After it’s pre-opening evening last week at the Harmonie, Bonn’s yearly Over The Border Festival kicks off in ernest this Sunday with The Local Ambassadors at Pantheon. For those new to the Festival, it’s aim is to bring a wide selection of World Music to the City, and it has been successfully doing so for some years now. In 2016 a project called ‘Local Ambassadors’ pooled the international visitors together with local musicians, and it has been a successful and inspiring evening for both audience and musicians alike ever since.

Local piano virtuoso Marcus Schinkel will be in charge of keeping the music together whilst also keeping it fresh for listeners. Anyone who is familiar with the local Jazz/Classical/Rock scene will know that Marcus is a wizard at pushing the genre borders, and a number of other familiar faces will also be back – vocalist Estrela Gomes and percussionist Pape Seck amongst them. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the show on Sunday though as, for the first time, it will be repeated in Leverkusen (17 March) and Koblenz (18 March). Although, with Marcus Schinkel at the helm I’m sure that ‘repeated’ is not the right word – every show will be a little bit different.

The Festival focus is on an exchange between local and international artists and with its motto of ‘Songs of Peace’ sends a much needed signal in challenging times. There will be a total of 135 artists from 28 countries on 18 evenings across 8 locations.

For full festival details of these shows, visit their website: OVER THE BORDER