Lera Auerbach

Lera Auerbach is not only a widely acclaimed composer, conductor, and pianist. She has also made a name for herself as an award-winning poet and visual artist. With her, the Dortmund Concert Hall dedicates its 2026/27 Zeitinsel Festival to one of the most sought-after and exciting creative voices.

Mirror is a novel shaped by reflection. Composed in twenty-four preludes and twenty-four postludes, it unfolds as a sequence of returns, in which each part echoes and alters another. The precision of musical structure meets the freedom of poetic thought. Childhood, myth, loss, and inner life are gathered into a sustained meditation on memory and time.

Her sculptures are often cast in bronze—a metal symbolizing strength, permanence, and immutability. This choice serves as a compelling counterpoint to her exploration of life’s fragility, impermanence, and transience. Each piece is a tangible manifestation of this tension, a delicate equilibrium between antithetical forces.