about

The HARMONICA F E N FESTIVAL is a new festival in and for the city of Berlin. Harmonica is at the center of the festival, and in many German homes, a harmonica is hiding somewhere in a drawer. The HARMONICA F E N FESTIVAL places this expressive, tiny instrument into people’s hands. The concept for the festival originated with musician and harmonica player Marko Jovanović (mjharmonica.com). In 2016, he founded Germany’s first harmonica school in Berlin.

The HARMONICA FEN FESTIVAL is a series of three biennial festivals taking place in 2022, 2024, and 2026. F E N stands for Fascination – Education – Network, and that’s simply because we believe in the power of fascination, and want to share it, and pass it on. The HARMONICA FEN FESTIVAL is organised by the harmonica school berlin in cooperation with the Consense Gesellschaft zur Förderung von Kultur mbH, the Friens of the harmonica playing culture e.V. Official partner of the festival is the HOHNER Musikinstrumente GmbH. The festival shows the harmonica in all its facets and across the boundaries of genres. Listening to the harmonica in this way opens up a fascinating world of sound.

The HARMONICA FEN FESTIVAL is for everyone who’s curious and ready to be inspired. It is for harmonica enthusiasts and, of course, it’s also for people who just happen by. So come, join us and listen!

The harmonica school berlin was founded in 2016 by Marko Jovanović. It’s located in Berlin-Kreuzberg, and it is the only music school in Germany specialized in teaching chromatic and diatonic harmonica. Jovanović is among the best harmonica players in Europe and as a professional musician, he is following his lifelong interest in exploring music and its many styles. On the harmonica, he has found his own unique voice. Jovanović is a regular jury member at the World Harmonica Championships. He is one of the best harmonica teachers in Germany. Jovanović works with guitarist Lutz Schlosser, and together they are developing Schlosser’s music resonance pedagogic approach for guitar and harmonica ensembles. The harmonica school berlin follows the holistic approach in various educational formats like workshops, summer courses, video courses and coachings for professionals.

The Consense Gesellschaft zur Förderung von Kultur mbH (Association for the Advancement of Culture) was founded by Soeren Birke. He is a passionate musician and harmonica player and in 1996 and 1999 he organized the “Zungenschlag-Festivals” which can be seen as a forerunner to the HARMONICA FEN FESTIVAL. The Consense Gesellschaft makes a substantial contribution to cultural life in Berlin, and it is a part of Berlin’s vibrant cultural scene. The Kesselhaus and Maschinenhaus at the Kulturbrauerei are among the most important performance spaces in Berlin’s free scene, and they offer a diverse range of programs. Birke has published books about the history of the harmonica, several CDs, and he is co-initiator of the Campaign Music 2020 Berlin and the MusicBoard Berlin.

The members of the Friends of the harmonica playing culture would like to make the harmonica more visible again. Together with the harmonica school berlin they organize the HARMONICA FEN FESTIVAL, which presents the musical richness of the instrument to all those who are curious and fascinated.

Projects with children and young people are important to them, too, because the harmonica is not only small and affordable. Through its closeness to the player, it develops a very special power that can strengthen especially young people in their personal development. The friends want to promote and convey this power through projects and the further development of harmonica pedagogy.

Become a supporting member or support the Friends of the harmonica playing culture e.V. with a donation.