The Isaac Dreyfus Bernheim Foundation (IDBS) has been the patronage partner of YOUNG STAGE since 2023. We asked Dr Theodor Lang, President of the Foundation Board, how he experienced this first year together and how much he is looking forward to this years festival.
Mr Lang, the IDBS took over the patronage of YOUNG STAGE last year and is now the festival’s biggest supporter for the second year in a row, thus supporting many young up-and-coming artists from all over the world.
How did you experience the first year of the partnership?
The first year as a patronage partner of the YOUNG STAGE Festival was extremely enriching and promising for the future. It marked a milestone in our long-standing support of the festival and deepened our relationship with it. This experience gave us valuable new insights into the work and mission of YOUNG STAGE and also strengthened our bond with the artists.
Are there things you will do/approach differently now in the second year?
We are now striving to further consolidate and deepen our collaboration. Through close insights into the work of the festival and intensive contact with artists and the team, we have laid a solid foundation. Our goal in the second year is to make an even greater impact for emerging artists by further developing our partnership and exploring innovative avenues together.
Your intention last year with YOUNG STAGE was to have a kind of «lighthouse project”»so that the foundation and its commitment to culture in the Basel area would be more widely recognised. Has this strategy worked out so far? Have you received any feedback?
Our strategy of establishing a lighthouse project with YOUNG STAGE has been successful so far. We have received positive feedback and our commitment to culture is now better recognised, which was one of our goals. As a result, not only our foundation, but also the bank is more widely recognised.
Why do you think IDBS and YOUNG STAGE are a good fit as partners?
We both stand for innovation. We are endeavouring to move into the future while at the same time preserving certain traditional elements and values. Reliability and support are central to us, especially when it comes to offering young people opportunities and accompanying them on their way.
The IDBS is the foundation of Dreyfus Söhne & Cie AG, Banquiers. You are using the festival again this year to organise a customer event. What feedback did you receive from the 100 or so customers last year?
Last year, we received extremely positive feedback from both our customers and our employees. The employee campaign that enabled families to visit YOUNG STAGE was particularly well received. This emphasises our image as a social employer. Our customers also praised YOUNG STAGE as an enrichment to our usually more professionally orientated customer events. Such a young and unconventional, but high-quality event reflects positively on our foundation and the bank in many ways.
The motto of YOUNG STAGE 2024 is “Innovative between modernity and tradition”. Is there a link to the activities of the IDBS and/or the bank?
YOUNG STAGE’s motto perfectly reflects our shared values. We focus on innovation and at the same time treat traditional values with respect. This balance between past and future is also very important in our work.
And now a personal question: How much are you looking forward to this year’s festival edition? What are you particularly looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to this year’s edition of the festival! I’ve already done a lot of research into the artists and I’m excited about the variety on offer, which is a mix of modernity and tradition. The artists take centre stage, and our commitment is also geared towards this. I’m excited to see how the audience will receive the performances, because every performance is unique and offers many details to discover. It is always inspiring to have interesting encounters and exchange ideas with others at the festival. The positive emotional mood and the shining eyes of children and adults alike lend an atmosphere of joy and enthusiasm to a visit to the festival.
Thank you very much for this interview, Mr Lang. We are also very much looking forward to another year with you and the IDBS as a patronage partner!