Uli Bader
"managed the extensive negotiations with multiple parties across continents with exquisite sensitivity to the complexities of the collaboration - and a sense of humor that smoothened the inevitable rough edges.“(The Philadelphia Orchestra)
About
Uli Bader was first educated as musician and cellist in Berlin, Zurich and Stuttgart and completed his studies in arts-management in Hamburg. His various management positions, at Deutsche Symphonieorchester Berlin, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Cologne Philharmonic Hall, and the Washington National Symphony Orchestra enrich his career with a wide and international range of experiences in various sectors of arts-management. Later, in 2016 he complemented his studies with an Executive Education Degree of Exponential Fundraising at Harvard University.
The arguably most particular and challenging position he held was the Owner’s Representative and Founding Artistic Executive Director of Teatro del Lago in Frutillar-Chile, with the assignement of vision, conception and construction of the most southern concert- and opera house of the world. The positioning as a leading culture and education center as well as a tourism destination, which has become well-known far beyond its region within only a few years, was probably one of the most comprehensive tasks in cultural management.
In 2017 Frutillar was named “Creative City of Music” by UNESCO, a nomination into a circle of just about 50 places globally with the „common objective of placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans…“.
Bader’s professional passion and experience ranges from music- and event-management to ballet and dance to conceptual work with visual artists and architects as well as conceptual masterplanning for performing arts buildings or touristic areas. Arts Education has become a particular interest in recent years.
Over the course of his music management career he collaborated with such performing artists like Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma, Valery Gergiev, Lorin Maazel, Mstislav Rostropovich, Itzhak Perlman, Paquito de Rivera, the Buena Vista Social Club, Julie Kent, Alessandra Ferri, Marcia Haydée as well as the composers John Adams, Philip Glass, Michel Camillo, Guillaume Connesson, Jennifer Higdon, Roberto Sierra and many more .
Uli Bader lived and worked in various places in Germany, in Washington, DC and New York, and between 2006-2016 in Frutillar and Santiago de Chile. After his return to Europe he first settled in Salzburg, since 2021 back in Berlin and has been working in project-management and consulting in the most varied areas of the international cultural sector.
2022 he published a book „Jawoll!! – in memoriam Wolfgang Boettcher“, a memory to his music professor, great cellist, principal of Berlin Philharmonic and one of the most iconic teachers of his generation.
past positions:
Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin –
Press and Public Relations Manager (1996-1997)
At the 50th anniversary of the orchestra, the name was changed due to historical reasons of Berlin from RSO to DSO. The repositioning of the new logo, program book and the entire image of this outstanding ensemble, in a city with an enormous density of orchestras, was guided by Bader “with commitment and ingenuity” (Weingarten). Together with graphic designers from Moniteurs Berlin this new design concept shaped the organisational image for several years.
Bader initiated press conferences and media collaborations, and looked after and positioned artists in all their media matters.
Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen –
Project manager (1997-1998)
The intense cooperation with basis-democratic orchestra and management, resulted in a stronger and more prosperous concert and tour acquisition in just a short time. “Through creativity and commitment” (Hazebrouck) he was able to contribute to the economic and artistic success of the ensemble during this time. The numerous concert tours across Europe with enthusiastic concert successes in diverse concert halls brought Bader into close relationship with many managements and artists. Thanks to the outstanding cooperation between the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the Cologne Philharmonic Hall, Bader had the opportunity to move to Cologne as head of artistic operations in 1998.
Cologne Philharmonic Hall –
Head of Concert Operations and Special Projects (1998-2000)
Due to “creativity and commitment far beyond a normal timeframe” (Ohnesorg), in Cologne Bader was particularly entrusted with the financial planning and implementation of various special projects. Events such as the Bach Festival, the Wine Serenades, “Encounters” with Isaac Stern, the cultural program of the G8 summit were of his responsibility. In addition his core function was the support of international artists and orchestras with a volume of 400 concerts per year.
National Symphony Orchestra, Washington, DC –
Director of Artistic Planning
The step across the Atlantic and the decision to work for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington came through the personal recommendation of Isaac Stern, with whom Bader worked very closely in Cologne.
His goal of optimising future planning and engaging the most outstanding international conductors and soloists for the orchestra was quickly implemented by Bader thanks to his “high level of knowledge … and his exceptional management quality” (Shapiro).
In the years that approached the 75th anniversary season, relationships and friendships developed with artists such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Valery Gergiev, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Christoph von Dohnányi, Ivan Fischer, James Conlon, Itzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma , Emmanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Pinchas Zukerman, Matthias Goerne, Thomas Hampson, Renée Fleming, and many more.
His new ideas were also present in the program planning and were described by music director L. Slatkin as a “door opener to innovation and tradition”.
When he left Washington he was praised as “one of the best the organisation has seen”, recognised as “superior quality” (Shapiro).
Teatro del Lago, Frutillar-Chile –
Executive Artistic Director
Bader was wooed for Chile due to all his experience in artistic and operational management. The task was not only to build the southernmost opera house in the world, but also to develop the operational concept for it.
Concept and construction merged into one plan and an outstanding venue for concert, opera and events was created, which has been adorned with admiration and praise from international artists and ensembles as well as local and global audiences since its opening in 2010.
Teatro del Lago quickly developed into an cosmopolitain concert hall. Artists like Yo Yo Ma, Maxim Vengerov, Gil Shaham, Nick Kendall, Gabriela Montero, Helmuth Rilling, Matthias Goerne with Concerto Köln, Valery Gergiev with his Mariinsky Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen with Christian Tetzlaff, Bamberger Symphoniker and Jonathan Nott, Prima Ballerinas Alessandra Ferri and Marianela Nuñez, but also Buena Vista Social Club, Red Bull Flying Steps, Maria Pages and Paquito d´Rivera gave concerts with great enthusiasm.
All artists were integrated into the education programs without exception and left their mark on the younger generation. Bader’s initiative of a modern dance project and a choir movement were highly emblematic. Together with music and ballet school, no fewer than 20,000 children per year received creative inspiration from art that turned out to become crucial for their future life development.
Bader established successfully a private fundraising initiative for sponsors, donors and foundations to help sustain all such social and educational programs.
The Teatro del Lago was created out of nothing and conceived by Claus-Ulrich Bader. Before his arrival there was no audience, no marketing, no team, no sponsors, no box office, no education, no arts community and no building.
Assemble the many elements required for such undertaking in a sustainable manner and getting to coordinate all the necessary bolts and screws of a cultural center was: “a wonderful inspiring task, in which I ultimately invested ten years of my life“, as Bader says himself.
An international social impact study from 2013 shows that Teatro del Lago achieved a social efficiency of 180% in its 3rd year of existence. This was unique in South America (study: Shaerpa, Netherlands).
In 2017 Frutillar was named “Creative City of Music” by UNESCO due to the success and effect of the Teatro del Lago.
~~~
Bader himself again: “In all of these institutional projects, it was my desire and my concern to create, optimise, manage efficiently and to achieve this level of efficiency for every stakeholder involved.
Every project must be productive for public, artists and partners, otherwise a single drop will cloud the whole river. “