Music and discourse programme for 2023 are complete

OPENING CEREMONY AT ORPHEUM GRAZ WITH SIBYLLE BERG

The Elevate Festival 2023 will be opened in the large theatre hall of the Graz Orpheum by the bestselling author Sibylle Berg (CH/DE). With their books, essays, columns and plays, they are one of the most renowned contemporary writers and playwrights in the German-speaking countries. Their dystopian novel "GRIME" (translated into english) not only became a bestseller in 2019, but they also received the "Swiss Grand Prix Literature" for their complete works one year later.

The Belarusian Yegor Zabelov will musically accompany the evening with his accordion retreat. Zabelov is considered one of the most innovative and original accordion players in Eastern Europe. He fuses experimental approaches with elements of jazz, rock and neo-classical, filtering the most wondrous and unexpected sounds from his accordion.

Elevate Music

After the first programmatic music highlights such as the Italian synthesiser luminary Caterina Barbieri, the US post-industrial cult act Pharmakon, the indie psychedelic duo Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, Brainfeeder figurehead The Gaslamp Killer or the techno legend Luke Slater under his Pseydonym Planetary Assault Systems, the last confirmed acts once again represent the broad musical spectrum of the festival.

In addition to experimental, technoid and entertaining music, Elevate will also focus on Africa's electronic music scene with a showcase of the Nyege Nyege platform and present, among others, the producer and activist Catu Diosis or the experimental and multidisciplinary artist Afrorack.

Local acts such as the trio PLF around vocalist Freya Edmondes, drummer Lukas König and guitarist and electronic musician Peter Kutin or the local heroes of Atropa complete this year's line-up of the Elevate Festival.

>> FULL LINE-UP
 

Elevate Discourse: (Unlikely) Alliances

The 19th edition of Elevate Festival will once again highlight the latest developments at the interface between science, art, media and civil society. The discourse programme will be themed: "(Unlikely) Alliances".

Starting on Thursday, the Heimatsaal in the Graz Folklore Museum will be a discussion venue for three days with national and international guests. In order to get ready for the discussions, keynotes and workshops and to be able to exchange ideas together, there will be a brunch with musical accompaniment from Thursday to Saturday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., in the immediate vicinity of the Heimatsaal, the restaurant "Gatto im Museum".

Highlight at the end of Elevate Discourse 2023

For the conclusion and highlight of this year's Discourse programme, Elevate will move for the first time to the magnificent Minoritensaal in Graz, which was only renovated in 2022, and will welcome its star guest, the philosopher Slavoj Žižek (SLO), with his lecture "ONLY A CATASTROPHE CAN SAVE US" at 6 pm.

The Slovenian is considered one of the most important thinkers and public intellectuals of our time, but at the same time also one of the most controversial: With his academic works on political theory, cultural studies and psychoanalysis, his widely read publications in journals and his popular scientific lecture style - and sometimes idiosyncratic appearances - he has not only built up a considerable following and international influence, but also triggered numerous controversies.

>> DISCOURSE PROGRAMME

Elevate Arts

In addition to the advanced music programme and a stimulating discourse programme, the upcoming festival edition with Elevate Arts will again bring a broad spectrum of contemporary art to public spaces as well as to selected locations. 

The first contribution to the Elevate Arts programme will be on view three weeks before the festival begins. "(Unlikely) Alliances", the theme of this year's festival, will be presented on historical cast-iron city map panels by national and international artists. The sound installation Music for Elevators will also make the Schlossberg elevator resonate again, this year Caterina Barbieri will create the third installation. The Forum Stadtpark will feature an installation by Viennese artist Andreas Trobollowitsch for the duration of the festival.

More information on the Elevate Arts programme will follow soon.

Elevate Ticket Shop

Festival passes und tickets for all categories are available via ntry, Love Your Artist and Öticket.