President Birgit Hesse To Travel To New York On A Promotional Tour For Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

In mid-May, the New York Philharmonic will come to Mecklenburg-West Pomerania for 3 concerts which State President Birgit Hesse envisions as a starting signal for culture and tourism with international appeal.

After two years of massively restricted offers in culture and tourism due to corona, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania wants to bring itself back into the international tourism picture: particularly by means of exclusive guest performances of the New York Philharmonic in mid-May on Usedom. Laying the groundwork for this endeavor, Birgit Hesse will travel to New York from March 20th to 24th in her dual function as President of the State Parliament and the Tourist Association.

"We want and have to signal as many markets as possible that we are looking forward to welcoming guests from near and far in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania," said Hesse. President Hesse perceives the unique opportunity to draw attention to Mecklenburg-West Pomerania as a vacation destination in connection with the concerts of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. "The orchestra's performances in our federal state attract attention that we want to use," said Hesse. The American guest performance is financed without sponsors, according to festival director, Thomas Hummel. The Ministry of Economic Affairs bears a 910,000 euro investment, which is also intended to promote tourism in the country.

In addition to a joint press conference by the State Tourism Association and the Usedom Music Festival with representatives of the Philharmonic, further meetings are planned in New York. Among other things, Hesse will meet with the Speaker of the House in New York State as well as the President of the American Council on Germany, a non-governmental organization for strengthening German-American relations.

As announced in December, 2021, the New York Philharmonic will be guests at the Historical-Technical Museum Peenemünde on Usedom from May 20th to 22nd under the motto "Peace, Diversity and Freedom". The three-day guest performance is a special concert of the Usedom Music Festival, which, according to director Thomas Hummel, has been in the works for more than ten years, and came about with the participation of the US Consul General in Hamburg and Dorn Music.

The three concerts take place on historic ground, the site of the former army research institute in Peenemünde, where the Nazis developed and tested their rockets. The museum commemorates both the terror and suffering associated with the V-weapons and the technical developments that continued in the USA after the end of the World War II.