Wales in Bremen: An Evening of Music, Poetry and Science

Since 2019, the University of Bremen and Cardiff University in Wales have been linked through a strategic partnership, the Bremen-Cardiff Alliance. On November 4 in the Metropol Theatre, the alliance presented itself in a way that was far from ordinary: with an evening dedicated to music, poetry – and science.

Theoccasion for this evening of culture was the University of Bremen’s 50th anniversary and the Welsh government’s “Wales in Germany 2021” initiative. The National Poet of Wales, Ifor ap Glyn, recited a selection of his poems and a Bremen chamber music ensemble (Corinna Reynolds, soprano; Marijke Tjoelker, violin; Leander Kippenberg, violoncello; Lea Fink, piano) presented an extraordinary programme of Welsh folk songs and European classical music.

The Bremen-Cardiff Alliance encompasses joint research projects on four major themes, joint teaching activities and student exchanges. In their speeches at the Metropol Theatre, Prof. Dr. Ing. Bernd Scholz-Reiter, Rector of the University of Bremen, and the Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, Prof. Colin Riordan, both expressed their firm belief that this thriving model should be expanded even further.