© [Translate to Englisch:] Uwe Weiser
Confidence – there could hardly be a more beautiful title for a charity concert in aid of children and young people in need. The titles of your orchestra's previous charity concerts were similarly beautiful: Refuge, Great Cinema, and Matters of the Heart. Mr. Englert, to what extent can music offer refuge to disadvantaged young people?
Stefan Englert Music enables them to engage intensively with their own feelings and ideas, to detach themselves from their own context and thereby find themselves in a different way. Similar to sport, music is also highly capable of connecting people, overcoming boundaries and bringing community to life, whether at carnival, a pop concert or in the Cologne Philharmonic Hall. As a Cologne institution, we constantly strive to make this experience as accessible as possible to all young people, regardless of their background or social status, and thus offer them places of refuge. For example, with our inclusive concert projects for families in Cologne community centers, our cooperation with the queer youth center »Anyway« or the project »Club ohne Namen« (Club without a Name), which enables young people between the ages of 14 and 20 to attend rehearsals and concerts and contribute their criticism and wishes to the discussion.
Ms. Neven DuMont, why are the Gürzenich concerts so important for your charity »wir helfen«?
Isabella Neven DuMont Because these wonderful events offer guests two things: a wonderful artistic experience and the opportunity to do good. Similar to a movie, music inspires dreams—for example, dreams of what one would still like to achieve in life. Music can therefore be an incredibly important driver of confidence and hope for a bright future, especially for young people.
Mr. Englert, why is the now 13-year collaboration with »wir helfen« so close to your orchestra's heart?
Stefan Englert Because »wir helfen« is an initiative that, if it didn't exist, would definitely have to be invented. The association has a unique way of drawing the attention of Cologne's residents to the problems faced by young people, while at the same time offering them solutions by giving them the opportunity to take responsibility – for children and young people whose lives are not so rosy. The association is also close to our hearts because it is a Cologne-based initiative by Cologne residents for Cologne residents.
»Confidence helps young people in need to trust that they have a chance for a better life – especially when there is someone to accompany and support them, as is the case with the many initiatives supported by our association.«
Isabella Neven DuMont Conversely, »wir helfen« would not exist if the people of Cologne were not so enormously socially committed, open, interested in their fellow human beings and generous. We can be proud of the enormous voluntary commitment in this city.
Why do you think confidence is so important, especially for disadvantaged young people or those in need?
Isabella Neven DuMont Confidence is something we all need in order to live. In my opinion, it is as essential as eating, drinking and sleeping. Confidence motivates us to get up in the morning and face the day. Young people who find themselves in need, who are affected by poverty, illness or homelessness, often find it difficult to envisage a future worth living. Confidence helps them to trust that they have a chance for a better life – especially when there is someone to accompany and support them, as is the case with the many initiatives that our association supports.
»Visitors to our charity orchestra concert can look forward to fantastic music in the form of Johannes Brahms' Requiem, and they will have the opportunity to combine this artistic enjoyment with social responsibility.«
Stefan Englert But confidence also means having the hope that you can change things for the better yourself. All people need confidence in order to live self-determined and happy lives. But young people in particular, who have lost hope for a good future due to the many crises or who believe that there is no alternative to their disadvantaged situation, need a good deal more confidence. It is the task of all of us to give them this confidence.
How can children and young people be helped in concrete terms to develop confidence?
Stefan Englert By taking young people seriously in their needs, concerns and wishes and giving them the feeling that they are not being treated paternalistically. It is also important to give them the opportunity to do the things that are important to them in life. And to accompany them with sincere, positive and negative feedback – to motivate them to try again when something is not yet working smoothly.
Isabella Neven DuMont I agree with you one hundred per cent. A healthy culture of error allows children to learn from their mistakes and develop as a result. In my opinion, young people need self-confidence and recognition for their actions in order to develop self-assurance. This gives them the strength to believe that they can use their own potential to change things for the better for themselves and their environment.
Mr Englert, why should the people of Cologne not miss this concert under any circumstances?
Because it is fantastic music that we are offering them with Johannes Brahms' Requiem, conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the two soloists Christina Landshamer and Michael Nagy. And because visitors have the opportunity to combine this artistic enjoyment with social responsibility.
The concert on 15 March at the Philharmonie
Advance ticket sales have begun for the Gürzenich Orchestra's charity concert ‘Zuversicht’ (Confidence) on 15 March 2026 at 11 a.m. at the Kölner Philharmonie, Bischofsgartenweg 1.
The programme includes: A German Requiem, Op. 45, by Johannes Brahms, about which his close friend Clara Schumann once said, "It is a truly powerful piece that moves the whole person in a way that few others do. The profound seriousness, combined with all the magic of poetry, has a wonderful, moving and soothing effect."
Cast: Christina Landshamer (soprano), Michael Nagy (baritone), WDR Radio Choir, NDR Vocal Ensemble and conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada.
An article by Caroline Kron in the Kölner Stadtanzeiger newspaper
How you can help
- With our annual campaign ‘We help: Getting children on the right track early on’, we are asking for donations for preventive projects in Cologne and the surrounding region that protect and support vulnerable children and young people and help them build a bright future.
- The donation accounts are: wir helfen e.V.
Kreissparkasse Köln, IBAN: DE03 3705 0299 0000 1621 55
Sparkasse Köln-Bonn, IBAN: DE21 3705 0198 0022 2522 25 - If you would like a donation receipt, please enter +S+ in the reference field. If you donate regularly, an annual receipt is also possible. Please contact us by email to request this.
- If you do not want your donation to be published, please enter +A+ in the reference field. If you would like to remain anonymous and receive a donation receipt, please mark this with +AS+.
- Please always include your full address. Even if you have a newspaper subscription to ‘kstamedien’, your address is not automatically stored.
- If you donate via PayPal, please note that your donation is always anonymous. If you would like a donation receipt, please send us an email.
- If you would like to organise a fundraising campaign on the occasion of a funeral, wedding or birthday, please inform us in advance by email. We will then be happy to send you the total amount collected two weeks after the last donation has been received.
Contact: ,wir helfen e.V.’, Amsterdamer Straße 192, 50735 Cologne, Telephone: 0221-224-2789 (general enquiries, applications, Regine Leuker/Meike Vojta), 0221-224-2130 (GD/editorial office, Caroline Kron) wirhelfen@kstamedien.de
For more information and to donate online, please visit the association's website at www.wirhelfen-koeln.de.
