The berlied Festival

The berlied festival aims to preserve, reshape and increase the visibility of the art song, a genre that has so far been significantly underrepresented in Berlin's cultural landscape and beyond. berlied places the art song in an interdisciplinary context: as a way of reimagining the genre, this interdisciplinary approach expands its narrative horizons, adding another layer of interpretation to the dialogue between music and poetry, using scenography, video installations, spoken word poetry, dance and painting. The invited artists present exceptional, high-quality programs that reflect their personal artistic voice. A special focus is placed on rarely performed works from the 18th century to world premieres of contemporary compositions.

We envision berlied as a creative springboard for exceptional artists, both emerging and established, to present their unusual passion-projects. We decidedly promote female and female-identifying artists, composers and writers in order to increase their presence in concerts and sustainably integrate them into the canon of classical chamber music.

berlied seeks out unconventional venues so as to achieve an intimate, living-room atmosphere where the boundaries between performers and audience dissolve. It is of central value to the festival that it be as affordable and accessible as possible in order to offer a wider audience an entry point into the world of art song.

The festival was originally founded in 2021 by pianist Justine Eckhaut, as a way to revitalize Berlin's cultural scene after the coronavirus pandemic and introduce new audiences to the beauty and relevance of the art song. In 2022, singer and poet Sophia Stern joined the creative team. Johanna Ernst joined the team as project manager in 2024. Over three successful seasons, the festival has expanded its audience, program and outreach.