On Saturday, May 21, military music invites you on a musical journey: around 240 military musicians from all over Austria will immerse themselves in the world of the Austrian Armed Forces’ missions at home and abroad together with the audience. The festival’s dynamic musical mix takes place on the lake stage in Mörbisch. And all donations collected there will go to “Licht ins Dunkel”.
Even before the Military Music Festival, the military musicians will be presenting themselves with several concerts in Burgenland, Styria and Lower Austria. All dates can be found via the link at the bottom of this page. The Austrian Armed Forces have maintained a close partnership with the “Licht ins Dunkel” association for many decades. One of the highlights of this partnership is the support provided at the annual fundraising gala at the ORF Center on Christmas Eve. For 20 years, up to 150 soldiers from the Guards and military detachments have been answering calls for donations from all over the country and making an important contribution to the success of the event. The Austrian military bands also regularly support the campaign. For years, they have been providing the background music for the ORF “Licht ins Dunkel” broadcasts and repeatedly invite people to charitable concerts in the federal states. The traditional benefit concerts of the Guard Music in Vienna City Hall deserve special mention. Mention should also be made of the cooperation between some military bands and the ORF regional studios as part of “You wish, we play”. The Military Music Festival, which is always the subject of cooperation with “Licht ins Dunkel”, is also a special highlight every year. Military musicians are also involved in projects such as the “Ö3 Christmas Miracle”, the 2018 “Peace Concert” in Oberndorf near Salzburg and the distribution of the Christmas Light of Peace from Bethlehem. Soldiers in Styria have been involved in the “Soldiers and Children Bake Help” campaign since 2004, in which they bake Advent cookies with children and celebrities, which are then sold for donations. “Licht ins Dunkel” Managing Director Eva Radinger: “The cooperation between the Austrian Armed Forces and the “Licht ins Dunkel” association is simply indispensable. Of course, I am particularly pleased that there are also an incredible number of top athletes who are also committed to ‘Licht ins Dunkel’.”
