Greeting Monika Harms, Prosecuter General of Germany

Dear music lovers,

Probably in no other city do people identify as closely with "their" orchestra as they do in Leipzig. They meet the musicians on the street and often greet them - because they know them.
I hope that, through the American Friends of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, we will succeed in passing on this enthusiasm for the Gewandhaus Orchestra to music lovers in the USA. The Leipzig orchestra is closer to the roots of classical music than almost any other orchestra in the world. Bach, Mendelssohn, Telemann, Mahler, Brahms, Schumann, Reger - they have all left their mark on this orchestra and look over the musicians' shoulders, so to speak, as they play.

My goal is to introduce this tradition to America and to promote and intensify cultural cooperation between the USA and Germany through the American Friends of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. I hope that the American Friends will also support exchanges at the academic level. Thanks to former Gewandhaus Music Director Felix Mendelssohn, Leipzig's University of Music has been closely associated with the Gewandhaus Orchestra since its founding.

Strengthening cultural ties between our countries by means of this magnificent orchestra is a rewarding and pleasant task, in view of the outstanding concert experiences the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly share with you.

I look forward to greeting you soon as the American Friends of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Best regards,
Monika Harms
General Prosecutor of Germany