TGR in 2022 (english)
This year has been a remarkable one, marked by a rapid expansion of our mission and institutional structures, and by responses to two impactful world events: the pandemic and war.
Following is a short summary of activities undertaken in 2022 in TGR The Green Room.
January – March
During the first months of the year, our programming was directed to responding to the impacts of the pandemic on artists.
We welcomed Prof. med. Dr. Peer Abilgaard (a member of our honorary board) on January 27th to speak about the impacts of the pandemic on performers. Brigitte Schreiner gave a workshop on January 29th on PEP® / self-esteem training and stress-reducing technique for artists.
Our weekly courses encompassed a wide range of health-supporting offerings: Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method, Yoga, Meditation, Qi Gong, and Pilates.
In response to the outbreak of war against Ukraine, TGR sent out messages at the beginning of March.
Within 24 hours, c. 40 responses from Ukrainian artists were received. In these initial contacts with Ukrainian artists, the highest concern was employment. Many messages began with: “I need work. Can you help me?“.
We began a project “Long-term Integration for Ukrainian Artists” that offered not only free access to all of our programs but also created paid artistic employment opportunities. The project was quickly and generously funded by several foundations: The Imhoff Foundation, the F. Victor Rolff Foundation, the Landesmusikrat NRW, the Goethe Institute, and Kunststiftung NRW. Though we were not able to offer artists anything resembling a proper living wage, we could work with the artists to ensure that our payments did not interfere with governmental assistance programs. We also developed a database for housing donations, which located matches for 17 Ukrainian artists with temporary housing donors, until government-funded housing programs began.
Most interactions in March with Ukrainian artists took place online. Our first in situ meeting took place on March 24th, exactly one month after the outbreak of war, with a talk from Elizabeth von Leliwa: “Myself, ourselves, and the crisis” and performances from Ukrainian musicians (works by a.o. Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov).
April – June
We continued developing and implementing programs to support Ukrainian artists, and added Russian dissident artists to our recipients of support. The first contact with the Finnish NGO Artists-at-Risk took place through a request to assist Russian singers Maksim Andreenkov and Anastasiia Kolobanova as they left Russia and settled in Germany. Andreenkov had protested and was arrested on the first day of the war and received a 15-yearlong prohibition on further work in Russian State Theaters.
We hosted during this time three “Open Stages”: the first on April 21st, in which the Armenian-Ukrainian singer Laura Marti performed, together with pianist Natalia Lebedeva, and provided guidance for ways in which Ukrainian artists could effectively be supported in Germany.
The next Open Stage was on May 19th, and featured Ukrainian Theater Director, Andriy May, who spoke about his experiences in Cherson at the beginning of the war, and about the role of artistic responses to the war.
In June, we invited Ukrainian violinist Aleksey Semenenko to speak about his experiences during the outbreak of war and play together with his wife, Russian-Ukrainian pianist Inna Firsova. At this Open Stage, Maksim Andreenkov and Anastasiia Kolobanova, having finally arrived in early June, gave their German premiere, and spoke about their experiences protesting in Moscow at the beginning of the war.
Additionally, we hosted violinist Christoph Mayer, who gave a workshop: “Playing (again) with ease”, and Ulla König, who offered a 3-day “City-Retreat / Mindful Weekend”.
On June 19th, TGR was invited to participate in the Street Fair “Strassenland”, together with offerings exploring sustainable and culturally vibrant urban life. For this forum, we showcased our Ukrainian and Russian artists.
July – September
In July, we offered two weeklong workshops. The first, “Dance & Movement Summit”, invited twelve Ukrainian dancers to participate in and lead workshops for their peers. The Ukrainian dancer , Alëna Shornikova, co-led this workshop, together with TGR director Heather O’Donnell.
Video documentation of this weeklong residency program can be found here:
A music therapist and choral director from Bucha (Ukraine), Olena Gaidychuk, conducted another weeklong workshop for Ukrainians of all ages and musical abilities:
In August, we hosted the ProEnglish Theater Kyiv, who produced their Monodrama “The Book of Sirens” in The Green Room. We also hosted the newly formed Women’s Choral Ensemble “Ukraine”, led by Oksana Dondyk.
In September we invited Russian dissident singers, Maksim Andreenkov and Anastasiia Kolobanova, to give a concert at TGR. At this concert, we requested donations to support them in Germany as they had no access to public support of any kind, and their Russian bank accounts were locked due to sanctions. We also supported Maksim and Anastasiia through the process of registering in Germany, with the help of an engaged team of volunteers. Through these efforts, we were able to receive a letter of support from Cologne mayor, Henriette Reker, which assisted Maksim and Anastasiia in receiving residency and work permits. They are the first Russian artists in Cologne to have received a special residency allowance.
October – December
Through a collaboration with Artists-at-Risk and the Goethe Institute, we were able to host the Ukrainian artist Marianna Glynska for three months. We were very grateful to Ms. Susanne Imhoff and Dr. Andrea Maas for providing housing for this residency.
In October, we invited Olga Umanska to lead a workshop for Ukrainian kids in Shadow Puppetry. A video of this offering can be found here:
Music therapist, Olena Gaidychuk, also gave another weeklong workshop during the Fall holidays.
Brigitte Breteritz offered a workshop: Vinyassa Flow (20.11), and Brigitte Schreiner a lecture (12.11) on PEP® / self-esteem training and stress-reducing technique for artists.
Throughout the year, we offered many sessions of psychological counseling through our two counselors: Heather O’Donnell and Dagmar Regorsek, as well as workshops and individual counseling on the topic of career transition and restructuring.
In October, TGR-Director Heather O’Donnell, spoke to the Gürzenich Orchestra, outlining possibilities for future collaborations in creating a healthy work environment for their orchestra musicians.
We will conclude our year with a Ukrainian Christmas concert on December 18th featuring three ensembles: Duo Religimuz, Women’s Choral Ensemble “Ukraine”, and the Duo Laura Marti & Natalia Lebedeva.
Throughout the year, we created 96 paid performance opportunities for Ukrainian and Russian artists, helping them to continue working in their artistic field after their abrupt and unexpected arrival in Germany. Among the types of psychosocial and physiological forms of support we have offered, we consider this practical form of assistance to be an integral part of artists’ health and well-being, and intend to continue such types of support in the future.
The generous and helpful institutions that made this year possible:
We welcome any comments, thoughts, ideas, and criticisms of our programs. Please let us know what you think below.
See you in 2023!