© Falk von Traubenberg

Opening Ceremony

Opening of the Congress

The opening event will take place on Tuesday, 16 May at 18:30 in Room A of the Estrel.

Cerstin Richter-Kotowski will deliver the opening address.

Guinevere will provide musical accompaniment for the opening event.

After the opening, at around 20:00, there will be a Get Together in the Sommergarten of the CCH.

Cerstin Richter-Kotowski

Cerstin Richter-Kotowski was born on 14 April 1962 in Berlin and is a German politician of the CDU. Since June 2025, she has been State Secretary for Culture in the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. Prior to that, she was Deputy District Mayor and District Councillor for Education, Culture and Sport in the Berlin district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf from December 2021 to June 2025. She had already shaped local politics in the district for many years: in 2006, she took up the post of District Councillor for Education, Culture and Citizen Services in Steglitz-Zehlendorf for the first time. From 2016 to 2021, she served as District Mayor of Steglitz-Zehlendorf and was also a member of the Berlin House of Representatives for several legislative periods.

In doing so, she became a defining figure in the district’s educational, cultural and sporting policy.

Cerstin Richter-Kotowski is married and has one son.

Dr. Tina Klüwer

© Anja Kunack K.I.E.Z.

Dr Tina Klüwer is an expert in artificial intelligence, start-ups and strategic innovation issues. Until June 2025, she headed the ‘Research for Technological Sovereignty and Innovation’ department at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Prior to that, she spent many years conducting research into artificial intelligence herself and founded a start-up for the automation of customer service communication. She then worked as managing director of a German software company and at the interface between science and research for an innovation initiative of Berlin’s universities.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version) She is a member of numerous juries and committees, a sought-after discussion partner in politics, an advisory board member for an AI magazine and several start-ups, and a LinkedIn Top Voice.

Guinevere

We are Guinevere. Originally part of the Albertine Sarges Band, this project represents an artistic departure. The repertoire, penned by all three artists (Lisa Baeyens, Rosa Mercedes and Albertine Sarges), combines German and British folklore, 70s harmony vocals, groovy bass lines and flute sounds. Between melancholic ballads, playful arrangements and polyphonic singing, soundscapes are created that combine tradition and the present, creating a unique, timeless atmosphere.