It is with great sorrow and deep sadness that we say farewell to Uwe Hollweg. The passing of the honorary citizen of Bremen, entrepreneur and patron of the arts is a painful loss for his family as well as for Bremen and especially for us, The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen, whom he and his wife Karin supported for many years as outstanding patrons with unparalleled generosity and heartfelt commitment.

Uwe Hollweg was an exceptional and generous person, whose life’s work and personality have always inspired us. He was an art lover, a benefactor and a Hanseatic citizen through and through, almost proverbially modest and wholeheartedly committed. He had been very lucky in life, and he wanted to share some of it, Uwe Hollweg once said – a motto that underpinned his generous disposition. The founding of the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation together with his wife in 1996 is testimony to his profound respect for the arts and their creators, and remains a major pillar of cultural funding in Bremen to this day. Without this Foundation, Bremen would be much the poorer. The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen also owes Uwe and Karin Hollweg more than mere words can express. His commitment and support have been invaluable, for which we thank him from the bottom of our hearts.

Not only did Uwe Hollweg, with his characteristic matter-of-factness and a generosity that left us at a loss for words, offer unfailing support in some of the most challenging moments in the orchestra’s corporate development. It was and still is also thanks to the unwavering sponsorship of the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation that the orchestra has been able to realize numerous projects that would not have been possible otherwise, and without which Bremen’s reputation in the world would not be what it is today and the social inequalities in the city would be more acutely felt. We will miss Uwe Hollweg deeply, both as an individual and as a friend.

Uwe Hollweg passed away on 9th December 2024, aged 87. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife Karin and his family.

»Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen have earned our city a place on the global musical map,« said Bremen’s mayor and senator for culture Andreas Bovenschulte on presenting the Senate Medal for Art and Science to Paavo Järvi.

Paavo Järvi has been Artistic Director of The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen since 2004. At a presentation ceremony held at Bremen City Hall at the end of November, the Estonian conductor was awarded this special distinction for his services to the orchestra and Bremen’s cultural sector during his two-decade tenure.

With the current project around the ›London Symphonies‹, the internationally acclaimed ›Dream Team‹ has now set itself the goal of dusting off the composer’s image which is often considered somewhat staid, tickling out his unique musical sense of humour and creating »more Haydn love«. As part of an exciting TV documentary, NDR has been shadowing the orchestra and exploring the emergence of this new Haydn feeling. In the 60-minute documentary ›the Haydn-Expedition‹ (now available in the ARD media library) the film team accompanies the orchestra and conductor during studio recordings and concerts, highlighting this focused, creative and enjoyable collaboration: Haydn – fresher than ever!

It is with great sorrow and deep sadness that we say farewell to Uwe Hollweg. The passing of the honorary citizen of Bremen, entrepreneur and patron of the arts is a painful loss for his family as well as for Bremen and especially for us, The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen, whom he and his wife Karin supported for many years as outstanding patrons with unparalleled generosity and heartfelt commitment.

Uwe Hollweg was an exceptional and generous person, whose life’s work and personality have always inspired us. He was an art lover, a benefactor and a Hanseatic citizen through and through, almost proverbially modest and wholeheartedly committed. He had been very lucky in life, and he wanted to share some of it, Uwe Hollweg once said – a motto that underpinned his generous disposition. The founding of the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation together with his wife in 1996 is testimony to his profound respect for the arts and their creators, and remains a major pillar of cultural funding in Bremen to this day. Without this Foundation, Bremen would be much the poorer. The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen also owes Uwe and Karin Hollweg more than mere words can express. His commitment and support have been invaluable, for which we thank him from the bottom of our hearts.

Not only did Uwe Hollweg, with his characteristic matter-of-factness and a generosity that left us at a loss for words, offer unfailing support in some of the most challenging moments in the orchestra’s corporate development. It was and still is also thanks to the unwavering sponsorship of the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation that the orchestra has been able to realize numerous projects that would not have been possible otherwise, and without which Bremen’s reputation in the world would not be what it is today and the social inequalities in the city would be more acutely felt. We will miss Uwe Hollweg deeply, both as an individual and as a friend.

Uwe Hollweg passed away on 9th December 2024, aged 87. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife Karin and his family.

»Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen have earned our city a place on the global musical map,« said Bremen’s mayor and senator for culture Andreas Bovenschulte on presenting the Senate Medal for Art and Science to Paavo Järvi.

Paavo Järvi has been Artistic Director of The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen since 2004. At a presentation ceremony held at Bremen City Hall at the end of November, the Estonian conductor was awarded this special distinction for his services to the orchestra and Bremen’s cultural sector during his two-decade tenure.

With the current project around the ›London Symphonies‹, the internationally acclaimed ›Dream Team‹ has now set itself the goal of dusting off the composer’s image which is often considered somewhat staid, tickling out his unique musical sense of humour and creating »more Haydn love«. As part of an exciting TV documentary, NDR has been shadowing the orchestra and exploring the emergence of this new Haydn feeling. In the 60-minute documentary ›the Haydn-Expedition‹ (now available in the ARD media library) the film team accompanies the orchestra and conductor during studio recordings and concerts, highlighting this focused, creative and enjoyable collaboration: Haydn – fresher than ever!