August 2, 2016: The idea
HIDALGO begins with a visit to a concert by singer Tom Wilmersdörffer. While listening to a very conventional orchestral program at the Munich Residenz, he suddenly has an idea: Munich needs a new festival that combines high artistic quality and the venues of the young scene—State Opera meets Bahnwärter Thiel, classical music meets other art forms. That very night, Tom writes a two-page concept paper, gathers people from his circle of friends and acquaintances, and the HIDALGO rides off!
November 27, 2016: The founding of the association
Within two years, an extraordinary classical music festival is to be created. Eight founding members gather in a Munich pub and establish HIDALGO e.V., complete with statutes and protocol. Tom is elected as chairman, journalist and current managing director Philipp Nowotny as secretary. The goals: 1. to make good, great art, 2. to help the art song gain more presence and 3. to “make a name for itself in the Munich cultural scene”. The name “HIDALGO” is derived from an art song by Robert Schumann, which is about a free spirit who is not afraid to take risks. We make his motto our own: “Let’s go on an adventure!”
March 30 – April 2, 2017: The first concept retreat
In spring 2017, we go on a retreat to South Tyrol and set the course for HIDALGO—we determine who is responsible for artistic, fundraising, finance, marketing and organization, which people we still need, who we need to network with, we work out which target groups we want to address and collect ideas for possible formats. Tom is appointed Artistic and Administrative Director, while Philipp takes responsibility for brand and communication. And very importantly, we have the good idea of planning a small pilot concert before we do a whole festival.
November 10, 2017: The ORPLID pilot event
The small pilot concert is then bursting at the seams. In the interim use “Hotel Lovelace”, we build a dream world of black light, a huge mirror and an even bigger grid installation that hangs freely in the lobby. With lots of helpers, we made the installation parts ourselves and spent three nights building the trusses alone. The first musicians to perform at HIDALGO are singer Ludwig Mittelhammer and pianist Eric Schneider. Over 300 people come—success!
September 8-13, 2018: The 1st festival
Around a year later, we organize the first HIDALGO Festival. “The HIDALGO is going around”, reports Bayerischer Rundfunk. In five events, we travel across the song cosmos. We start in the baroque Residenzsaal, which we transform into a classical music club, go to the Barbershop, let poetry slammers collide with songs with an old-school female image in the alternative Bahnwärter Thiel, deconstruct Schubert performatively and celebrate the finale in the Minimal Club. The adventure has begun.
August 22, 2019: The HIDALGO gGmbH
In the three years since the initial idea for HIDALGO, the team has grown bigger and bigger. It is becoming increasingly difficult to make complex decisions in countless small meetings with a volunteer board—professionalization is needed. Shortly before the second festival, we therefore founded the non-profit HIDALGO gGmbH. Philipp and Tom, who is also the artistic director, become managing directors. The previous sponsoring association is transformed into a support association.
September 14-19, 2019: The 2nd festival
At the 2019 festival, we celebrate the Dionysian in music. We distribute the drug “Song” at street concerts, in the Hunting and Fishing Museum we enrich music with electric guitar, synthesizer and video art to create a trance party, and in the Gasteig we form a very elaborate installation from modern poetry, new compositions and a video production. The new HIDALGO festival orchestra will perform for the first time under the new musical director Johanna Malangré, bringing the Bahnwärter Thiel to life.
Summer 2020: The first federal funding
In the middle of the covid pandemic, as we were thinking about canceling the next festival, a notification from the German Federal Cultural Foundation flutters into our mailbox: Bam! The first major funding at federal level, which we can now use to support the festival. In the years that followed, we expanded our fundraising activities. Public funds, grants from foundations, sponsorship from companies and donations from private individuals are important pillars of our art and cultural work.
September 10-17, 2020: The 3rd festival
The taboo topic of “failure” was already established before the pandemic—but now it fits perfectly. We shed light on it in eight formats. Our audience will see music theater with a boxing match, confess via smartphone and sit between climbing walls in an orchestra concert. They will experience a five-hour Beethoven installation in a parking garage, a dance performance, panel discussions and a Fuck Up Night as a livestream. For the first time, there will be around 100 mini-concerts spread throughout the city—the beginning of our successful Street Art Song format, which has been touring Munich with young musicians, many pianos and several shipping companies every year since then.
December 31, 2020: The cultural star of the Abendzeitung 2020
At the end of 2020, it is time to celebrate: The Münchner Abendzeitung awards us the Kulturstern in the classical music category. It praised HIDALGO’s idea of “taking the art song out of its somewhat cultivated, elitist corner without compromising on quality, approaching the emotional embers of the music and also appealing to a younger audience with scenic forms”. Our “small but noble festival succeeded in doing this particularly well this year”. Thank you very much!
March 20, 2021: The first guest performance
The first guest performance of HIDALGO should have been celebrated at Heidelberger Frühling in 2020, but covid came—everything else is known. But this time it’s happening: for the ID Festival Berlin in 2021, we’re restaging our BOX-SALON (directed by Tom Wilmersdörffer) from the previous festival. And because the pandemic is still going on, we’re going back to Munich’s Boxwerk, hiring a video crew and broadcasting the evening with singer Andromahi Raptis and pianist Jonathan Ware live on Facebook and YouTube.
May 4, 2021: The founding of the HIDALGO Board of Trustees
Opening doors, establishing networks, giving advice and facilitating funding—these are, in a nutshell, the tasks of the honorary HIDALGO Board of Trustees, which was founded in May 2021 at the first constituent meeting in Munich’s Gasteig. The members come from politics, business and culture and will meet at least once a year in future, support the management of HIDALGO and also critically monitor the development of our cultural enterprise.
September 10-14, 2021: The 4th festival
In the fourth edition, we are calling for R*Evolution—against sexualized violence and man-made climate change, among other things. For the first time, we have a permanent festival location in the former “Sugar Mountain” concrete factory. Our festival orchestra will play Shostakovich against the destruction of our resources, and in the music theater RAPE & CULTURE (directed by Tom Wilmersdörffer) we will use dance, sound design and the voices of those affected to set an example against the abuse of power in the classical music scene.
January 1, 2022: The founding of the HIDALGO Kollektiv
The new HIDALGO Kollektiv officially launches at the turn of the year. The idea behind it: Artists from various disciplines and academics meet regularly, exchange ideas about their working methods, invite lecturers and find trust and a common language. Tom takes on the artistic direction, while cultural manager Elisabeth Pilhofer organizes the work phases and plays a decisive role in shaping the development of the Kollektiv. In fact, the Kollektiv soon develops into our artistic nucleus.
July 17, 2022: The first commissioned production
Thanks to our Kollektiv, we can now not only send guest performances to other venues, but also develop completely new stage works across all genres. Our first partners are the Pinakothek der Moderne, the Neue Sammlung and the Kunstareal Munich, for which a team led by Tom and the Arcis Saxophone Quartet is developing a four-part performative installation that will last an entire day. Further collaborations will follow, including with the Munich Residenztheater.
September 10 – October 29, 2022: The 5th festival
“Come in to the workshop of seasoned sounds”, we say in 2022. Under the motto “Upcycled”, we are revamping old formats such as the BOX SALON and SONG & SLAM, further developing the GREAT SONG AWARD (there is now a jury prize in addition to the audience prize) and showing at LOOP OF LOVE how our interdisciplinary Kollektiv, the festival orchestra and a good location can create an entire experience space. “What an enrichment”, writes the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
End of 2022: Change in the Artistic Directorate
Johanna Malangré then leaves HIDALGO to become Musical Director of the Orchestre de la Picardie in France. She is succeeded by pianist and concert designer Toni Ming Geiger as the new Musical Director. Anne Keckeis completes the artistic management team under Tom Wilmersdörffer as dramaturgical director.
September 2 – October 31, 2023: The 6th festival
In times of ChatGPT and debates about AI, the sixth season is dedicated to the motto “Human Machine”. With the mobile installation REFUGIUM (artistic director: Toni Ming Geiger), we are delivering audiovisual art in a van: We will be touring through Munich’s neighborhoods for over six weeks, plus guest performances in other cities. Another highlight is the song lab WHO ARE YOU (artistic directors: Paul Bießmann, Jonas Urbat), in which we explore what happens when artificial intelligence meets artistic people at Microsoft headquarters.
October 2023: The first projects of the HIDALGO workshop
We are launching our new HIDALGO WERKSTATT with two pilot projects under the direction of Sophia Rieth. We want to connect people from different backgrounds, ages and social backgrounds through musical and interdisciplinary mediation formats; the first projects are aimed at schoolchildren. In six schools, they deal with their digital selves and physical means of expression. Together with our artists and educators, they develop flash mobs and their own dance choreographies.
End of 2023: Change in the musical direction
Toni Ming Geiger goes on parental leave and ends his position as Musical Director at the end of the year. He is succeeded by conductor and composer Gregor A. Mayrhofer.
May 5, 2024: The topping-out ceremony in Monheim
After just over two years, the Kollektiv’s work will culminate in a large, interdisciplinary stage work in May 2024 that will be seen by over 1,700 people. At the topping-out ceremony of Kulturwerke Monheim in the Rhineland, the HIDALGO collective will perform in the shell of a new concert hall—with actors, dancers, a singer, two string quartets, four stages, numerous art objects, a huge sound installation across several rooms and a wild finale with buckets of paint, we celebrate the ZWISCHEN-WELT (director: Tom Wilmersdörffer, choreography: Roberta Pisu).
May 15, 2024: Farewell to founder Tom Wilmersdörffer
After nearly eight years as artistic director, executive director, and resident director, our founder Tom Wilmersdörffer is leaving HIDALGO. Since conceiving his initial vision in 2016, he has developed and directed most of HIDALGO’s productions—including over 20 of his own music theater productions, installations, and performances—built up the collective, and designed seven festival programs. Until 2019, he led HIDALGO as chairman of the association and played a key role in establishing its organizational structure and network. After the founding of HIDALGO gGmbH, he continued to develop the organization’s vision as co-managing director alongside Philipp Nowotny and the leadership team. He recruited our board of trustees and secured the financial foundation: under his leadership, HIDALGO was granted long-term funding from the City of Munich and the Free State of Bavaria, and he also attracted a broad base of supporters. We wish him all the best from the bottom of our hearts. He will always be part of the HIDALGO family!
May 2024: The steering committee is reorganized
In May 2024, HIDALGO’s leadership undergoes a restructuring. The artistic direction is henceforth led by Anne Keckeis and Gregor A. Mayrhofer – they will be responsible for the artistic development and implementation of the upcoming festival and the next few seasons. Julia Wimmer, previously an authorized signatory, becomes the new co-executive director; she has been organizing complex events, productions, and our festivals for us since 2021. Louis Lindenborn, who has been part of the HIDALGO team since 2022, takes over leadership of the important Development department (fundraising, sponsorship, and booking). Sophia Rieth continues to lead our HIDALGO Workshop, Sarah Böhner manages our office, Elisabeth Pilhofer serves as project manager for the HIDALGO Collective, and Philipp Nowotny remains co-executive director alongside Julia.
October 13–18, 2024: The 7th festival
Under the motto “Your Best Deal!”, we’re moving to the former department store at Stachus for our seventh edition and focusing on classical music, consumerism, and commerce. For the first time, Anne Keckeis and Gregor A. Mayrhofer are serving as artistic directors. With a countertenor, a dance-like shadow play set to electronic sounds, devilish musical theater, and utopian song worlds, we turn the rituals of classical music upside down. At FINE DINING, we’ll serve up a feast for the senses in the Max Joseph Hall of the Munich Residenz—and ask whether we truly deserve this abundance.
Early summer 2025: REFUGIUM on Tour
REFUGIUM is going on tour again in early summer. With our van, we are taking the audiovisual art installation to the Festival of the Future in Munich, as well as to Bayreuth, Ingolstadt, and Lake Constance. In Friedrichshafen, the HIDALGO Workshop complements the installation with workshops where students can develop their own music and dance choreographies. Meanwhile, the HIDALGO team is growing with the addition of Marie Fürste, who is strengthening our performance and production operations.
June 28, 2025: Guest Performance at the Telemann Summer Festival
With a Baroque picnic happening (concept: Anne Keckeis and Sophia Rieth), we are appearing as guest artists at the Telemann Summer Festival in Magdeburg’s Klosterbergegarten. Across three musical and culinary stations, ensembles combine works by Telemann and his contemporaries with stimulating conversations on picnic blankets, a collective table performance, and a dance station where a barbecue skewer sets the rhythm.
October 17–24, 2025: The 8th festival
At the eighth edition of our festival in Munich’s Kreativquartier, we seek out “CLOSE CONTACT” between people, art, and nature. Joined by a string quartet and mezzo-soprano (staging: Roberta Pisu), we venture into a forest shaped by instinct, desire, and the thrill of the hunt. An immersive memory installation created by our collective brings visitors face to face with personal stories from Munich’s diverse communities. This year also marks our first collaboration with the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. We follow Schubert’s lonely wanderer through a full saxophone orchestra before gathering for DER EWIGE TON, an interactive sound ritual exploring the eternal tone.
Spring 2026: New WERKSTATT Productions
Following an intensive preparation phase, three new projects from the HIDALGO WERKSTATT are launching simultaneously. At Munich’s Motorama, the “Choir of the Strawanzer” brings together people experiencing homelessness and anyone who feels lonely for communal singing. Through “My House Sings”, residents of Augsburg housing complexes are invited to make music together every two weeks. For “Sound of the City”, school students collect sounds and scenes from their everyday lives and transform them into an original film featuring a self-composed soundtrack.
Juni 9-12, 2026: REFUGIUM in Heidenheim
In June, REFUGIUM will travel to Heidenheim an der Brenz. As part of the Heidenheim Opera Festival, our mobile art installation will be presented at various public spaces across the city and accompanied by educational workshops in local schools.
September 5-13, 2026: The 9th festival
When did we forget how to simply do nothing? The HIDALGO FESTIVAL 2026 offers a PAUSE from the constant rush. Across five concert formats, we explore the art of slowing down: with STREET ART SONG on the streets of Munich; a musical retreat in bed shop, our second collaboration with the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich (HMTM); Estonian music behind the towering doors of the Herz Jesu Church; and a pause from the eye, an acoustic experience in complete darkness at Saal X. To close the festival, 7 Ways to Do Nothing (staging: Stella Neuner) turns procrastination into a playful and creative sonic experience.
November 2026: Change in Executive Management
Starting in November, Helen Leitner takes on the role of Managing Director of HIDALGO. A trained concert harpist, she has gained extensive experience across the cultural sector, from artist relations and sponsorship at Camac to strategic communications at the European Union Youth Orchestra. Combining artistic insight with entrepreneurial thinking and a strong commitment to emerging talent, she is ideally placed to lead HIDALGO into its next phase.
At the same time, we say farewell to Philipp Nowotny and Julia Wimmer, who have shared the leadership of HIDALGO and been instrumental in shaping the organisation’s development. We thank them wholeheartedly for their dedication, clarity of vision, and willingness to break new ground, qualities that have defined and sustained HIDALGO over the years.
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