On 22 March in the evening, the Capital of Culture is organising a reading with the well-known author and alpine herdsman Bodo Hell in the post office building in Bad Ischl. A homeland evening of a special kind. On 18 March the exhibition "Eros der Sommerfrische" on Margaret Stonborough, sister of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, opens at Seeschloss Orth. On 24 March, SCALA - Salzkammergut Craft Art Lab, a new meeting space opens at Hand.Werk.Haus Salzkammergut in Bad Goisern. And on 31 March the musical "Letters from Ruth" celebrates its world premiere at Musical Frühling Gmunden.

Eros der Sommerfrische
Eros is a cunning god. Following the ancient tale, he chases after the beautiful. Margaret Stonborough was also fascinated by this. On the Tuscan peninsula, she transformed the former temple of Archduke Johann Salvator into a magnificent villa according to her own wishes and ideas. Unconventionally, she strung together works of the most diverse artistic styles. She was a multifaceted personality; so was her life. The diaries on display, letters, the memoirs of her grandson Pierre Stonborough, and the numerous interviews along the story line, explore this in the exhibition.

Much of Margaret Stonborough's life and work was forgotten. Now we are rediscovering it. Some things may have happened at that time due to a lack of appreciation. But genuine appreciation can work wonders. "It activates our reward centre and inhibits our fear centre in the brain. In this way, creativity, motivation and the ability to relate unfold in the shortest possible time," writes best-selling author Reinhard Haller. Will Eros also achieve his goal with this ability?

Seeschloss Orth, Saturday, 18 March, 2023, Gmunden

11:00
Welcome by Mayor Stefan Krapf
Lecture: The miracle of appreciation
Reinhard Haller, psychiatrist, psychotherapist and neurologist
On the exhibition: Margaret Stonborough: diaries, letters, photos Ilse Somavilla, philosopher, author
Art discourse: on the works of Hubert Scheibl and Peter Baldinger
Elisabeth J. Nöstlinger, wissensART producer

Invitation to an aperitif
15:00
Lecture: Eros: The Agent of the Other. Ariadne von Schirach, philosopher
Followed by a discussion with all speakers and guests
Artists/Speakers: Reinhard Haller, Ilse Somavilla, Ariadne von Schirach, Hubert Scheibl, Peter Baldinger
Free admission!

A Life for the Dachstein - An Evening with the Poet and Alpine Herdsman Bodo Hell
Auböckplatz 4, Bad Ischl (side entrance)
Post Office Building Bad Ischl
Event
22 March 2023
7:30 pm
On 22 March the Capital of Culture is hosting a reading with Bodo Hell. The FriesacherFrauenZimmer will also be taking part. A homeland evening of a special kind.    
The title of an exhibition about the great geographer and Alpine explorer Friedrich Simony can also be applied to the writer Bodo Hell. For more than 40 years, Bodo Hell has been herding about 140 goats on the Dachstein in summer. He knows his area Am Stein better than any scientist. In summer, he travels about 1000 kilometres in search of lost animals. Then, when a pass appears behind the hill, all is well again. Bodo Hell has documented this everyday life, which is in complete contrast to city life, in his diaries from the very beginning. In countless essays and poems, the formidable Styrian-Upper Austrian mountain massif, the Dachstein, appears again and again. 
Reading: Bodo Hell
Music: FriesacherFrauenZimmer
Free admission!
 
Next Generation You
Ebenzweierstr. 18, Altmünster
OTELO ARTmünster
Press conference
22 March 2023
2.00 p.m.
The self-managed youth programme of the Capital of Culture introduces itself!
Loosely based on Frithjof Bergmann's famous essay "World we want to live in", which deals with the questions of the future and, above all, how we want to work and live, the young people are invited to think about their future and to develop projects and programmes that express their reflections.
The project focuses on the questions: How do the young people want to live? How do they want to work? How do they think about politics, education, culture? How do they see the present and the future? What are their concerns and needs? The Capital of Culture will support them in asking questions and enabling the first steps towards implementation. A presentation of all projects/ideas will take place at the end of 2024.
Methodology and activities being planned will be presented at this press briefing. The Youth Ensemble, an initiative that is to become a sustainable part of the Léhartheater Bad Ischl, will also be presented.
The press conference will take place at OTELO ARTmünster - a newly founded venue that is primarily open to young people and artists.
Responsible for the project: Martin Hollinetz, Otelo eGen
Project management Salzkammergut 2024: Christian Haselmayr, Sonja Zobel (Youth Ensemble)
Programme line: CULTURE IN THE FLOW
 
Salzkammergut Craft Art Lab (SCALA) - New paths between art and craft
Bad Goisern & various places of the Salzkammergut
Opening
24 March 2023
SCALA invites the world to experience new paths between art and craft! A joint team of Otelo Goisern, Hand.Werk.Haus Salzkammergut and Otelo eGen is developing an exchange programme with international and regional craftspeople and artists in close coordination with the market town of Bad Goisern and Bad Ischl Salzkammergut European Capital of Culture 2024.
SCALA creates a common experimental space with international connections. It is aimed at the local population, schools, businesses in the region, cooperating associations and cultural institutions - and of course all visitors.
Responsible for the project: Dietmar Laimer-Hubmann, Heidi Zednik, Michael Körner, Donna E. Price, Georg Hrovat / HAND.WERK.HAUS
International cooperation partners: Penland School of Craft (US), Open Design School Matera (IT), Valetta Design Cluster (MT), etc.
Artists: Verena Schatz, Verena Haidl, Natalia Weiss, Petra Kodym, Martin Hollinetz, Dr. Margit Bergmair-Ambach, Irmgard Hofer-Wolf, Barbara Kern
Project Management Organisation: Otelo e-Gen Vorchdorf
Project Management Salzkammergut 2024: Eva Mair
Programme line: CULTURE IN THE RIVER
 
World premiere
LETTERS FROM RUTH
the musical
City Theatre Gmunden
World premiere
31 March 2023
"The best play in the history of Musical Spring in Gmunden!"
It is impossible to overlook the fact that Gmunden is heading straight for the Capital of Culture 2024. The MUSICAL SPRING IN GMUNDEN is making a significant contribution to this and will be showing an internationally observed world premiere with "Letters from Ruth" from 31 March.
Putting Ruth Maier's impressive personality at the centre of a musical was a good decision. This world premiere is also under the patronage of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and Ruth Maier's relatives sent their congratulations in advance and are pleased that this story will be made accessible to an even wider public.
The artistic duo Elisabeth Sikora and Markus Olzinger have already proven in the past what it means to produce quality musical entertainment. Far away from the mainstream and common musical clichés. "We understand the musical as an art form to be taken seriously, which in the best case combines all branches of theatre." This claim and its skilful implementation have now attracted the attention of the New York Opera Society, based in Washington, and placed this upcoming world premiere in the hands of the Gmunden musical makers. The production is also a reference project for the European Capital of Culture Bad-Ischl Salzkammergut and a first harbinger of 2024. 
Artistic directors Olzinger and Sikora promise "probably the best musical we've ever had on the schedule". It may seem strange, since the work is set in the darkest period of our history. Nevertheless, besides all the tragedy and depth, "Letters from Ruth" above all shows a multi-faceted life and is about a great love between two courageous women. "We have been rehearsing since mid-February and I didn't expect it myself, but there are so many positive, life-affirming and also funny moments in this musical, and you are looking forward to getting to know this exciting character of Ruth Maier in every scene," says Olzinger. Sikora concludes : "..and the music by Gisle Kverndokk is so incredibly poetic and beautiful, it just all adds up to a wonderful, touching stage work, as you would expect from Musical Spring."