“Fighting for more equality was one of the reasons why I became a member of the Green Party in 2001. I didn’t think about becoming a professional politician before, because I’m passionate about being a pianist. After my concert exam at the conservatory, I founded a piano school. Gradually, however, I realized that I had to take on a political mandate in order to be able to improve the situation for creative people.
At the nomination meeting for the 2009 Bundestag elections, I was elected to a promising place on the list. After I entered the Bundestag, the Green parliamentary group appointed me cultural policy spokeswoman. Unfortunately, there are not enough creative people in politics, I’m the only trained musician in the Bundestag. The appreciation for culture is low. In my new life as an MP, politics takes up most of my time. I go to meetings, write speeches and motions and have many conversations. I can be very persistent when it comes to implementing green and cultural-political goals, this is the only way to achieve something in politics.
In every free minute I sit down at the piano. I still give concerts regularly, mainly with my program “Starke Frauen” in which I play unknown works by female composers. Then I’ll talk about green politics. If I manage to move the audience’s feelings by playing the piano, my political content will also reach people’s hearts and minds.”
