BCS Winter Show 2025 – A St. Nicholas Day full of excitement, surprises and brilliant talent
It began like any other ordinary St. Nicholas Day morning at Lake Müggelsee. The air was mild for early December, the lake was calm, and there was no indication that the BCS Nature Campus would soon be transformed into the stage for an extraordinary event.
But at around 10 o’clock, something happened that is the turning point in every crime thriller: more and more people began to arrive. Parents, grandparents, siblings and friends – all silently conspired in a growing anticipation that hung over the grounds like an electric crackle.
And then, at 11:00 sharp, the first big moment: Senator for Education Katharina Günther-Wünsch and our school founder, Yvonne Wende, took to the stage together to officially open the Winter Show. It was a start that immediately made it clear that this day was going to be something special. Their words were like the first clues in an exciting case: meaningful, expectant, promising.
Under the motto “Shine Together! Around the World in Songs and Stories,” the musical journey began, and the pupils seemed determined to fulfil this promise with every fibre of their being. With sounds from all corners of the world – African rhythms, Japanese tones, melodies from the Christmas bakery, and songs from Slovakia and Israel – the pupils created musical drumbeats that raised the temperature in the hall by what felt like ten degrees. The result was a rhythmic puzzle that left behind perfectly interlocking traces of sound and movement.
The senator remained as guest of honour for the first block and became an attentive observer of every scene. Each performance was further evidence of how creative, diverse and lively the Berlin Cosmopolitan School is.
While the programme unfolded indoors in two thrilling concert blocks, a second venue opened up outside on the mild Müggelsee: the St. Nicholas Market at the Müggelseeperle. Mulled wine, punch, pastries and hearty food lent the area an atmosphere reminiscent of the quiet but significant interludes in a good novel – those chapters in which people come together, talk, laugh and recharge their batteries.
But as in any well-composed crime thriller, the real heroes and heroines of the day were those who rarely stand in the spotlight. Behind the scenes, Claudia Richter, Nataliya Karl Naira Schwemmler, Bridget Kinneary, Joey Ryan, Colin Lloyd, Ben Salsbury, Sascha Pavlovic, Maxi Geithner, Diana Schumann, Anita Kreft and many others were hard at work. They were the trailblazers, the architects of perfect processes, the ones who put every costume, every rehearsal, every light signal and every surprise in the right place.
So this St. Nicholas Day did not end with a resolution, but with a realisation: the Winter Show 2025 was a collaborative effort full of heart, excitement and shining moments. It was a day that showed that the Berlin Cosmopolitan School not only nurtures talent, but also brings it to life – and that we are strongest as a school community when we perform together.
A thriller with a happy ending – and a promise: the next Winter Show is definitely coming!