Ernst Ludwig Hartz, born in Bonn in 1960, is a major player in the music scene in the Cologne-Bonn region. Since the late 1970s, he has established himself as an organiser and producer of major events and festivals along the Rhine. Hartz has supported numerous international artists and bands as a local partner, including Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, U2, Tina Turner, David Bowie, Johnny Cash and Elton John.He is particularly well known for organising and developing cult festivals such as the Bizarre Festival, which took place from 1987 to 2002. This festival was known for its stylistic diversity and the presentation of both established artists and up-and-coming talent. Hartz also brought theWDR Rockpalast back to the Loreley in 1995 together with Peter Rüchel and initiated the Weltstars-auf-dem-Roncalliplatz concert series, which has been held in front of Cologne Cathedral since 2018.Since 2012, the ‘Kunst!Rasen’ festival in Bonn-Gronau has been one of his most recent projects together with Martin Nötzel. This open-air festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year and has quickly made a name for itself. Next year, the stage in the city of Beethoven will be open from 03.07. - 26.08.25Despite his extensive work in the field of open-air events, Hartz also remains active in the local music scene and continues to organise concerts in smaller clubs in Bonn (Harmonie) and Cologne (Kantine). Hartz is regarded as a key figure who has played a major role in shaping the music landscape in Germany, particularly in the Cologne-Bonn region.