DENKBARES – Culture & Philosophy Bad Ems

DENKBARES is one of the most original cultural formats in western Rhineland-Palatinate. It brings together two worlds that are usually separate in classical concerts or lectures: Music and Philosophy.

The concept follows the idea of the concert-talk: Musicians play works, and philosopher Holger Zaborowski frames them with texts, reflections, and conversation starters. The audience not only listens to music but is invited to actively participate and think along.

The venue is the Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral in Bad Ems – a traditional center for supporting artists. The house, with its intimate hall, offers the acoustic and atmospheric conditions for the format.

The 2026 series runs from April 20 to October 4 and includes several dates. A special highlight is the event on September 1, 2026, at 7 PM: "AI, Social Media and You – Staying Human in the Age of AI". Here, the format expands to address one of the most pressing questions of our time: How is Artificial Intelligence changing our understanding of humanity, communication, and reality? What remains of the human when the machine writes, speaks, and composes along?

DENKBARES is part of the Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz 2026, whose guiding motto "The Roaring Twenties" also resonates here. The theme of upheaval from the 1920s meets the digital upheavals and breaks of the 2020s.