Events

A series of high-caliber concerts at historically significant venues along the Rhine, yet more than just a music festival: Starting Sunday, August 16, the chamber music summer camp “Musiktage am Rhein” will bring together around 70 exceptionally talented young musicians from around the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, professor of violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international instructors will mentor the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for ensemble playing. In addition, there will be coaching sessions, joint rehearsals, and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle, or the casting hall of the Sayner Hütte. Faculty and course participants perform together with the “Mainzer Virtuosi” ensemble and international guests.
The program offers the audience a wide range of high-quality, accessible music, while participants have the opportunity to make music with like-minded peers in the land of many great composers and gain valuable concert experience.

The following concert dates have already been confirmed:

Aug. 17 | 7:30 p.m. | St. Martin Engers - Opening Concert
Aug. 18 | 7:30 p.m. | Namedy Castle - Open Air
Aug. 19 | 7:30 p.m. | 
Aug. 20 | 7:30 p.m. | Görreshaus Koblenz
Aug. 21 | 7:30 PM | Marktkirche Neuwied
Aug. 22 | 7:30 PM |
Aug. 23 | 5:00 PM | Arenfels Castle - Open Air
Aug. 24 | 7:30 PM | Garden Hall, Engers Castle 
Aug. 25 | 7:30 PM | Casting Hall of the Sayner Hütte
August 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Namedy Castle – Hall of Mirrors
August 27 | 7:30 p.m. | St. Martin Engers – Closing Concert

From August 17 to August 28, there will also be a one-hour lunchtime concert daily at 12:00 p.m. in the Garden Hall of Engers Castle.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

As celebrated instrumental virtuosos, they toured Europe, leaving a musical legacy and exerting a stylistic influence far beyond their homeland. Their works combine brilliance, expressiveness, and timeless beauty.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

Benjamin Britten and the composers of the North are united by music of exceptional depth and introspection. Their works are characterized by expansive soundscapes, subtle nuances, and a close connection to nature.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

Chamber music was once meant for friends—to play and listen together. In this small, charming concert hall, the pieces have the greatest impact through the direct, personal connection between the musicians and the audience.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

You ask, you order, you get it! What was once reserved for counts and princes can now be enjoyed by our audience: the masterpieces of Bach and Haydn—performed by celebrated virtuosos whose concerts were often the subject of heated competition among Europe’s nobility in the 19th century.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

Chamber music was once meant for friends—to play and listen together. In this small, charming concert hall, the pieces have the greatest impact through the direct, personal connection between the musicians and the audience.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Mounday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

A series of top-class concerts at historically significant locations along the Rhine and yet more than just a music festival: from Monday August 17th, the chamber music summer camp ‘Musiktage am Rhein’ will bring together around 70 exceptional young talents from all over the world at the Landesmusikakademie in Engers.
Under the direction of Anne Shih, Professor of Violin at the Mainz University of Music, a team of international lecturers will be supervising the young musicians. Individual lessons are offered daily to prepare them for playing in an ensemble. There are also coaching sessions, joint rehearsals and daily concerts at inspiring venues such as Engers Castle, Namedy Castle and the casting hall at Sayner Hütte. Lecturers and course participants perform together with the ‘Mainzer Virtuosi’ ensemble and international guests.
The programme offers the audience a broad spectrum of high-quality, audible music, while the participants can look forward to making music together with like-minded people and gaining concert experience in the land of many great composers.

Trusting in the long-term impact of art, even if the market favours quick results - that is the message of SAGO, the Academy for Poetry and Music. It was founded in 1989 by Christof Stählin, for whom aesthetic positions were always more important than political ones. He created a collegial meeting place for all those who do not fit neatly into the classical, pop and jazz pigeonholes - analogous to odds and ends that ended up in the unused "sago compartment" of old kitchen buffets. Precision of observation and subtlety of musical expression - this is the focus of the school, which has already hosted celebrities such as Judith Holofernes, Eckart von Hirschhausen, Bodo Wartke and Sebstian Krämer. SAGO offers a unique opportunity to work intensively and creatively together for a week.

You can see this for yourself again on Thursday, 17 September at 7.30 pm.

Every year, the graduates are given the task of composing a song on a given theme. The results will be heard in the first part of the concert. In the second part of the concert, the freestyle follows: everyone can show what else they have to offer. The best-known Sago annual task song is probably Judith Holofernes' "Denkmal". The theme of the same name also inspired Bodo Wartke's "Ein Denkmal denkt".

Since Stählin's death in 2015, his long-time assistant Martin Betz and his colleague Matthias Binner have continued to run SAGO. Martin Betz is an author, musician and comedian living in Berlin. In addition to studying historical keyboard instruments, specialising in harpsichord, he has a master's degree in German and musicology. He has received awards including the Esslinger Bahnwärter and Stadtschreiber von Ottendorf. Matthias Binner studied German language and literature and history at the FU Berlin. Even during his studies, he worked professionally as a pianist for well-known theatre, cabaret and show productions. One of his compositions, the operetta "Der Geizhals" - loosely based on Molière - was staged at three German theatres. He has been performing on stage as a singer-songwriter for 18 years and has been a participant in the Sago seminars since 2012. His first solo CD was released in 2015.