OstAnders Festival 2026
„Update Yourself“

May 15-17, Nuremberg

An event by nbgrooves e.V. in cooperation with the Music Center Nuremberg

The OstAnders Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and aims to launch into the third decade of its existence with new ideas and visions.

Previously referred to as a “post-migrant cultural festival,” we want to clearly find ourselves in the HERE and NOW in 2026. Some members of the festival team and people from the audience have been living in Germany for 2-3 decades, many have only moved here a few years ago. Regardless of this, many migrants are still trying to master the “balancing act on two chairs,” wanting to simultaneously build their new life in Germany (without being sure if integration is even possible) while continuing their old life in their home country (studying in Ukraine, running a business in Kazakhstan, having a band in Poland...).

The OstAnders Festival wants to offer a new vision this year – the vision of updating your own self. What is proposed – is to reconnect, redefine in the HERE, and find the cultural and social connections you have long missed here and now. To find and promote an updated, new, and perhaps better version of your SELF.

This concept is reflected in this year’s festival program. Whether with the musicians, DJs, and bands or with the exhibiting artists or initiatives, we want to focus on the local and the subcultural. Bands and musical projects of people with and without migration backgrounds who have come together in Germany or in the EU, enriching their sound with influences from their cultural roots. Visual artists who make local motifs and questions about the motifs of their art, reflecting the reality of Germany in their visions. International cultural, art, and sports associations that enrich the cultural life of Nuremberg through their activities and create spaces where people with and without migration backgrounds can have fun together and build a common future.

The festival will take place this year on Fri., May 15, and Sat., May 16, at the premises of the Nuremberg Music Center. Subculture and local flair come together very well here.

On Friday, the vernissage for the exhibition is planned from 7 PM in the mirror hall with an opening performance at 7:30 PM. Then it continues with musical and performative appearances on the stage of the MUZclub.

On Saturday, May 16, the “cultural bazaar” will start at 3 PM, where various local associations and initiatives will present themselves and arouse visitors' interest in their ideas. From 8 PM, the concerts and live acts will continue in the MUZclub.

On Sunday, May 17, the festival will conclude with an evening of electronic music at the Soundbar Mitte.

We hope that these 3 days in May will be an important update for all guests, artists, and the team, so we can function better in Nuremberg, set and achieve new goals, get culturally a step closer to each other, and, at least until the next update, look to the future with hope and courage. http://www.ostanders.de

Friday and Saturday
May 15 and 16, 2026
MUZclub
Doors open: 6 PM (Friday) | 5 PM (Saturday)
Combo ticket including admission to Soundbar Mitte on Sunday, May 17

A cooperation event of the OstAnders Festival and Music Center Nuremberg.

Entry MUZclub. May 15 at 6 PM / May 16 at 5 PM

Nils Kercher Trio with special guest Oumar Barou Kouyaté (Mali)
African Pulse & Nordic Space

World music full of gentle innerness and yet captivating dynamics.
The singer and multi-instrumentalist Nils Kercher draws from the traditions of West Africa as well as from the introspective atmosphere of Nordic expanses and modern songwriting.
His international trio unfolds a vibrant fusion of two musical worlds with a multifaceted arsenal of percussion, kora, balafon, guitar, and a weave of voices. The music brings the continents closer together with a new lyrical sound language - and captivates listeners of various generations and nationalities.

With his virtuously played Malian string instrument Ngoni, Barou Kouyaté, long-time bandmate and nephew of the internationally successful Bassekou Kouyaté, adds a warm color to the texture.
Kira Kaipainen complements the sound journey with her delicate voice, sensitive percussion, and her deeply moving song lyrics.
The natural and organic conversation between the musicians reflects their curiosity for the unusual and their sovereignty.
The songs feel like a cycle of verses that resonate within for a long time. The well-rehearsed trio manages to merge the subtle, delicate aspects in the compositions with a passion for rhythm and drive. The clearly arranged pieces allow these two poles to vibrate in a powerful and intricate balance.

Nils Kercher's albums have received international acclaim in the global fusion and songwriter music scene and reached the World Music Charts Europe with "Ancient Intimations." The BBC and renowned music magazines like Songlines, fRoots, and R2 have compared his pieces with notable productions from various cultural backgrounds, from artists like Rokia Traore, Steve Reich, and Peter Gabriel. This aptly describes his music: it glides from atmosphere to atmosphere and between times and continents, weaving an organic - his own - story with an unmistakable touch.

Nils Kercher (D) Kora (21-string West African harp), vocals, percussion, guitar
Oumar Barou Kouyaté (Mali) Ngoni (Malian lute), acoustic guitar, talking drum
Kira Kaipainen (FIN) Percussion, vocals, balafon

http://www.nilskercher.de

Press reviews

“enchanting” (WDR 5)

His partnership with Oumar Barou Kouyaté is an impressive testament to how two musicians from different roots cultures can collaborate in a supportive and inspiring manner. This is not a “cut-and-paste” transfer, but a real fusion... which often sounds as if it comes from the Real World catalog. I suspect this will encourage more people to listen to the kora...”
fROOTS MAGAZINE / UK

“simple, deeply felt authenticity” (Badische Neueste Nachrichten)

“great pull effect” (Jazzthetik)

“… goosebumps… timelessly beautiful... (Rocktimes)

“...managing to convey both a vast Nordic soundscape and the intimacy of African village life…”
R2 MAGAZINE RocknReel / UK

“wonderful new album...great songs, overflowing with kora and fantastic vocals”
(BBC / UK)

“...beautiful new album…melodies that envelop the listener and lyrics that provoke thought”
(General-Anzeiger Bonn)

“Calm, harmony, lightness…global feel-good music in times that are not always full of harmony…global singer-songwriter art… very dreamy - but sometimes, when you listen more closely to the lyrics, also very combative…exciting project and cross-cultural - somewhere between Mali and Helsinki lies the Rhineland”
(HR2 Kultur)

“a wonderful concert full of dedication and virtuosity”
Songlines (UK)

VIDEOS:
AH-YE / HAPANA KULIA live Bonn: https://youtu.be/JbJ7c7p-7_M
TIME TO SHED OUR SKINS: https://youtu.be/w565hnyWr5A
TUULI ITKEE (live) Beethoven Chamber Music Hall Bonn: https://youtu.be/vKx_xFKBHrk
NANFULLE (live): https://youtu.be/5ArXNFxl8LI
OPEN WINDOWS https://youtu.be/4FhiIvrVHjs?feature=shared
Nils Kercher Duo live im Deutschlandfunk: https://youtu.be/qFhQv-q_978?feature=shared
UNBROKEN SPELL: https://youtu.be/Wgh0TqvEjZo
CAN YOU SMELL THE RAIN: https://youtu.be/NripOcZxk88
MOONRAY: https://youtu.be/oFhzR3WV8lI
FEATHERS: https://youtu.be/kJaYM6Zob_Q
I SiGA FE MINDE (filmed in Guinea / West Africa): https://youtu.be/B_JvCA7hx_0
Interview with Nils Kercher WDR 5: https://youtu.be/hZROgtKLFKM?feature=shared

Copyright: Dorina Milas

Doors open: 18:30 Uhr

Two friends. Two cultures. One journey.

What do we really know about Iran – especially now, at a time when the country is making headlines every day? Two friends discover Iran: one knows the country from childhood, the other only from the news: Colorful tales from 1001 nights or a dark rogue state? Cosmopolitan high culture or introspective religious fundamentalism? Heartwarming hospitality or axis of evil? So what is Iran really like? This extraordinary live lecture opens a door to a country that could hardly be more contradictory – and that is precisely why it is so fascinating.

For more information and pictures about this MUNDOLOGIA lecture, visit http://www.mundologia.de

Entrance 30 minutes before the start.