International Association of Wagner Societies

RWVI
International Association of Wagner Societies
Founded	1991
Headquarters	Bayreuth
Location	Germany;
Members	26,000
Key people	Dr Harry Leutscher, President
Affiliations	Bayreuth Festival
Website	www.richard-wagner.org/rwvi/en/

The International Association of Wagner Societies (Der Richard-Wagner-Verband International e.V., also known as "Der RWVI") is an affiliation of Wagner societies (Richard Wagner-Verband) that promotes interest and research into the works of Richard Wagner, raises funds for scholarships for young music students, singers, and instrumentalists, and supports the annual Bayreuth Festival. It also sponsors symposia, holds singing competitions for Wagnerian voices, and issues awards for stage direction and stagings of Wagner's operas. The association is a nonprofit organization, governed by a Presidium headed by a President, who are elected together quinquennially.^[1]

History

Richard Wagner (portrait by Cäsar Willich), c.1862

The first Richard Wagner society was launched in Mannheim, Germany in 1871, one year after the premiere of the German composer's opera Die Walküre ("The Valkyrie") in Munich. The brainchild of Wagner's longtime friend, the music publisher Emil Heckel, the first society was a simple, locally conceived venue for celebrating Wagner's music. In the wake of Wagner's difficulties in securing interest in the public subscription for his future Bayreuth Festival, Heckel suggested to the composer that he sponsor additional societies to help secure support. Wagner embraced the idea enthusiastically, and by 1872, societies had been established in Vienna, Berlin, Leipzig and London (the latter founded by Edward Dannreuther (1844–1905), the author of Richard Wagner: His Tendencies and Theories published in 1873).

Wagner's dream, as described in a letter written in 1882, was that his Bayreuth Festival would be free for everyone to attend, however this was never possible because of the extremely high costs to organize and produce it. Nonetheless, based on Wagner's desires, societies refocused their efforts and began making it possible for promising talented musicians to attend. Public interest in supporting subscriptions to fund scholarships was initially tepid, but from 1919 forward, the number of societies increased steadily.

The International Association of Wagner Societies was founded in 1991 in Lyon. Today, more than 26,000 members in 147 societies belong to the International Association of Wagner Societies around the globe. The number of groups under the organization's auspices has expanded considerably in the last fifty years. Wagner societies can be found in all parts of the world, including the Netherlands, Venice, Great Britain, Scotland, Shanghai, Tokyo, Lisbon, Melbourne, Adelaide, Ankara, New York City, Toronto, Cape Town, Bangkok, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and the Ottawa/Gatineau area.

The societies are very diverse and offer a wide range of Wagner-related activities, including concerts, lectures, and publishing. The main organization holds a symposium called "Wagner Days in Venice" (Giornate Wagneriane a Venezia) in Italy each autumn.

Presidium

RWVI President Dr Harry Leutscher (left) at Deutsche Oper Berlin with conductor Sir Donald Runnicles

From left: outgoing RWVI President Rainer Fineske, Nike Wagner, Torsten Fineske, incoming RWVI President, Harry Leutscher

Current RWVI President

Elected for a five-year term by the 2024 Assembly of Delegates.^[2]

Harry Leutscher (Netherlands), President
Christian Stürzl-Moitz (Germany), First Vice President
Esther Lobato (Spain), Second Vice President
Ada Vermeer-Janse (Netherlands), Treasurer
Elizabeth Mollard (Belgium), Secretary
Karin Colpan (Germany), Assessor national
Michael Schmidt (Germany), Assessor national
Thomas Winiarski (Germany), Assessor national
Selma Guðmundsdóttir (Island), Assessor international
Cyril Plante (France), Assessor international
Derek Williams (Scotland), Assessor international

Past presidents

2024-present: Harry Leutscher, Emmen
2019–2024: Rainer Fineske, Berlin
2015–2019: Horst Eggers, Bayreuth
2014–2015: Thomas Krakow, Leipzig
2008–2014: Eva Märtson, Hannover
1988–2008: Josef Lienhart, Freiburg i. Br. (1st President of RWVI)
1981–1988: Helmut Goldmann, Nürnberg
1968–1981: Mercedes Bahlsen, Hannover
1943–1968: Lotte Albrecht-Potonié, Hannover
1914–1943: Marianne Lange, Hannover
1909–1914: Margarethe Strauß, Magdeburg

Richard Wagner International Congress

Nike Wagner address to the 2024 Symposium Deutsche Oper Berlin

RWVI President Rainer Fineske welcomes Symposium 2024

Congress 2023, Brussels, Assembly of Delegates

RWVI Congress 2023, Brussels, Gala Dinner

Opening RWVI Congress Munich 2021 President Rainer Fineske

2021 Congress Lenbachplatz farewell

RWVI 2019 Congress Assembly of Delegates held in Venice at the Ca' Vendramin Calergi

RWVI at Teatro La Fenice: Wagner Symphony No 1 & Wesendonck Lieder

2018 Assembly of the Delegates, RWVI Congress at Innsbruck

Eva Wagner-Pasquier address to the 2018 Innsbruck Congress

Every year, members of the local Wagner Societies gather for the Richard Wagner International Congress to share experiences and to plan for the future in sessions. The congress takes place in a different city each year:

2024 Berlin^[3]
2023: Brussels^[4]
2019: Venice^[5]
2018: Innsbruck^[6]
2017: Budapest
2016: Strasbourg
2015: Dessau
2014: Graz
2013: Leipzig
2012: Prague
2011: Wrocław
2010: Stralsund
2009: Dresden
2008: Geneva
2007: Weimar
2006: Tallinn and Helsinki
2005: Leipzig
2004: Augsburg
2003: Copenhagen
2002: Seville
2001: Freiburg im Breisgau
2000: Berlin
1990: Hannover
1986: Vienna

Congresses have also taken place in Frankfurt am Main, Bordeaux, Trier, and Budapest. As a result of the Covid pandemic, congresses planned between 2020 and 2022 in Bonn, Berlin and Madrid had to be cancelled. Originally scheduled to take place in early May in London, the 2024 Congress was moved by the RWVI, first to Madrid, then eventually took place in late May in Berlin, following organisational difficulties.^[7]

External links

Wagner Verband official website – contains links or contact information for all individual societies.
Richard-Wagner-Verband International e.V. - Facebook
International Association of the Wagner Societies. Union of International Associations.

References

^ International Association of the Wagner Societies. Union of International Associations.
^ RWVI Presidium. Official site.
^ 'Kongress/Congress/Congrès RWVI 2024, Berlin May/June'. wagnerverband-berlin.de/neu/contao/ website.
^ CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL VERBAND Richard Wagner. November 2-6. Brussels. cerclewagner.be website.
^ Wagner Society of New York: 2019 Richard-Wagner-Verband International Congress: November 28–December 1, 2019. Venice, Italy.
^ Previous Congresses: Innsbruck. 2018. Innsbruck. RWVI official site.
^ ‘THE WAGNER CONGRESSES’. Official website.

[1] International Association of the Wagner Societies. Union of International Associations.

[2] RWVI Presidium. Official site.

[3] 'Kongress/Congress/Congrès RWVI 2024, Berlin May/June'. wagnerverband-berlin.de/neu/contao/ website.

[4] CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL VERBAND Richard Wagner. November 2-6. Brussels. cerclewagner.be website.

[5] Wagner Society of New York: 2019 Richard-Wagner-Verband International Congress: November 28–December 1, 2019. Venice, Italy.

[6] Previous Congresses: Innsbruck. 2018. Innsbruck. RWVI official site.

[7] ‘THE WAGNER CONGRESSES’. Official website.

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