and can be received in Austria, Germany and Switzerland via ASTRA. The premiere of the first broadcast is scheduled for Saturday, May 29, 2021 at 20:15 on Volksmusik TV. The second broadcast will then follow in the fall.

The goal of this new program is to present the respective artists and groups on Volksmusik TV on the one hand, and on the other hand, the groups and artists also get the rights for the titles they record. This means that when the show has run, the rights do not belong to the broadcaster, but to the artists and they can put the video on Facebook, on their homepage, on YouTube, etc.

The winner of the hit parade will be determined as follows: The first three artists or groups from the 10 participants with the most votes (via telephone voting or postcard to Volksmusik TV Berlin possible) start again automatically in the next show. As a prize, the winner will receive much more promotion on Volksmusik TV, within the bounds of possibility. Because the station is known for always making 50-minute special broadcasts by groups or artists. With a win, it is possible to get such a special show and present yourself well.

The “Mißebner Trio” will compete for Styria and “Die jungen Waldensteiner” for Lower Austria.