Programs and Events

'Once Upon a Time' Poster Show Opens at Görlitz Public Library.
December 1, 2004 A United States Government poster show on American children’s literature opened at the Görlitz public library. The show 'Once Upon a Time' was the Consulate’s contribution to Görlitz’s ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ events, calling attention to the use of Görlitz as scenesetter in the movie with Jackie Chan, which will open in Berlin in December. The exhibit - staged in cooperation with the Consulate General Leipzig - was attended by staff of the Consulate General and a lively audience of young readers.(more)

Spotlight on Libraries.
November 30, 2004 Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky welcomed the head of department of student affairs of Leipzig's school administration and 32 library professionals and trainees from the local public and school library system at the Consulate. Consulate staff introduced the group to the activities and services of the Information Resource Center, presented USA information on the Internet and discussed peculiarities of the German and American library system.(more)

An American in Leipzig - George W. Chadwick Exhibition.
November 23, 2004 An exhibit about George Whitefield Chadwick opened in Leipzig's University Library. As Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky, Consulate General Leipzig, stressed in her opening remarks, this joint venture between Leipzig's Music College, Leipzig University, and the U.S. Consulate mirrors the strong cultural and educational ties between Leipzig and the U.S. The exhibit deals with the life of the American composer, who studied at Leipzig's Conservatory (1877/78) and later on became one of the most eminent American composers of his time.(more)

Teachers Learn about The Blues
November 16, 2004
Consul General Fletcher Burton and Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky welcomed a group of teachers from Saxony for a Blues workshop. Reinhard Lorenz, International Jazz Archive Eisenach, introduced them to the history and research facilities at the Archive. The Information Resource Center (IRC) of the Consulate General Leipzig presented web pages featuring teaching materials on the topic, showed the IRC as a source of information on the U.S., and showed clips from the PBS film series "The Blues".(more)

American Author Presents Latest Novels in Leipzig
November 11, 2004
American author Valerie Wilson Wesley presented her latest novels “Off-Road-Kids” and “Dying in the Dark” to an audience of 120 mainly younger literary enthusiasts in Leipzig's House of Books. The bilingual reading, with Wesley’s Berlin-based translator Gertraude Krueger as moderator and German voice, ended with a long and vivid discussion on writing, African Americans and American society.
(more)

Opening of a New Exhibition at the HGB on Art and Food
November 11, 2004. The Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special Food Art exhibit. Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky represented the Consulate and gave opening remarks. The exhibit featured also works by American artists such as Cindy Sherman, Martha Roseler (“Semiotics of the Kitchen”) and Paul McCarthy. The exhibition closes on December 18.
(more)

American Author Reads in Dresden
November 10, 2004 American author Sara Paretsky read from her last novel "Blacklist" at Dresden's City Library. The bilingual and almost scenic reading, with Frank Heibert as moderator and Julia Henke as her German voice, impressed the audience with its intensity and Paretsky's artistic ability to closely link her writing to social and political trends in past and present America.(more)

Opening of Jazz Exhibition at Leipzig's Music School 'Johann Sebastian Bach'.
November 8, 2004 Leipzig's Music School 'Johann Sebastian Bach' performed its annual concert of the department 'Popularmusik'. Frank-Thomas Mitschke, Director of the Music School, welcomed the about 50 students and guests of the concert. Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky, Consulate General Leipzig, delivered a message of greeting and opened the poster shows 'Jazz' and 'Louis Armstrong - King of Jazz' which will be on display during the month of November.(more)

Presidential Elections Celebrated at Leipzig Local Broadcasting Station
November 2-3, 2004 More than 500 guests from the Leipzig Consular district –among them Saxony Economics Minister Gillo, Leipzig Lord Mayor Tiefensee, state parliamentarians, business and academic representatives – flocked to the headquarter of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) on November 2 to celebrate election night with the Leipzig Consulate General. The event on the 13th floor of regional public broadcaster MDR provided – aside from of a stunning view over the city – entertainment and substance including Dixieland music, a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party by a local high school drama group, a video presentation about a recent U.S. trip by Leipzig university students, food, drinks, and a quiz.(more)

American Professor And Afghanistan Expert in Dresden and Leipzig
October 28-29, 2004 Professor Barnett Rubin, Director of Studies at the Center on International Cooperation of New York University and considered one of the world's foremost experts on Afghanistan, explained to the public, students and staff of Dresden and Leipzig universities recent developments in Afghanistan. Prof. Rubin spoke about „What is Being Reconstructed in Afghanistan? Security, Elections, and the State“ and analyzed the elections and their effects on the reconstruction of the Afghani state and its constitution.(more)

Eighth U.S. Investor's Roundtable in Osterweddingen
October 27, 2004. Consul Fletcher M. Burton joined the Eighth U.S. Investors' Roundtable and greeted the guests. The event was organized by Wolfgang Borchert form radio SAW and hosted by Schwan's Food in Osterweddingen, Saxony-Anhalt. The company is the world's second largest manufacturer of frozen pizza.
(more)

English Teachers of Magdeburg Learn about Upcoming Presidential Elections.
October 26, 2004 Consul for Political and Economic Affairs Eleanore Fox, Consulate General Leipzig, gave a presentation on the U.S. electoral system, spoke about the upcoming elections and discussed the election process with more than 40 teachers of English at Magdeburg Public Library. The Information Resource Center (IRC) of the Consulate General supported the event with materials and introduced the IRC as a resource for U.S.-related information.(more)

Meerane Celebrates American Night
October 7, 2004 The Mayor of Meerane in Saxony welcomed more than 100 guests - students, teachers and general public - to a two-hour USA program at the gallery ART IN. After handing over a 1000 Euro check for the English language collection of Meerane's public library, Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky spoke about the Consulate's responsibilities and activities. Leipzig's IRC director introduced reference resources and services while the students presented projects on U.S. literature and history compiled during previous research at the IRC.(more)

Ambassador Coats Hands Over a Check in Weimar
October 1, 2004 Ambassador Daniel R. Coats handed over a $ 10,000 check in Weimar for the restoration of the “Duchess Anna Amalia Library”, the cradle of the Weimar classical period and a universal treasury of books. The library was struck by a devastating fire on September 2, which severely damaged or destroyed the historical collection.(more)

Ambassador Coats Joins Sister City Festivities
October 1, 2004 Ambassador and Mrs. Coats – long-time residents of Fort Wayne (IN) - were honoured guests at the annual Gera-Fort Wayne sister city party. The festive occasion included videos of previous visits, rock music, and an American western-style buffet. Among the guests were representatives from the Fort Wayne police department and sister city organization. The Ambassador greeted the audience and heard reports from student exchanges and a recent trip to Fort Wayne by handicapped high schoolers which the Consulate had helped support.(more)

Jeffrey Garrett Lectures at University Library of Leipzig
September 29, 2004 Jeffrey Garrett, Assistant University Librarian for Collection Management at Northwestern University, held a presentation on German literature collections in the U.S. Afterwards Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky, Consulate General Leipzig, hosted a working luncheon for Mr. Garrett and the Director General of the Deutsche Bücherei, library directors, and subject specialists German Studies from Saxony and Thuringia. In the evening Jeffrey Garrett joined a meeting of Saxon librarians to discuss specifics of American and German library sciences.(more)

American Evening in Gardelegen
September 22, 2004 The Consulate General Leipzig added a U.S. program element to the Saxony-Anhalt festival “Altmaerkisches Musikfest.” Actor Martin Hahnemann and cellist Ralf Werner fascinated their audience in the city library with an unusual combination of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" and atmospheric jazz. Gardelegen mayor Fuchs opened the evening by stressing the importance of German-American cooperation.

(more)

Exhibit on the South in Altenburg
September 19, 2004 The "Life in the South" exhibit from the Huffman Collection in Hickory, SC, consisting of works by self-taught southern artists, opened at the Lindenau-Museum in Altenburg. Leipzig Consul General Fletcher M. Burton delivered a welcome address to the nine-member U.S. delegation and a huge crowd of interested Altenburg citizens, among them County Commissioner Rydcewski. The cultural exchange between the U.S. and the Altenburg area demonstrated the great interest and enthusiasm on both sides to engage in people-to-people contacts.(more)

American Entrepreneur Talks to Students
September 14, 2004 Dr. Horst Saalbach, Festo, visited Leipzig and met the principal Mrs. Naumann and students from Leipzig's Herder school. Dr. Saalbach who has always proudly displayed his German heritage and more specifically his place of birth, the City of Leipzig, supported American-German relations over the last 25 years. Within Festo, Dr. Saalbach sponsored approximately twenty exchange students for six months each from Germany. He provided them with temporary and permanent working conditions.(more)

Finissage of Industrial Design Poster Show
September 14, 2004.
Chairman Lars Bosse, Chamber of Commerce in Leipzig, and Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky welcomed the guests of the poster show 'Industrial Design', which has been on display for 6 weeks at the chamber.
The exhibit 'Industrial Design - America's New Style' addresses the development of industrial design in America and presents its range instancing several American industrial designers.(more)

Visit of Ambassador Coats and Mrs. Coats to Leipzig, September 12 - 13, 2004
September 12 - 13, 2004 Ambassador Daniel R. Coats and Mrs. Coats from the U.S. Embassy Berlin visited Leipzig where they met with student groups at two different high schools. They explained the American way of life and discussed U.S. policy at the Friedrich-List-Gymnasium and Immanuel-Kant-Gymnasium.
Ambassador Coats and his wife were accompanied by Consul General Fletcher M. Burton and Mr. Saalbach and Mrs. Saalbach.(more)

Opening of Louis-Armstrong Poster Show in Löbau, Saxony
September 3, 2004. Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky delivered remarks at the opening of the poster show "Louis Armstrong - King of Jazz" in Löbau, Saxony. Commercial Assistant Bettina Kutsche also introduced the Foreign Commercial Service at the event with an overview of U.S.-German economic relations and investments.
50 visitors, among them the Lord Mayor of Löbau, Dietmar Buchholz, members of the city council and local business representatives, joined the event and collected U.S. information materials.
(more)

Magdeburg Opens September 11 Exhibition
August 31, 2004. Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky, U. S. Consulate General Leipzig, joined the opening of the photo exhibition "After September 11: Images from Ground Zero", an exhibition by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The photographs by Joel Meyerowitz are on display from September 1 through September 30, 2004 at Magdeburg Public Library.(more)

U.S. Air Force Europe Band Engages in Community Relations
August 29, 2004. The Consulate General Leipzig arranged the performence of the U.S. military band together with the reserve organization of the local Bundeswehr unit at the lantern festival in Halle. Halle Lord Mayor Häussler and Bundeswehr Colonel Althoff gave welcoming remarks. The origins of the USAFE Band go back to 1943. Always at the forefront of current events and changing political climates, the USAFE band integrates itself into international cultures as a symbol of democracy and freedom.
(more)

Ronald McDonald House Celebrates American Barbecue
August 26, 2004 The Ronald McDonald House Leipzig, which provides acommodations and support for families with children suffering from life-threatening illness, invited Leipzig Consulate General to join its staff and about 250 guests for its third annual American Barbecue.
Acting Consul General Eleanore Fox delivered a speech and donated books to the facility. The McDonalds Kinderhilfe currently operates 13 houses throughout Germany and more are in planning.
(more)

Group of 33 Young People Visits the Consulate
July 28, 2004. Acting Consul General Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky welcomed a group from Ellrich, Thuringia, and introduced them to the work of the Consulate General Leipzig. The 33 young people participate in a project called "Großer Grenzverkehr" which brings together students from Germany, the USA and the UK in various German towns along the former inner-German border. The Americans and British mediate between youth from the East and West of Germany. They organize barbecues, parties and soccer matches.
(more)

Group of Students from Local Broadcasting Station Mephisto Visit the Consulate
July 15, 2004. Continuing the long-standing relationship with the Scripps School of Journalism in Ohio, 10 journalism majors from Leipzig’s University radio Mephisto will team up with five students from Ohio for a study tour of the U.S. in September, which will take them to several U.S. campus radios and focus on the U.S. media system and the upcoming elections. In preparation of its trip, the study group visited the Consulate General, accompanied by Professor Steinmetz, head of the Communications Department, University of Leipzig.(more)

Teachers of German from Russia and the U.S. Visit the Consulate General
July 14, 2004. Consul General Fletcher Burton welcomed a group of German teachers from Russia and the U.S. at the Consulate. The Consul General led a discussion on typical tasks of an American Consulate General, on the particularities of the Leipzig Consular District and on American-German relations. The 23 teachers will be in Leipzig for four weeks to intensify their knowledge of the German language, culture and history.
(more)

American Day in Zeitz
July 3, 2004. The U.S. Consulate General Leipzig co-organized an American Day at Saxony-Anhalt's first official garden show. Consul General Fletcher Burton delivered a speech.
A stand with information about the United States of America compiled by the Information Resource Center attracted a large public audience at the garden show. In addition, artists and American exchange students staged a cultural program.
(more)

Independence Day Reception 2004
July 1, 2004. Leipzig Consulate General celebrated the 228th U.S. Independence Day in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, this year. About 300 guests listened to the welcoming remarks of Consul Fletcher M. Burton, Minister President Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Böhmer, and Lord Mayor Ingrid Häußler. The Marine Guards presented the Colors and James Moellenhoff of the Opera Leizig sang the national anthem. The U.S. Army Europe Dixieland Band provided entertainment.
(more)

Festival in American Consulate General Leipzig Neighborhood, Academy of Visual Arts
June 24, 2004. Leipzig American Consulate General joined forces with the Academy of Visual Arts, the German Literature Institute, the Gallery for Contemporary Art, the University Library and the University of Music and Theater, to stage a neighborhood festival. Consul General Fletcher Burton and Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky mingled with several hundred employees and students from the adjacent institutions.(more)

Magic Bus in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt
June, 8, 2004. Ambassador Daniel R. Coats and Mrs. Coats as well as American officers from the U.S. Embassy Berlin and the U.S. Consulate General Leipzig joined forces and descended on Magdeburg where they met with large student groups at eight different high schools. The concerted effort to explain U.S. policy and the American way of life is part of the Ambassador’s School Outreach Program.
(more)

All-Day Workshop for Journalism Trainees
May 5, 2004. Consulate General Leipzig hosted twelve journalism trainees from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), the public TV/radio broadcaster in eastern Germany, for a workshop on the Consulate’s activities, U.S. information resources and the upcoming elections.
The program included a Digital Video Conference (DVC) with Professor Darrell West from Brown University, who analyzed the role of the U.S. media in the current election campaign.
(more)

Librarians' Conference in Zittau
April 30, 2004. The Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky and staff of the Consulate's Information Resource Center (IRC) participated in a librarians’ conference for delegates from the three-country corner of Saxony (Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic) in Zittau to celebrate the expansion of the EU. Dr. Bonkowsky delivered remarks and opened a poster show on the U.S. experience with immigration in the Zittau public library. The IRC director presented books to coordinating librarians from each of the three countries.
(more)

Consulate General Leipzig Supports Library of the Zittau Technical College
April 30, 2004. The Rector of the Zittau technical college accepted a grant from the Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky, Consulate General Leipzig, to be used for books for the new Neisse University. The event took place in a new library, which serves students from the three countries of Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. All students must learn English before studying the language of their neighboring states.
(more)

A Delegation from Gotha's Sister City Gastonia Meets the Consul General
April 27, 2004. Consul General Fletcher M. Burton, U.S. Consulate General Leipzig, joined the lord mayor of Gotha, Volker Doenitz, in welcoming a delegation from Gotha's sister city Gastonia, NC. Both mayors looked back upon a successful partnership, which was established in 1993.
In the past 10 years, more than a hundred high school students from both sides crossed the Atlantic.
(more)

Louis Armstrong Poster Show in Halle
April 21, 2004. Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky spoke at the opening of the paper show 'Louis Armstrong - King of Jazz' in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, University Library. The University Library Director Dr. Heiner Schnelling and the Dean of the Philosophy Department Prof. Georg Maas gave opening remarks which were followed by a concert of the university's Swing Band. The opening of the Louis Armstrong Exhibition was joined by more than 50 guests.
(more)

"American Day" at Mulda Middle School
April 7, 2004. Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky visits the Mulda Middle School near Freiberg and meets the school principal and the mayor of Mulda. She joins U.S. related activities of students from grades 5 - 10 at Mulda Middle School.
(more)

American Consulate General Repesented the U.S. at Leipzig Book Fair
March 25 - 28, 2004. For the first time in ten years, the Consulate General Leipzig represented the U.S. at the Leipzig Book Fair. The booth supported by the U.S. Embassy Berlin was also staffed by the Foreign Commercial Service Hamburg, which used the fair as an opportunity to establish contacts with and for American publishers. Information material and 1,500 CD-ROMs “About the USA” were distributed to visiting students, teachers, and the general public. On March 25, the Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky hosted a reception at the fair and on March 26, American author Holly-Jane Rahlens performed a 'Meet the Author' event at the Consulate booth.(more)

American Consulate General Leipzig Represented at International Library Congress
March 23- 26, 2004. At the Library Congress “Information - Power - Education,” which took place in conjunction with the Leipzig Book Fair, US Consulate General Leipzig organized an information booth for the 2,500 librarians in attendance. AKI Leipzig, a Leipzig network of librarians, welcomed Dr. Michael Seadle, Michigan State University Libraries, East Lansing, who spoke as representative of libraries about “Long-term Archiving and Availability of Digital Documents” on March 23. Prof. Scheffel, University of Applied Sciences Leipzig, presented the museum's perspective while Dr. Lupprian, Executive Board of Bavarian State Archives, spoke about the archives. The event was joined by more than 100 librarians and followed by a vivid 'Question & Answer' session.(more)

Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky Visits Halle
February 28, 2004. Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky represents the Consulate at the "Happy Birthday Händel" festival concert in Halle. A mass choir of some 300 participants from 11 countries, including the United States, performs the entire oratorio The Messiah. The "Händel Festspiele" were first organized in 1922. Since 1952 the Festival takes place on a yearly basis. It is aimed at performing Händel's music according to up-to-date research findings. The festival has its beginning in the revival of the Händel opera. Each year one of his operas is performed in cooperation with the OPERNHAUS HALLE.
(more)

Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky Visits Halle
February 28, 2004. Accompanied by a local Big Band playing American swing, the Moritzburg museum in Halle opened a photography exhibit "Portraits of Americans". Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky toured the display with the museum director and German-born New York photographer Reiner Leist. Each item includes a childhood photograph, one taken by Leist recently, and a text about how the subjects' lives have changed over the years and what it means to be an American. Most photographs were of average citizens - Henry Kissinger and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates were the exceptions.(more)

Fair "House, Garden, Leisure Time" 2004
February 14 - 22, 2004. The American Consulate General Leipzig organized the Houston booth at the "House, Garden, Leisure Time Fair" in Leipzig. Houston,TX, is the sister city of Leipzig. The Consulate recruited cheerleader teams from local American football clubs, arranged performances of Native American dances and war rituals. Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky and Consul for Political and Economic Affairs Eleanore Fox spoke at the fair and answered questions from the public.
(more)

Black History Month Celebrated in Reichenbach/Oberlausitz
February 4, 2004. Representatives from the city of Reichenbach, school authorities, media and the public joined the official opening of the Louis Armstrong exhibit at the city and district library. The Consulate General Leipzig provided the poster show, and the Consul for Public Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Bonkowsky delivered a keynote speech.
(more)