First volume Contest Oberberg: Talents inspire at Homburg Castle!

First volume Contest Oberberg: Talents inspire at Homburg Castle!

An exciting event for music lovers took place today on the open air stage of Homburg Castle: The first Band Contest Oberberg, which offers young artists from the region a platform. Rounded off by an enthusiastic audience, the most talented bands in the Oberberg district were honored. The competition attracted twelve applicants who offered everything from heavy metal to pop in different musical genres. The event organizers consider the preliminary rounds to be a complete success and offer a promising outlook for future events.

The jury, chaired by Felix Ammann, head of the cultural department of the Oberbergischer Kreis, had the difficult task of selecting the winners. In the end, the “Double M” group prevailed and took first place. The band from Morsbach, consisting of Timm Löwen and his colleagues, impressed not only with their varied musicality, but also with their ability to perform in different constellations. Second place is shared by the indie band “Latin Greek” from Lindlar, which is inspired by artists like The Beatles, and the newcomer band “Only Once” from Frielingsdorf, which was founded in 2019 and is in the alternative punk/rock genre.

Prizes for the talents

The winners can look forward to an individual sustainable donation worth up to 5,000 euros. This can be used for professional studio recordings, stage coaching or musical instruments. At the opening of the contest, district director Klaus Grootens emphasized the importance of supporting young cultural workers in the Oberberg district. Such great initiatives demonstrate a good knack for supporting the creative potential of the region.

The event was supported not only by the jury, but also by the regional radio station Radio Berg, which introduced the artists and thus contributed to the bands' even wider awareness. The jury was made up of experienced members, including Rosemarie Katzenbach from the Cultural Foundation and Alex Pesch, editor-in-chief of Radio Berg.

Culture and events in the Oberbergischer Kreis

Cultural events are of great importance in the region. Another highlight will take place on June 26th: the classical open air “Violini virtuosi!” at Homburg Castle. The Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen under the direction of Chouchane Siranossian will perform works by Vivaldi and German baroque masters. Guests can look forward to a wonderful experience that will take place outdoors even in bad weather. A shuttle service from the professional association to Homburg Castle, which is available from 4 p.m., provides additional convenience.

To further underline the vibe of the festival, the federal government recently expanded funding opportunities for festivals. According to the Music Initiative Events in the field of popular music and jazz can be funded with up to 50,000 euros in order to strengthen their artistic diversity and sustainability. This shows that there is still a lot of potential in the German festival landscape. 127 festivals from all over Germany have already received support, with a large focus on non-urban regions. This makes it clear that our landscape also has a heart for culture.

Overall, it remains to be stated that the first volume of Contest Oberberg not only offered a beautiful setting for the talent, but also sent a strong signal for cultural work in the region. So one can only hope that the upcoming events in the Oberberg region will be met with equally high levels of enthusiasm.