Cultural connection

One of the world’s great music festivals, the Salzburg Festival is a cultural event steeped in tradition that dates back to 1920, celebrating the finest talents in music and drama. Since 1995, Audi has been the principal partner of the festival, making it the longest existing partnership for the festival and one which will now extend until at least 2027 with the signing of the new agreement between the two parties.

Held each year in the stunning Austrian town of Salzburg, the festival sees some of the finest talents in music and drama come together for performances over a five week period. It is no coincidence that Salzburg is the birthplace of Amadeus Mozart and the cultural significance of the festival attracts guests from around the globe to the ancient town each year.

“Promoting culture in a variety of ways is part of our social responsibility as a company," says Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG.

"With its blend of tradition, artistic excellence and creativity, the Salzburg Festival plays an outstanding role in this.”

For the Salzburg Festival itself, Audi’s continued involvement as the main partner of the event is significant and represents the longest ongoing partnership in the festival’s history.

“Audi has been the main sponsor of the Salzburg Festival since 1995, making it our longest-standing and most loyal partner,” says Dr Kristinia Hammer, president of the Salzburg Festival.

“Both the Salzburg Festival and Audi are distinguished by a combination of tradition and creative visions, coupled with the demand for the highest quality. It is therefore a great pleasure for us that our cooperation agreement has now been extended until 2027. Sponsors like Audi are a guarantor for a varied and high-caliber program offering, as they ensure the necessary financial stability."

Audi’s involvement with the arts goes back 60 years with the brand’s founding of the Audi Philharmonic Wind Orchestra in 1962 and continues in the modern day through collaborations like the Salzburg Festival, the Audi Summer Series of concerts as well as the brand’s ongoing support of film on multiple levels.

As part of the association with the Salzburg Festival Audi provides a shuttle service for as many as 2500 guests each year, which will again use all-electric Audi models in 2022 and on into the future, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to sustainability and reducing emissions wherever possible.

“It is entirely in our interest that the topic of sustainability will move even more into focus at the Festival in the future. Because Audi also stands for sustainability along the entire value chain," says Duesmann. 

While Audi has employed various models for use at the festival over its many years of partnership, the Audi e-tron models are now the preferred mode of transport during the event. In addition to transporting guests between venues during the event, last year the e-tron was also used to provide a unique perspective on the festival and the town itself with the use of immersive virtual reality technology. Working with Audi collaborator Holoride, guests were transported back in time, viewing Salzburg as it once was while being transported through the modern day streets in a state-of-the-at Audi – a perfect marriage of technology and tradition.