A string quintet at the 2016 Sound Understanding concert

Sound Understanding is DAAD and the DAAD Alumni Association's annual concert showcasing the young, talented DAAD music fellows from Germany who have spent the past year studying at music schools in the US and Canada. The music fellows are selected in a national competition among the best students of Germany's renowned music colleges.

On Thursday, April 12th 2018, the 2017/18 DAAD music fellows and alumni took the stage of Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall for a concert of classical and jazz music, to help raise awareness of the work of DAAD and the DAAD Alumni Association in promoting transatlantic exchange.

View the photo gallery from 2017 year's concert in the sidebar.

The 2017/2018 DAAD Music Fellows

Justus Heher, trombone

 Florian Herzog, double bass

 Christian Mehler, trumpet/flugelhorn

 Dierk Peters, vibraphone

 Lukas Stepp, violin

 Duc-Ngoc Vu, piano

Please note that DAAD alumni will be performing with this year's fellows in the Sound Understanding music concert.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Attractive sponsorship packages will help you associate your brand with an enjoyable cultural evening highlighting the next generation of German musicians, and meet leaders of the German-American business community. Previous sponsors and attendees included, among others, the Robert Bosch Corporation, Deutsche Bank, DHL, Lufthansa, Mercedes-Benz USA, Schering/Berlex Laboratories, and others.

Details on sponsorship opportunities are available here: Download: Sponsorship Options DAAD Alumni Association (pdf, 78.21 KB)

The DAAD Alumni Association is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by the law.

Other Ways to Support this Event

The DAAD Alumni Association continues to welcome support from generous DAAD alumni, friends and partners.

If you would like to make a donation to the DAAD Alumni Association, please click here.

If you are interested in advertising at the event, please find details and advertisement rates here: Download: Advertisement Rates Sound Understanding Concert (pdf, 222.72 KB)

Sound Understanding Sponsors 2017

The DAAD Alumni Association of the US and DAAD would like to gratefully acknowledge all of the sponsors of this year’s event and all of our members and donors across the country. Their support will help us to ensure that the important work of international academic and cultural exchange between the US and Germany continues to address the needs of the modern transatlantic relationship.

Bronze Sponsors (USD 1,000) - Peter Baldwin, Erich Haratsch,  Brian Mitchell, Manfred Phillip, Helene Zimmer-Loew

Supporters (USD 500) - Friederike Eigler, Rosmarie Morewedge, June Pilcher, Mark Rectanus

We’d also like to thank: Guy Bacigalupi, Barbara Berthold, Ursula B. Day, Frederick K Gable, James Hurley, David Krebs, Robert Meyerson, Karl Rutter, Mechthild Schmidt Feist, John C. Theibault, and Rick White