Past Events
  • January 28, 2010 – Literary Evening featuring the young German author, Joerg Albrecht, who is currently Writer-in-Residence at the Deutsches Haus at New York University. Mr. Albrecht has published two books (Drei Herzen, 2006, and Sternstaub, Goldfunk, Silberstreif, 2008) from which he read during the evening. Topics included the German book scene of the 90’s and how it pertains to former Eastern German Authors. This event took place in a private home in Manhattan, exclusively for members of the German Forum.
  • November 12, 2009 - An Evening of Classical Music starring Barbara Buntrock (Viola), Haakon Schaub (Baritone), Heidi Sauser (Soprano). These outstanding artists were accompanied by Babette Hierholzer (Piano). The program included works by Schubert, Schumann, Mozart, Brahms, Liszt, Strauss, Wagner, Paganini and Bartok. Introductory Remarks were by Ira Siff, weekly commentator, Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts.
  • September 9, 2009 - Annual Meeting and Recital at the Residence of the Consul General of Germany featuring Soprano Katharina Hagopian and Pianist Cristina Stanescu. The program included works by Franz Schreker's "Five Songs Op. 4."; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Opera "Idomeneo", J. Massenet's Opera "Manot" and J. Strauss' "Die Fledermaus".
  • May 19, 2009 — BERLIN CABARET— An Evening with Lenya, Marlene and Zarah at Gotham Comedy Club 208 West 23rd Street (between 6th & 7th). Starring Karen Kohler, Micaela Leon, and Olivia Stevens with Musical Director Daryl Kojak. Directed by Karen Kohler. This special event was sponsored by Mercedes-Benz USA.
  • March 11, 2009 — Classical Music Concert featuring: Franka Herwig (24), an outstanding Classical Accordionis and Christian Schleicher (29), Tenor. The singers were accompanied by the acclaimed New York/ Berlin pianist Babette Hierholzer. This was a joint event together with the Deutscher Verein, NY.
  • January 22, 2009 — Literary Evening featuring the young German author Nora Bossong, whose first novel Gegend was published in 2006. She presented some of her poems and also read a chapter from her new novel Webers Protokoll. The reading took place in a private home in Manhattan, exclusively for members of the German Forum. The author also presented two other examples of young contemporary German literature: Tilman Rammstedt’s Der Kaiser von China and Alina Bronsky’s Scherbenpark. Discussion continued on the lively literature scene of Berlin and Leipzig.

  • Thursday, November 6, 2008 — The 4th event in the 30th anniversary year featured the Hamburg musicians Sarah Ferede (Mezzo-Soprano), Katharina Weiss (Violin) and Hellen Weiss (Violin), accompanied by Babette Hierholzer (Piano). The introduction to the program was given by Friedrich Meyer-Oertel, Opera Stage Director, Darmstadt, Germany. The event took place at the Kosciuszko Foundation Concert Hall with over 90 people in attendance.

  • Wednesday, September 10, 2008 — The evening featured the exciting young Polish-born (and German-speaking) Violinist Kinga Augustyn, a former student at the Conservatory of Music in Rostock, Germany, and a recent master’s graduate of the Juilliard School of Music. She began the evening with Paganini’s Caprice No. 24, Op. 1 for solo violin followed by the “Zigeunerweisen” by Pablo Sarasate. Her accompanist was the accomplished young pianist Erika Switzer.

  • Tuesday, June 10, 2008 ‘Weimar Berlin Cabaret’ Event on 6/10 a Rousing Success: Singers Karen Kohler (born in Frankfurt), Micaela Leon (born in Stuttgart) & guest artist Kim Smith (born in Australia) accompanied by pianist Uli Geissendoerfer (born in Munich) came together for a fabulous cabaret evening entitled “It’s all a Swindel” (‘Alles Schwindel’) at the sold-out Dance New Amsterdam Theater in Manhattan.

  • Tuesday, March 4, 2008 — A very Special Evening of Classical Music Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the German Forum.

Past Performers

Since 2004 the German Forum has featured the following young artists from the German-speaking world in major New York events:

2009 January Nora Bossong (Novelist and Poet)


Sebastian Manz


Isang David Enders


Johanna Pichlmair


Daniel Lang

  March Franka Herwig (Classical Accordionis)
Christian Schleicher (Tenor)
  May Karen Kohler (Soprano)
Micaela Leon (Soprano)
Olivia Stevens (Soprano)
  September Katharina Hagopian (Soprano)
Cristina Stanescu (Pianist)
  November Barbara Buntrock (Viola)
Haakon Schaub (Baritone)
Heidi Sauser (Soprano)
2008
March
Katharina Hagopian, Mainz, now at Mannes (Soprano)
Johanna Pichlmair, Austria (Violin)
Clemens Gnad, Bremen (Baritone)
June
Micaela Leon, Stuttgart (Soprano)
Karen Kohler, Frankfurt, now NYC (Soprano)
  September Kinga Augustyn (Violinist)
Erika Switzer (Pianist)
Uwe Mengel (Author, Director)
  November Sarah Ferede (Mezzo Soprano)
Hellen Weiss (Violinist)
Katharina Weiss (Violinist)
2007
February
Jana Thomas, Luebeck (soprano)
Sebastian Manz, Luebeck (clarinetist)
May
Daniel Lang (filmmaker)
September
Lisa Stepanova (pianist)
Claudius Niessen & Thomas Pletzinger, Leipzig (book authors)
November
Isang David Enders, Dresden (cellist)
Judith Hoffmann, Kassel (Flutist)
Heidi Sauser, Mannes College of Music (soprano)
2006
February
Magdalena Karolak, Polish born/Luebeck (oboist)
Rahel Indermaur, Swiss-born/Berlin (mezzo-soprano)
May
Martin Terens, Hamburg (jazz pianist)
Jan-Philipp Prass, Hamburg (percussionist)
Felix Weigt, Hamburg (double bass)
September
Liza Stepanova, Bellarus-born/Juilliard (pianist)
Birger Radde, Berlin/Yale U. (tenor)
November
Mirjam Tschopp, Zurich (violinist & violist)
Christof Skupin, Cologne, (trumpeter)
2005
May
Alissia von Mallinckrodt (painter)
November
Elisabeth Seitenberger, Berlin (clarinetist);
Matthias Vieweg, Berlin (baritone)
2004
November
Christine Reber, Reutlingen (soprano);
Julian Steckel, Vienna (cellist)


 
Nora Bossong, Novelist


 
Prof. Friedrich Meyer-Oertel, Babette Hierholzer, Hellen Weiss, Katharina Weiss and Sarah Ferede
(l to r)

> MORE PHOTOS