Stefan Reichmann
Stefan Reichmann
Founder and artistic director of the Haldern Pop brand
He stayed in the village, observed a great deal and took it all in; perhaps he even gained a little village-based insight into the nature of staying, leaving and returning. A study, so to speak, of diligence and reliability in the countryside – that is, of the forces capable of building things, breathing life into them, grounding them in tradition, and thereby fostering trust in the unexpected.
As founder of the Haldern Pop Festival in the early 1980s, he expanded the existing capabilities of the village of Haldern to include those of the arts, developed the concept of ‘Volkswirkschaft’ and used it to shape the Haldern Pop brand. Alongside the festival, this umbrella organisation has since given rise to the music label Haldern Pop Recordings, a concert agency, a record shop, another festival in South Tyrol and the Haldern Pop Bar – an ‘Off Day’ live club for stranded musicians travelling between Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Cologne. He also runs the ‘enthusiasm factory’ Einfach, König & Du.
A good festival is not a place of expectation, but rather a playground of surprises; at its best, it is a blank sheet of paper in an atmosphere characterised by trust, courage and attentiveness.
Listening. The silent revolution.
