Mendelssohn Foundation

TheFelix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundationis a not-for-profit independent foundation governed according to civil law. It is based in theMendelssohn House(where the composer lived in the 1840s) inLeipzig.

Foundation

Originally set up in 2003 as afiduciaryfoundation,the Mendelssohn Foundation's legal status was changed in 2012 by theLeipzigcity authorities, here operating in partnership with the already registered "Mendelssohn House International Mendelssohn Foundation" ("Mendelssohn-Haus Internationale Mendelssohn Stiftung"). This was when theFelix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundationbecame a not-for-profit independent foundation, governed according to civil law. The constitution of the restructured foundation was drawn up on 28 November 2011, and the city's financial and legal participation was agreed at a council meeting on 18 July 2012. The Mendelssohn House and the Mendelssohn Museum, together with the museum site at Goldschmidtstraße 12, were brought into the foundation. Acceptance of the new arrangements by theGerman Foundations Supervisory authorityfollowed on 28 August 2012.

Objectives

According to its constitution, The foundation objectives are focused, in particular, on international research and nurture concerning the artistic and societal inheritance bequeathed by the composer and director of theGewandhaus Orchestra("Gewandhauskapellmeister"),Felix Mendelssohn(1809–1847).

In addition, the foundation is required to encourage musical training and education in a manner consistent with the priorities of the composer who founded in Leipzig Germany's firstmusic conservatory,which today bears his name as theUniversity of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig.

The foundation is also to administer and operate the Mendelssohn Museum in the Mendelssohn House and the carriage house belonging to it.

Activities

• The foundation supports theMendelssohn Complete Outputproject of theSaxonian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
• The foundation issues publications and organises concerts.
• The foundation awards theInternational Mendelssohn Prize in Leipzig.
• The foundation may award scholarships to artists of exceptional talent.
• The foundation has rescued and taken responsibility for running the Mendelssohn House acquired in 1993 by a predecessor organisation.
• The foundation had, by February 2014, invested €1.5 million in dramatically raising the standard of the displays and exhibits in the Mendelssohn-Museum accommodated in the Mendelssohn House.

Leadership

The first prize winner, in 2007, of the International Mendelssohn Prize in Leipzig was the conductorKurt Masur,one of Mendelssohn's successors as chief conductor ("Gewandhauskapellmeister") of theLeipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.Masur held the post for nearly thirty years. Masur has also played a leading part in the work of the foundation and of its predecessor entities: he was the foundation's president.

The chairman of the supervisory board isBurkhard Jung,the lord mayor of Leipzig.

External links

• Official website