A fire-engine red grand piano - it's an image that's hard to miss. And everywhere you see it, you know there's something worth listening to.

For years now, the red concert piano has been the symbol of the Ruhr Piano Festival, which takes place on stages across Germany's Ruhr Valley from May to July. This area between Düsseldorf, Duisburg and Dortmund - once a rust-belt of mining and steel industries - is now a region with a heavy emphasis on culture of all sorts. And it's a giant venue for this annual piano happening. The actual stages for the events can be found everywhere - from classical concert halls, to historic palaces, to reclaimed industrial landmarks. These include Bochum's "Jahrhunderthalle" (Century Hall) or the "Alte Lohnhalle der Zeche Holland" (Old Paymaster's Building of the Holland Colliery).

During a May concert, young Russian pianist Alexander Mogilevsky was clearly touched by the space - an old building where miners used to wait in line for their wages - as he played Liszt and Chopin. He said it was a great honor to be invited to the piano festival. "I've played in other German cities, like in the Leipziger Gewandhaus with Mischa Maisky. But I'm playing here for the first time," he said.

Platform for young artists

Other pianists in the festival are just starting out in their careers; promoting young talent is one of the main ideals behind the Ruhr Piano Festival.

"We do, indeed, try hard to be a platform for young artists," said festival Artistic Director Franz-Xaver Ohnesorg. "We have our own CD series, dedicated to young pianists, and because things like that can help open doors to a larger record deal. That's happened a number of times. We want to help people along in their careers."

Ohnesorg proudly acknowledged that the festival has helped many careers get off to a good start, but the festival also regularly hosts some of the world's greatest and best-known pianists, such as Martha Argerich, Hélène Grimaud, Arcadi Volodos and Andras Schiff.

A unique program

The Piano Festival is certainly the largest of its kind in Germany, and possibly in Europe, Ohnesorg said. Competition comes only from the Roque d’Anthéron festival in Provence. The US hosts major festivals as well, although they are noticeably smaller. "The international orientation, especially the platform for young pianists, and the regular performances by well-known pianists: we're the only festival that offers it in this form," Ohnesorg added.

A further unique feature of the festival is its dedication to education. To this end it set up the Little Piano School to introduce children between the ages of two and six to creative play with the piano. Together with the Essen Folkwang Unviersity and Music School, the festival developed the "pianogarten." There, students teach children in 15 kindergartens throughout the Ruhr Valley. For Ohnesorg, it's not about finding the next great piano prodigy, but cultivating children's love for the piano.

"We want to supplment the general education of children and help them develop traits like positive social behavior and emotional intelligence," Ohnesorg said.

Author: Klaus Gehrke (jen)
Editor: Louisa Schaefer