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HOST FAMILY STORIES

Family Liebenstein

Familie Liebenstein

Music was the reason why Katharina and Robert Liebenstein from Oy-Mittelberg decided to become host parents in the first place. Through a neighbour who had been working as a volunteer in the MODfestivals team at the time, they learned about the possibility of offering themselves as host parents. In 2011, the time had come. The Liebenstein family made their holiday flat available to six singers from Cuba. And they liked it so much that they not only immediately became sponsoring members of the festivals, but from then on also participated almost every year as host parents. Since then, they have hosted guests eight times, both for the Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition and for Musica Sacra International. Singers from Cuba, France, the Czech Republic, Finland, Argentina and Hungary stayed with them. And they have already registered again for this year.

The Liebensteins are very much rooted in the Allgäu due to their independent organic farming business, and so they have never been able to make large trips abroad. "That's why it was a real stroke of luck for us to be able to invite the world to our home," says Robert Liebenstein enthusiastically. For him, it was and has become "a real affair of the heart" to host people with foreign cultures. "Living with them for a while, exchanging ideas, making music together and celebrating has enthused us anew every time." He has even organised small performances in the Unterschwarzenbach village church for his guests. With friends, neighbours and even a Catholic and Protestant pastor, Robert Liebenstein invited his guests - three Finnish women - to a small musical village devotion. "For me, that was a very intimate and moving moment back then," Liebenstein enthuses even today. The Finnish guests were then also very happy to be allowed to use the newly built Finnish sauna in the Liebensteins' garden.

There were never any language barriers, because Katharina Liebenstein speaks English, Spanish and French. Only with the Hungarian guests "things were a bit difficult, because they rarely spoke English and only a few words of German", says Katharina. There were also never any problems with the catering for the guests. When guests from a French youth choir complained about the local food, Katharina cooked them fresh asparagus with Hollondaise sauce "and everyone was happy".

The family remembers very well the Cuban guests in 2019 who, shortly after their arrival in tranquil Unterschwarzenberg near Oy-Mittelberg, insisted on having a barbecue. When Katharina asked whether they preferred pork, poultry or beef on the grill, the Cubans were totally enthusiastic. Beef! According to the guests, in Cuba this was only reserved for high party functionaries and only for the very rich. So the Liebensteins bought "a huge mountain of beef", although they themselves live mostly vegetarian/vegan on their eco-farm. They held a big barbecue in the garden with local beer, international house music and Cuban cigars, which the guests had in their luggage. When the host family and their guests then also went on an excursion to the dream destination of Neuschwanstein Castle and then stopped off at Kögelalp for a meal of Kässpatzen, the happiness of guests and host parents was perfect. One of the Cubans, Juan Carlos, had already been a guest of the Liebensteins in 2011. He changed choirs in Argentina years later and, as luck would have it, was able to come to Marktoberdorf once more in 2019 with the new ensemble and, by chance, was once again assigned to the Liebenstein family. The "hello" when one recognised each other on both sides was naturally correspondingly great.

The Liebensteins also had an intimate exchange with an Argentinian family who brought their children to the festival. "It is very important to us," says Katharina Liebenstein, "to spend as much time as possible with our guests, to hear them sing in the competition and to attend their concerts in the evening. The music and the insight into foreign cultures enrich the family over and over again every time. They also organised a big garden party with the Argentinian family, inviting around 20 friends and neighbours. It didn't take long before the local children were happily parading through the village with the Argentinian children.

"It is a real enrichment for us to be able to host guests from foreign countries again every year at Whitsun," says Robert Liebenstein. When this was unfortunately no longer possible at Musica Sacra International in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, they watched the festivals online at home on the screen. "With a really heavy heart," Katharina Liebenstein adds, "because we really missed the direct exchange with the people." But that's why they are now looking forward all the more when six international guests of the Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition move into their holiday flat in Unterschwarzenberg again at Whitsun. "We are already very excited," says Katharina Liebenstein in joyful anticipation.


Caption:
The Cuban guests with their Allgäu host family on a trip to Neuschwanstein Castle.

Photo: Liebenstein

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