Helping start-ups, organizations, and artists optimize efforts to maximize their impact
Developing creative directives since 2008
Althafen Foundation
A berlin-based foundation supports and elevates local philanthropic efforts within the culture, education, and charity sectors through strategic partnerships, collaborative programs, and resource-sharing. Their mission is to amplify the remarkable work happening at the grassroots level and to uplift local philanthropic endeavours.
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We finance not-for-profit initiatives regardless of their country of residence via the process of grant applications. We consider funded projects to be “in residency” with us during the financing period, helping each project institutionalize.
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We devise programs that address recurring challenges within each particular social group and industry sector in order to scalably solve them. Each program involves partnerships with world’s leading institutions in order to maximize the global impact of our local actions.
Mark Prihodko - Cello
The hour-long emotional tour-de-force with cellist Mark Prihodko and pianist Viktoria Korolionok evokes a soul-searching journey that spans a century of romantic repertoire following the music-making traditions of Ysaye, Gershwin, and Rachmaninov. Almost four years in the making, the album’s program selections relate less to each other than they mint each of the young cellist’s artistic phases, becoming an integral part of who Prihodko is as a musician and as a collaborator with other musicians. Essential for the album’s development - the inseparable composer-performer teamwork between Prihodko and Migo, whose work gave the album its name. Like an afterthought, his short Romance closes with a nostalgic nod to the connective thread of the album, giving it its sense of personal discovery.
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From the central-European neo-baroque language of Belgian violin virtuoso and composer Eugene Ysaye to Rachmaninov's take on Russian Romance and Hungarian Dances - the album's mosaic constellation is supported by works written specifically for the artists and those written for other instrumental conjugations. In the Three Preludes, for example, Prihodko adapts the pieces, written for piano solo by George Gershwin to the cello-piano duo version, drawing inspiration from the arrangement by Jewish-American violin virtuoso Jasha Heifetz, from almost a hundred years ago.
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Cerdanyenca takes its title from the eponymous sonata, written by Catalan composer Marc Migo Cortes, who dedicated this masterwork to Prihodko, his great friend. Conceived at the Juilliard School in New York, where Prihodko held the prestigious Kovner Fellowship while completing his Bachelor's Degree in the studio of Richard Aaron, and Migo Cortes was completing his Ph.D. in the studio of John Corigliano, Sonata Cerdanyenca continues the tradition of the grandiose twentieth-century masterworks for cello and piano. Cultivating the lifetime synergy between composer and cellist, Prihodko and Migo specifically drew inspiration from the artistic collaborations between Rostropovich and Britten and Piatigorsky and Strauss.
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The newly commissioned and internationally premiered Sonata won the prestigious Pau Casals Festival International Award in 2019. In this extremely demanding monumental piece, the composer portrays the legends of his home region of La Cerdanya, from the tales of La dona d'aigua (the seducing water-woman) to the echoing Sardana Dances of Catalonia. His use of folkloric elements contextualizes hundreds of years of storytelling in an engaging acoustical play, expertly guided by Korolionok and Prihodko.
Ending with Migo's short Romance, the album receives its worthy, conclusive gesture. Like an afterthought, it closes with a nostalgic nod to the connective thread of the album, its sense of personal discovery.
An unapologetic and solid statement from this inseparable composer-performer team, this album offers a convincing collaborative manifest of its creators’ individual artistry.
Verità Baroque Ensemble
Invested in expanding the genre’s typical presentation format, Verità adopted an innovative engagement model - The Immersive Experience. The project showcases the ensemble’s performances recorded in historic castles around Germany. Supported by the Neustart Kultur Grant of the German Government and Evil Penguin’s pioneering scientific discoveries, the filmed performances will be positioned in 360° pavilions all across German capitals. Peaking the general audience’s interest, these immersive booths expose present-time viewers to the musical heritage in its cultural context.
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Bringing together a collective of exceptionally talented and driven musicians, all members of prestigious ensembles and orchestras worldwide that make up Verità, may have only been possible by the extreme challenges many artists endured during the pandemic lockdown. In these unprecedented times, the musicians who already knew each other through previous engagements, were finally able to make the time for communal musical soul-searching with one another. The bond created by spending a full week most every month “in residency” together as an ensemble to research, rehearse, record, and perform lead to the formation of Verità.
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Bringing together a collective of exceptionally talented and driven musicians, all members of prestigious ensembles and orchestras worldwide that make up Verità, may have only been possible by the extreme challenges many artists endured during the pandemic lockdown. In these unprecedented times, the musicians who already knew each other through previous engagements, were finally able to make the time for communal musical soul-searching with one another. The bond created by spending a full week most every month “in residency” together as an ensemble to research, rehearse, record, and perform lead to the formation of Verità.
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Within changing configurations, from solo to full orchestral ensemble, they jointly research and reinterpret the broad canon of manuscripts spanning the Baroque and early Classical periods. Based on the original score, that goal often poses complex decisions about which elements are essential and must be adhered to and which rules and conventions are there to be re-envisioned. In addition to the historical pieces, the ensemble’s authentic use of period instruments and the vibrant quality of artistic interpretation inspires many contemporary composers, such as SJ Hanke, Marc Migo, Nicola Canzano, to write specifically for them.
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Invested in expanding the genre’s typical presentation format, Verità adopted an innovative engagement model - The Immersive Experience. Under the leadership of the always resourceful Mark Prihodko, who early on took over the reins of Verità’s production team, the project showcases the ensemble’s performances recorded in historic castles around Germany. Supported by the Neustart Kultur Grant of the German Government, and Evil Penguin’s pioneering scientific discoveries, the filmed performances will be positioned in 360° pavilions all across German capitals. Peaking general audience’ interest, these immersive booths expose present time viewers to the musical heritage in its cultural context.
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With the release of The German Album, Verità captures a unique take on well-known jewels of German baroque repertoire. The first of a series of albums that similarly will portray highlights from the Italian, French, and Catalan baroque collection, all of Verita’s ambitious projects are continuously supported and executed by its extraordinary team of musicologists, engineers, consultants, video and audio producers, ensuring the highest-quality results to captivate their listeners imagination.
Silent Psalm Sculpture
Both the sculpture and Lera Auerbach’s Symphony No.6, Vessels of Light, are born out of the physical act of composing music for the 121 Psalm of David, “I lift my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from?” and violently tearing it into pieces. That concept is taken more literally in the sculpture, crafted as a bronze music sheet, with Auerbach's original score for the 121st Psalm and its text engraved in Hebrew. Alluding to the ancient Japanese technique of Kintsugi, or Kintsukuroi (Golden Repair), used to mend broken pottery by highlighting the seams of breakage and repair rather than hiding them, a golden thread in the shape of a Magen David (Star of David) appears.
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Fluidly traversing meaning from one artistic medium to another, Lera Auerbach’s sculpture Silent Psalm and her Symphony No.6, Vessels of Light, are intrinsically interwoven in their exploration of the Judaic concepts of Shevirat ha-Kelim, (breaking of the Vessels) Tikkun Olam, (repairing of the world) and the Japanese Kintsugi, an ancient technique of mending broken pottery. Also known as Kintsukuroi (Golden Repair), it illuminates the scars of breakage instead of masking them, thus enhancing the beauty and uniqueness of the object.
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The sculpture was born out of the physical act of composing music for Psalm 121 of David and violently tearing it into pieces. The shredded fragments of the music manuscript for the Psalm, written for Alto, Baritone, and Bass voices, “I lift my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from?” and the process of its repair also became the seed of the symphony’s concept, structure, and musical material.
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Offering an artistic discourse on the metaphysical act of breakage and repair, Auerbach not only integrates elements of the two very different Jewish and Japanese cultures but transcends the artistic character beyond the literal impetus of the work.
Commissioned by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, to honor the heroic acts of Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who saved thousands of lives during the Holocaust, Auerbach’s Symphony No.6, Vessels of Light - the first work of its kind composed in the Yiddish language - is dedicated to Sugihara and all those who risked everything to save others.
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In Vessels of Light, the Psalm is silent, shattered, and fragmented. It appears written in the libretto as an internal meditation or prayer. A metaphor for the Holocaust, unspeakable and in shards, it builds a silent thread, interspersed by Yiddish poems, whispered, and sung in alternating configurations. The continuous melodic lines of the cello, like the “golden glue,” repair the piece’s destructive forces.
The void of the Psalm’s notation only takes shape in Silent Psalm’s sculpture. Here, Kintsugi is taken more literally. Auerbach shattered the mold of the musical manuscript into shards. Repaired by Kintsugi, its exposed cracks are filled with a patinaed golden thread that appears in the shape of a Magen David (Shield of David).
Underneath its Hebrew inscription, the Psalm’s words have transformed into composed music notations cast in bronze.
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Beyond spanning a historic arch that binds the suffering of the Jewish people scattered throughout the world, Auerbach’s art addresses the universal state of the human condition as a moral quest for beauty and repair, even amidst destruction and violence.
https://www.getclassical.org/post/righteousness-and-bravery-a-yiddish-symphony-for-sugihara
Fritz Ascher Society
The Fritz Ascher Society researches, discusses, publishes and exhibits artists whose life and work were affected by the German Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945. Introducing their artistic achievements to a broad audience and initiate an active dialogue about individuality and artistic integrity in response to conditions of extreme duress and political tyranny, furthers the understanding of the history of the 20th century and the Holocaust in a larger, interdisciplinary context. FAS’ projects allow diverse audiences to discuss highly relevant topics in an environment that surpasses ethnic, cultural and religious differences.
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Fritz Ascher (17 October 1893 – 26 March 1970 in Berlin, Germany) was a German artist, whose work is characterized by Expressionist and Symbolist sensitivity. In paintings, works on paper and poetry he explored existential questions and themes of contemporary social and cultural relevance, of spirituality and mythology. Ascher’s expressive strokes and intense colors create emotionally intense and authentic work.
Re-discovered in 2016, with an international retrospective and a scholarly publication, Fritz Ascher’s strong and unique artistic voice has taken its rightful place in German Expressionism.
https://fritzaschersociety.org/fritz-ascher/biography/
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A program held by the FAS, Identity, Art, and Migration, investigates the experience of seven Jewish European artists who were forced to abandon their country of origin, or remain in hiding for years, in response to Nazi policies in effect from 1933 to 1945. These six artists: Anni Albers, Friedel Dzubas, Eva Hesse, Rudi Lesser, Lily Renee, and Arthur Szyk, emigrated to the United States, while one, Fritz Ascher, stayed behind in Germany hiding in a basement for three years.
These artists’ lives and work address the multi-layered concept of identity and particulars of its expressions from slightly different angles. We invite you to explore with us how these wrenching experiences affected their sense of who they were, and the art they made. https://migration.fritzaschersociety.org/
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In December 2020, The Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized, and Banned Art published
Immortality, Memory, Creativity, and Survival: The Arts of Alice Lok Cahana, Ronnie Cahana and Kitra Cahana.
Starting with the Holocaust survivor Alice Lok Cahana, the book investigates three generations of the Cahana family and their art in the context of biological and psychological research, which allows a deep understanding of how trauma and especially the Holocaust experience is remembered. This interdisciplinary publication offers an important contribution to the fields of Holocaust studies, art history, history, psychology, and biology.
The publication is edited by Ori Z Soltes. With contributions by Eva Fogelman, Natan P.F. Kellermann and Larry R. Squire.
Generously sponsored by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York.
https://fritzaschersociety.org/trauma-memory-art/
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This Zoom lecture series, hosted by the Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized, and Banned Art, New York, investigates artists whose life and art were impacted by the German Nazi terror regime 1933-1945.
https://fritzaschersociety.org/flight-or-fight/
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The Museen im Grassi in Leipzig, Germany, will host an exhibit titled "Emmy Rubensohn! Networker and Music Patron – from Leipzig to New York” from June 25 to October 8, 2023. It follows the life of the Jewish, German-born Emmy Rubensohn (1884-1961) at the crossroads of art and the historical turmoil of the 20th century.
Tracing Rubensohn's German cultural heritage and passionate support for the arts and the artists she admired, worked with, and befriended, the exhibit also provides – documented in Rubensohn's testimonial guestbook - a slice of the international cultural history of the performing artists of her time.
NOACK Konzert Berlin
Founded in 2021, the NOACK concert series presents the finest soloists and ensembles from around the world on the grounds of the Werkstattgalerie and in the Great Assembly Hall of the Bildgiesserei. The unique interdisciplinary atmosphere and versatile programming have already found a regular audience. A Saturday evening at the NOACK Kulturforum is more than just a concert visit: the doors open at 6:00 p.m. for the listeners to enjoy the current exhibition in the gallery with a glass of wine. The performance begins at 7:00 pm and is usually curated by the artists. After a handful of encores, audience members are invited to the Kulturforum restaurant to enjoy dinner with the artists. A three-course meal specially prepared by Chef Reza Daeinabi, with a corresponding selection of wines, is the culmination of the evening.
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Now in its fourth generation, NOACK Foundry Berlin is looking back on its 125 years long history, marked by its legacy of outstanding assignments by extraordinary artists. Besides their work as bronze casters, NOACK has become an important partner in preserving and restoring bronze monuments, preserving historic castings, and using historic casting techniques lost in other foundries. Many works cast at NOACK are museum pieces now.
From the traditional works of Klimsch or Kolbe, or the abstract art of Mack and Heiliger, to Avantgardists like Beuys and today’s giants like Meese, Kwade, Bonvincini, Cragg, and many others, the multitude of works made at NOACK provides a fascinating collection of art historical dimension. Still today, artists like Anselm Kiefer, Alicja Kwade, Georg Baselitz, Tony Cragg, and other important names in the art world turn to NOACK, entrusting their designs to its expert staff and leadership.
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From Baroque to Contemporary classical music, NOACK Konzert presents a wide range of concert programs on the foundry's aesthetically absorbing premises. Amidst art and sculpture exhibits, audiences experience first-class performances with soloists and ensembles from around the world. The eclectic mix is curated by audience darling Mark Prihodko, who, at times on cello and always with the support of the foundry’s own Hermann Noack, welcomes audiences into the artistic refuge of the foundry. A following dinner together with the performers prolongs and enhances the delights of the concert in a profoundly personal way.
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Inspired by Berlin’s notable architectural complex encompassing multiple museums, the national library, and the philharmonic concert hall west of Potsdamer Platz, coined Kulturforum, Kulturforum Noack aims to showcase cultural highlights from the multiple disciplines of art, music, literature, architecture, and film in a broader context.
Designed to collaborate with different venues, universities, and cultural institutions around the city, Kulturforum NOACK curates exhibitions, concerts, workshops, masterclasses, films, lectures, and conversations with international artists and experts in their field.
With its Kulturforum, NOACK seeks to explicitly explore cross-cultural pollination with a specific focus on the foundry’s expertise – the creative act of making art.
GetClassical
GetClassical is a platform that has been around since 2008, providing insights into the Classical Music Industry. Based in the heart of New York City's musical scene, we offer coverage of the most recent classical music discoveries with a global perspective. With our boutique concert events, we go beyond the written page to showcase the talent of artists. We aim to engage new audiences in intimate and immersive experiences through a range of articles and events that promote classical music to a broader audience.
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Publication:
What started in 2008 as a personal blog of music critic Ilona Oltuski has grown into a well-respected classical music publication with hundreds of interviews, editorials, and reviews. While offering independent concert reviews as well as comprehensive coverage on international music festivals and concert series in the United States and Europe, GetClassical has made a name for itself for its personal artist portraits.
Named “The Blog of the Month” by Gramophone Magazine, her writing has been featured in Staccato Verlag’s “Gespräche mit Pianisten” and multiple US and international publications.
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The GetClassical concert series aims to expand the framework of a traditional salon-style recital to promote the intimate dialogue between the artists and their audiences. Especially concerned with getting new audiences interested in classical music and young performers playing for their peers, Ilona created a relaxed ambiance at different venues around the city.
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Since 2012, the salon series has presented artists like Mischa Maisky, Michael Brown, Roman Rabinovitch, Paul Huang, Ching-Yun Hu, and Daumants Liepins on the stages of some of the most iconic alternative concert venues of Manhattan: Le Poisson Rouge, St. John’s in the Village, Zinc Bar, India House, and Gramercy Park Hotel’s Rose Bar among others.
GetClassical In School
With a mission to inspire the next generation of audiences, GCinSchool is based on music education benchmarks, such as National Arts Standard & NYC Blueprint, while addressing a vital missing element crucial for classical music education at schools: Performing Artists. Our goal to incorporate this missing artistic perception as part of the school’s curriculum has echoed in hundreds of artists' hearts and gained an enthusiastic response from partnering schools. Our advisory board oversees the selection of carefully chosen artists who conduct immersive and interactive workshops at middle schools throughout New York City's diverse community, thus creating a dialogue with the next generation of concert-goers, performers, and music advocates, to help them further engage with the classical genre.
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The initiative is a unique opportunity for world-class artists to educate and connect with the next generation of concertgoers through a series of musical performance workshops at partnering schools in New York City and online.
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GetClassical in school offers workshops that embody the essence of artistry at partnering schools and online.
A fun & productive way to enrich your knowledge and find out more about music's history, compositional building blocks and emotive relevance.
A unique opportunity to meet amazing, international performers students can relate to, who love to share their talent.
Learning about how these artists communicate through their instruments, and hear about their favorite scores, students learn first hand and understand how music can invigorate us, build mutual respect, and heal.
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Inspired by the late Lars Vogt’s German artist-student initiative Rhapsody in School, GetClassical In School was inaugurated 2018 at the German Consulate General of New York.
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Teaching Artists (or chamber music ensembles) will perform a 45 minute-long interactive program for students at the chosen school.
Prior to the performance, Ilona Oltuski, the founder and artistic director of the initiative will work directly with school officials and teachers to choose the artist that will best suit the music strategy of the school.
The lesson plan will be tailor-made by the teaching artist, edited by the GetClassical Team, and submitted to the hosting school for review.
During the performance, the teaching artists will connect with the students, provide the necessary background on the history of music-making, building blocks of composition, engage with the students in conversations about the relevance of Classical Music in the XXI century, and showcase their repertoire.
At the end of each performance, the artists will leave the time for a personal Questions and Answers exchange.
Throughout the workshop, the artists will cultivate the curiosity of the students towards classical music, as well as raise awareness about the value of music's highly communicative qualities, and aim to share their personal story, challenges and benefits that go with the choice of becoming a performing artist.
With more than 50 teaching artists on our roster, we would like to extend the invitation to partner with us to initiate curiosity and promote the universality of self-expression through music.
We are happy to connect interested students with local teaching artists and music schools, to learn more about possibilities to include music more permanently into their lives.
Students may also reach artists in the aftermath, to ask questions they reflected on.
We welcome any feedback from the school and the kids that can help us fulfill specific wishes.