Join the BEETHOVEN PASTORAL PROJECT


To mark the occasion of Ludwig van Beethovens 250th birthday the BEETHOVEN PASTORAL PROJECT invites artists from all over the world…

  • to form a network through their engagement with Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony and
  • to take a stand against environmental degradation and to stand up for the UN’s sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement with
  • a performance of ‘their Pastoral’ on Earth Day or United Nations World Environment Day in 2020.

In 2020 the world will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Beethoven was born in Bonn, which today is not only the City of Beethoven, but also a UN city and seat of the UN’s Climate Change Secretariat.

Beethoven loved nature. For him it was a place of relaxation, solitude and inspiration. His Sixth Symphony, the ‘Pastoral’, musically depicts the harmonious unity between mankind and nature. Today, nature is under threat and mankind is on a course to destroy his environment and livelihood.

The BEETHOVEN PASTORAL PROJECT aims to draw attention to the theme of ‘mankind and nature’, represented in the romantic sense in the ‘Pastoral’ music, and to deal actively with today’s urgent questions of environmental protection and global sustainability, and achieving the aims of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Artists from around the world are invited to develop and unite their own visions of a harmonious co-existence of mankind and nature, with performances of ‘their Pastoral’ on Earth Day (April 22 2020), United Nations World Environment Day (June 5th 2020) or a day of their choice before June 5th 2020 – to shape a powerful statement for environmental protection and sustainable development – for a better world for millions of people. JOIN HERE.

The project is divided into two phases: the PASTORAL NETWORK and PASTORAL DAY:

  • for the PASTORAL NETWORK, artists are called upon to make their engagement with the ‘Pastoral’ publicly viewable by uploading a video and corresponding statement to the Project website. The NETWORK phase will start on the annual UN World Environment Day, June 5th, 2018, culminating on the UN World Environment Day 2020, which marks the second phase:
  • PASTORAL DAY- on EARTH DAY, 22 April 2020 (50th anniversary of Earth Day), or WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY of the United Nations, 5 June 2020 (which marks the culmination of the Project). As many artists as possible – singly, as ensembles or bands, or as orchestras – will perform Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony live and make a stand for nature, sustainability and environmental protection.

The BEETHOVEN PASTORAL PROJECT was officially launched in Bonn, at the UN World Climate Conference (COP 23) on 15 November 2017.




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