"The pilot project is intended to test the conditions under which we will be able to perform publicly again in the near future. Together with the other cultural institutions involved, we want to show a perspective here in Berlin and, with the support of politics, test constructive solutions for opening scenarios," said Andrea Zietzschmann, artistic director of the Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker. The musicians received support for this project from BIH, among others: Professor Roland Eils, founding director of the BIH Center for Digital Health, helped prepare the event concept and accompanied the testing and admission procedure on site: "The personalized ticket, the negative test result and the identity, proven by the ID card, must be checked together at admission. Due to the short preparation time, this was largely done on paper this time, but we are working on a forgery-proof, data protection-compliant and easy-to-use digital proof, which we will already use for the next events," EIls describes the challenge.
The concert's program included Peter Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and Symphony No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Among the guests was Berlin's mayor, who listened to the music with obvious emotion. "We are pleased to be able to support the city in slowly making its way back to being a cultural metropolis," says Eils. "We can already say that the experiment has succeeded. Together with our partners, we're continuing to optimize testing and admission procedures so that we can continue to facilitate safe events in the future."