2025 Report Forte e.V.
FORTE in 2025: Music, Collaboration and Artist Support
In 2025, FORTE brought musicians, theatre makers and participants with different levels of artistic experience together in Leipzig. Across festivals, stage productions and individual consultation, we continued to create space for underrepresented voices, particularly artists from the SWANA/MENA diaspora.
The 1st Leipzig Oud Festival
From November 18-24 2025, the first edition of the Leipzig Oud Festival brought together 27 artists and participants, including semi-professional oud players who joined the masterclasses and final concerts. The participants came from Beirut, Istanbul, Oslo, Berlin, Leipzig and Riad. The festival connected the learning of different techniques and styles of Arabic music with public performance, creating opportunities to exchange musical knowledge and develop relationships through a shared instrument.
Leipzig Oud Festival 2025 was funded by “Integration Sachsen” by the Free State of Saxony and by the city of Leipzig as part of the Federal Programme “Demokratie leben!” („Live Democracy!“).
Creating and performing together
Our music theatre production Exercise of Celebrating Nonsense Together concluded the three-part Exercise series. Developed through collaborative workshops, it brought professional artists and non-professional participants into a shared process of making theatre. Six non-professional participants performed on stage, contributing to a production shaped by different languages, experiences and forms of expression. The production was performed in two sold out shows at Neues Schauspiel Leipzig.
Exercise of Celebrating Nonsense Together was funded by “Integration Sachsen” by the Free State of Saxony and the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony (Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen)
A concert of the Arab intercultural choir brought together 20 semi-professional singers and four professional musicians. We also supported the guest production Non Ego, involving nine artists across performance, direction and visual art. These projects offered different ways to participate in artistic creation, from collective singing to interdisciplinary theatre and performance art.
The Migrated Art Network: Continuing Beyond Project Funding
Alongside our public programme, the Migrated Art Network continued supporting artists in Leipzig and across Saxony. Although its dedicated project funding had ended, our team maintained the work voluntarily. Around 15 artists received individual consultation during 2025.
This support included discussing funding opportunities, assisting with applications, sharing open calls and connecting artists with cultural institutions and potential collaborators. Maintaining these relationships remained an important part of FORTE’s work, including during periods without dedicated funding.
A More Consistent Work Base
Since 2025, access to a shared office in the Leipzig city center has given FORTE a regular base for team meetings, administration and artist consultations. The office space is provided by KolLeKtiv, a project addressing migrant organisations.
Our 2025 programme was made possible by artists, participants, our core team, volunteers, funders and long-standing partners who provided venues and technical services and infrastructure. Their contributions supported both the work audiences encountered on stage and the less visible work of consultation, collaboration and ongoing development of our organisation.
Looking towards 2026, we are building on these experiences through the second Leipzig Oud Festival, Soubhi Shami’s new music theatre series Zarohma, and the ongoing activities of the Migrated Art Network.