"A Star Is Born" was the headline of a major German newspaper in the late 1990s, when Brad Mehldau gave one of his first concerts in Europe. Since then, the versatile and highly creative keyboard-magician has unfolded an unprecedented international career, establishing himself as a bandleader and composer alike. His solo evening in Schloss Elmau will certainly not be a "back to the roots", as the rate at which Brad Mehldau reinvents himself is without equal.

The Austrian band Shake Stew has become something of a phenomenon. After their premiere at the Saalfelden Jazz Festival in 2016, they exploded onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere and have since been successful throughout Europe with their energetic beats. In 2021, the band has been honored with the German Jazz Award.

Frank Peter Zimmermann is one of the leading violinists of our time, praised for his distinctive tone and deep musicality. Together with Martin Helmchen, one of the most important pianists of the younger generation, he has recorded the highly acclaimed CD recordings of all Beethoven violin sonatas in recent years. The two artists present a programme around Brahms' sonata originally composed for clarinet and piano.

Timothy Garton Ash is a passionate European. Even before 1989, he refused to accept the division of the continent, and he fought against Brexit until the very end. Now he is writing his own personal history of Europe. He tells of friends like Václav Havel, recalls the fall of the Berlin Wall and provides an analysis of recent history. The attack on Ukraine shows how urgently we need a free and united continent – no one embodies this idea more convincingly than Timothy Garton Ash.

It's hardly possible to imagine a better cast for a string trio: with the world-renowned violist Tabea Zimmermann, the versatile violinist Daniel Sepec, at home in music from the Baroque to the modern, and the outstanding cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.

It's hardly possible to imagine a better cast for a string trio: with the world-renowned violist Tabea Zimmermann, the versatile violinist Daniel Sepec, at home in music from the Baroque to the modern, and the outstanding cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.