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Archives and libraries have preserved a wide range of knowledge about music since time immemorial. Today, owing to digitisation, they are undergoing massive changes.

Most of the cooperation partners of public music schools are schools and kindergartens. In addition, local music groups, churches and retirement homes are networked with public music schools.

Germany has a tightly-knight network of orchestras . Despite financial challenges and structural changes, Germany’s publicly financed orchestras have continuously expanded their programmes.

Germany's 129 publicly financed professional orchestras have 9,771 registered permanent positions for musicians. The number of positions has remained relatively stable in recent years.

Millions of people attend music theatre performances in Germany every year. Half of the over 11,000 events are opera performances, followed by dance, musicals and operettas.

The 2020-21 season data document the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on orchestra operations. Concert and attendance figures declined significantly.

With only 3,205 opera, operetta, musical and dance performances and 685,000 visits to these events, the consequences of the pandemic on theatre operations in the 2020-21 season are profound.

At German theatres, non-permanent artistic staff was strongly affected by the pandemic. Figures of other staff groups only slightely decreased.

The total expenses of publicly financed theatres in Germany amounted to approximately 3.2 billion euros in 2020. 68.5 % of the expenditure was for staff.

In Germany's 129 publicly funded orchestras, four out of ten musicians are female. In section leader and soloist positions of highly remunerated orchestras, the share of women is only 22%.

Germany, a country with a rich and varied musical tradition, has a dense network of concert venues, including several exciting new buildings of recent vintage.

Germany has more than 150 museums devoted to musicians, musical instruments, regional music history or ethnomusicology. Among their aims are to collect, conserve and communicate.

Independent ensembles are a major engine of innovation and creativity in musical life, but they often work under trying conditions.

Festivals und Clubs bemühen sich zunehmend um Barrierefreiheit. Viele Veranstaltungsorte bleiben Menschen mit Behinderung jedoch verschlossen, weil barrierefreie Zugänge und Fluchtwege fehlen.

Rollstuhlgerechte Zugänge gehören für Musiktheater und Konzerthäuser meist zum Standard. Zunehmend werden auch Vorstellungen mit Audiodeskription und Gebärdensprache angeboten.

Energie und Mobilität gehören bei den Theatern und Orchestern in Deutschland zu den größten Emissionstreibern. Mit Leitfäden und Klimabilanzen möchten die Institutionen gegensteuern.

In Clubs und Veranstaltungshallen, bei Festivals und Livemusik­veranstaltungen war Nachhaltigkeit bis vor Kurzem ein Nischen­thema. Doch es gibt auch Vorbilder.

Nur wenige Frauen leiten ein öffentlich finanziertes Orchester, und oft stehen ihnen Vorurteile im Weg. Doch ein Wandel ist in Sicht.