Soirée Arcadia: 'Rainer Maria Rilke – Work and Inspiration' with works by Siegfried Matthus and Peter Kiefer, as well as a lecture by Dr. Ulrich von Bülow

The Academy cordially invites you to the 'Soirée Arcadia' in the Kalkhof-Rose concert hall on December 5, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. Poetry, music, and reflection will shape the evening, which is dedicated to the writer Rainer Maria Rilke as part of the Soirée Arcadia series.

Sound artist Peter Kiefer will present his work Rilke – A Poem, produced by WDR's Studio Akustische Kunst. In addition to a lecture by Dr. Ulrich von Bülow, Judith Gennrich (mezzo-soprano) and Hedayet Djeddikar (piano) will perform Siegfried Matthus' musical settings of texts by Rainer Maria Rilke.

Ulrich von Bülow studied German language and literature at Karl Marx University in Leipzig and has been a research assistant at the German Literature Archive in Marbach since 1992. He has headed the manuscript department there since 2006. He has published numerous monographs and edited texts by Erich Kästner and Rainer Maria Rilke, among others. His most recent work is 'Der Philosoph inmitten der Geschichte. Versuch über Karl Löwith' (The Philosopher in the Midst of History: An Essay on Karl Löwith) (Warmbronn, 2021).

Hedayet Jonas Djeddikar, born in Basel, is a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, and also teaches at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts and the Mainz University of Music. He is a sought-after accompanist for the concert series of the Rheingau Music Festival, the Yehudi Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, and the Styriarte Graz, as well as the ARD Music Competition and the Johannes Brahms Competition. Hedayet Djeddikar gives master classes in Europe, China, and Japan.

Judith Gennrich is a mezzo-soprano who studied singing at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz with Prof. Claudia Eder. After completing her studies, she was engaged by the Young Ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. She has enjoyed great success at Theater Münster and Staatstheater Wiesbaden. In addition to the classical repertoire, she devotes herself to modern opera and the production of recitals.

Peter Kiefer is a composer and sound artist. Since the 1990s, his works have played a key role in establishing the then still young field of sound art beyond Germany. Kiefer is represented internationally in major museums and at festivals. Since 2001, he has been teaching as a professor at the Mainz University of Music, where he founded Germany's only degree program in sound art composition in 2011.

Concept of the series: Claudia Eder in collaboration with Aglaia Schieke.

Free entry. Registration required: https://events.adwmainz.de/rilke/.

Invitation flyer

Important note: There is usually a long waiting list for events held by the Academy in the Kalkhof-Rose concert hall. We therefore urge you to cancel in good time if you are unable to attend after confirming your participation. This is the only way we can adequately manage the waiting list. At the same time, we ask for your understanding that if you do not attend without giving timely notice of cancellation, we will not be able to issue tickets to the persons concerned in the future.