Nobody has it easy anyway. But since money has been trickling upwards, the welfare state has withered into a shadow of its former self, and funds are being channelled into war rather than culture, life in 2026 is harder than ever for the vast majority. All the more so if you’re trying to make art or music. Even a trip to a discount supermarket is a significant item in the monthly budget for many artists – and then there’s the rent… But where do the ideas come from, where do the utopias come from, where do the alternative visions come from, the spirit of resistance, the contact with the unknown, the unlikely, the enchanted, if nobody can make art any more? It certainly doesn’t come from the Chancellor’s Office, nor from AI, nor from the big corporations.

A slightly longer introduction to emphasise the importance and social significance of the Musikfonds e.V..

10 years of fostering imagination

Art is not interchangeable. Since 2016, the Musikfonds, as an independent, civil society-based and grassroots democratic organisation, has been supporting contemporary, avant-garde music in all its stylistic diversity, thereby fostering a sense of expansiveness and otherness throughout Germany. Over the past ten years, the Musikfonds has facilitated more than 6,200 approved projects and grants, and provided over 62 million euros in funding. This is fundamental work for a pluralistic society in which there can be a sense of optimism, because art constantly reminds us that abundance is possible and that differences are not a barrier, but the very elixir of life.

We would therefore like to invite everyone to celebrate the Musikfonds’ 10th anniversary. On 13 October 2026 at Silent Green, Berlin. Doors open at 6 pm; the event starts half an hour later. Admission is free, but please register in advance here.

Das Programm

Poet and drummer Mariá Portugal performs live. Her music evokes thoughts of both folklore and a break with tradition.

In the collaboration between the musicians Broken Frames Syndicate and Paul Pape, culture and sound merge once again.

Leipzig-based Crutches play rebellious punk-jazz, where 8-bit sounds are allowed – and pretty much anything else, for that matter.

But that’s not all: the name Dynamische Akustische Forschung (DAF) and the announcement that it’s a sound intervention leave plenty to the imagination. It takes place in the stairwell of the Betonhalle.

Finally, there’s another notable namesake in the form of Alexander Schubert. The musical theatre piece ETERNAL DAWN tackles the controversial topic of transhumanism.