"Once the lights are lit ..." goes the famous Christmas carol. In Dresden's Prohlis district, this is now to be put into practice on a larger scale. The "Musaik" orchestra with girls and boys from 17 countries wants to open the windows of prefabricated buildings like an Advent calendar on 18 December and give an insight into the architecture, the history of the district and the lives of its residents. At least the audience can follow all of this on a screen in the gymnasium of the 121st secondary school.
Concert-goers can take part in a quiz via an app
At the concert, the 120 children and young people will play music from the film "Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella", a piece by Philip Glass, Christmas carols such as "A Thousand Stars are a Cathedral" and a movement from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". The performance is also a quiz concert, as visitors can take part in the puzzles via an app.
Countering preconceptions of life in the "Platte"
The concert is entitled "Fensterfunkeln" (Window Sparkles) and is the second part of a project in which the "Musaik" project is specifically dedicated to life in Prohlis. The aim is to counter clichés associated with life in the "Platten", a social hotspot in the city of Dresden. The vast majority of participants in "Musaik" live in a prefabricated building themselves, it was said.
"Musaik" is a musical social project
The "Musaik - Making Music Without Borders" project was launched in 2017 based on the model of "El Sistema" in Venezuela. It gives children from poorer families free lessons in string and wind instruments and also provides the instruments. Violinist Luise Börner had experienced "El Sistema" in a modified form in Peru and set it up in Dresden. Many of the children come from refugee families. The project is also supported by the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The two founders of "Musaik", Luise Börner and Deborah Oehler, were awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in May this year.
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