In 1961 Festival president Bernhard Paumgartner gathered Festival fans from all over the world to give moral and financial support to the Salzburg Festival on a long-term basis: this was the founding of the Friends. The impetus was the opening of the Grosses Festspielhaus in July 1960, which at a stroke meant that the Salzburg Festival had 2,000 more seats to offer.

President Heinrich Spängler

It was an idea that took off. Today the Friends look after 1,900 patrons and 3,000 full members. There are also 1,500 subscribers to the Friends’ Magazine, which is published three times a year in German and English. During the Festival, the Friends’ Summer Programme offers introductory lectures, opportunities to meet the artists, and visits to exhibitions.

Heinrich Spängler has been President of the Friends and Patrons since August 1999. Heinrich Spängler comes from one of Salzburg’s oldest families – the Spängler Bank is Austria’s oldest banking house – and his training in London, Paris and New York made him the ideal chairman for an international association.

President Spängler is mainly concerned with attracting new patrons and supporters for the Salzburg Festival. Patrons pay an annual fee of € 1,000, which is tax-deductible in Germany, the USA and Great Britain. Benefits include priority booking, the use of the patrons’ lounge, a special gift, and the opportunity to attend patrons’ rehearsals.

The Friends give the Salzburg Festival an annual programming subsidy of € 2,2 million, plus extra funding for special projects, and they contribute around 4% of the Festival budget.

There is a very attractive package for members of the Silver Club and the Golden Club. Silver Club members pay an annual subscription of € 10,000 and Golden Club members an annual subscription of € 50,000. For this they receive all the benefits of patronage plus an invitation to the opening ceremony of the Festival and they receive the evening programmes in advance or get seat reservations at performances with free choice of seating.

These extra donations make it easier for the Friends to support Festival projects in addition to the programming subsidy: Yearly one commission for world premieres, Subsidy to the roofed-over construction of the residence court, Festival Chronicle, Air conditioning for performance venues, Installation of subtitle viewing systems and yearly the celebrations to mark the opening of the Festival.

The Friends also raise funds for building projects - thus, Patrons and Friends from around the world contributed € 3,5 million to the Haus für Mozart and for the new roof for the Felsenreitschule € 2 million.

The Association of the Friends of the Salzburg Festival is thus the largest Festival sponsor. Thousands of patrons all over the world help us by coming and by their financial support. Thank you all very much!

The Friends’ Office is at Mönchsberg 1, accessible by lift from Toscaninihof, and is open from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m..

Click here for further information on membership of the Association of Friends.

President:
Heinrich Spängler

Management:
Brigitte Ritter

Administration:
Ulrike Eder
Rafael Frauscher

Fax

Email

+43-662-8045-284


+43-662-8045-284


+43-662-8045-404
+43-662-8045-284



office@festspielfreunde.at

Salzburg Festival Society, Inc.
$ 1,000,- (tax deductible)
Isabelle Harnoncourt
509 Madison Avenue, Suite 1710, New York, NY 10022
ohone +1-212-355-5675, fax +1-212-355-5677

Salzburg Festival Trust
£ 500,- (tax deductible)
Contact: Brigitte Ritter
Friends of the Salzburg Festival, Mönchsberg 1, 5020 Salzburg
phone +43-662-8045-284, fax +43-662-8045-474
office@festspielfreunde.at

Imprint

Friends of the Salzburg Festival e.V.
Management: Brigitte Ritter
Mönchsberg 1
A-5020 Salzburg

Content responsibility:
Brigitte Ritter

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