International Society for the Promotion of Mendelssohn House Leipzig

Please fill out your personal membership application form (don't forget to include your address) and send it to the board of directors. You will receive the documents on the Society, your membership card and lots of information about the Society's work, tips and dates for concerts, e.g. for the Sunday concerts and during the Mendelssohn Festival Days.

As a member you can:
- Visit the museum in Mendelssohn House free of charge upon presentation of your membership card. If you bring other guests with you, they will pay the current reduced admission price.

- Enjoy the in-house concerts at a reduced price if you show your membership card at the box office; prior registration is required.

Membership fees:
– Regular membership fee EUR 50.00 / year
– Regular membership fee for married couples EUR 75.00 / year
– Membership fee for senior citizens EUR 25.00 / year
– Membership fee for senior couples EUR 35.00 / year

Please enquire about the different options. We will be happy to provide you with information. You can reach us by email: verein@mendelssohn-stiftung.de, or by phone: +49 341 962882-0 (Christiane Schmidt).

Please contact Ms. Christiane Schmidt,
by email: verein@mendelssohn-stiftung.de, or by phone +49 341 962882-0.

Please contact Ms. Christiane Schmidt,
by email: verein@mendelssohn-stiftung.de, or by phone +49 341 962882-0.

Bylaws of Internationale Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Mendelssohn-Hauses Leipzig e.V. (International Society for the Promotion of Mendelssohn House Leipzig)

Section 1 Name, registered office
(1) The society bears the name “Internationale Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Mendelssohn-Hauses Leipzig e.V.”
(2) The society has its registered office in Leipzig.
(3) The society is registered in the register of societies and associations of the Leipzig Local Court, VR 1094.

Section 2 Area of operations and financial year
(1) The society operates worldwide.
(2) The financial year is the calendar year.

Section 3 Purpose and tasks
The purpose of the society is the promotion of art and culture as well as the protection and preservation of historic monuments, and also the raising and forwarding of funds to the Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Stiftung foundation for the promotion of art and culture.

Section 4 Non-profit status
(1) The society exclusively and directly pursues the non-profit purposes specified in Section 3 within the meaning of the section "Tax-privileged purposes" of the German Tax Code (AO) as of 1 October 2002 (sections 51 et seq. AO).
(2) The society operates on a non-profit basis. It does not primarily pursue its own economic purposes. The funds of the society may only be used for its statutory purposes. The members do not receive any financial contributions from the funds of the society. No person may benefit from expenses that are alien to the purpose of the society or from disproportionately high remuneration.
(3) The society is financed by contributions from its members as well as donations and financial contributions.
(4) The members do not receive any shares in the assets of the society when they leave or when the society is dissolved.
(5) All holders of society offices work on an honorary basis.

Section 5 Membership
(1) The society has full members.
(2) Full members are:
• the founders of the society as ex officio members,
• natural and legal persons and partnerships.
(3) Full members are liable to pay membership fees unless they serve the society through special non-material services. The general meeting decides on the amount of the membership fee. The board of directors may decide on honorary memberships. Honorary members are exempt from the payment of membership fees.

Section 6 Becoming a member
Full membership according to section 5 para. 1 and para. 2 is - with the exception of ex officio members - acquired by admission resolution of the board of directors. The board of directors decides on the application for membership to be submitted in writing and notifies the applicant of the decision. If the board of directors wishes to reject an application, it must submit it to the next general meeting with a statement of reasons. The general meeting makes the final decision. The general meeting decides on the application for membership at its own discretion. If the application is rejected, the general meeting is not obliged to inform the applicant of the reasons.

Section 7 Loss of membership
(1) Full membership ends through death, resignation or expulsion due to multiple arrears of membership fees or due to behaviour damaging to the society.
(2) Full members may terminate their membership in the society (receipt by a board member) in writing with two months' notice to the end of the year.

Section 8 Rights and obligations of the members
The rights and obligations of the members result from the purpose and the bylaws of the society. The amount of the regular membership fees and their due date are determined by the general meeting.

Section 9 Bodies
The bodies of the society are:
• the general assembly,
• the board of directors.

Section 10 Convocation of the general meeting
(1) The ordinary general meeting is held once a year in the first six months of the financial year.
(2) The general meeting is convened by the board of directors in writing at least four weeks before the date of the meeting, stating the place, time and agenda.
(3) The chair of the board of directors or one of his or her deputies chairs the meeting.
(4) Minutes are to be taken of the general meeting, which are signed by the chair of the meeting and the person taking the minutes elected by the general meeting.

Section 11 Tasks of the general meeting
(1) The general meeting is in particularly responsible for the
• acceptance of the annual report;
• review and approval of the annual accounts;
• determination of membership fees;
• resolution on the society’s budget;
• election of the members of the board of directors;
• approval of the activities of the board of directors;
• amendment of the bylaws;
• rejection of membership applications based on the proposal of the board of directors according to section 6;
• dissolution of the society.
(2) The general meeting passes resolutions with a simple majority of the members present or represented, unless the bylaws or compelling legal reasons stipulate otherwise. The representation of a member by another member is permitted with written delegation of the vote. Represented members are deemed to be members present.

Section 12 Extraordinary general meeting
(1) One third of the full members may demand that an extraordinary general meeting be convened, stating the reasons.
(2) Furthermore, the board of directors is entitled to convene an extraordinary general meeting if it deems it necessary.
(3) The provisions of section 11 apply accordingly.

Section 13 Board of directors
(1) The board of directors as defined in section 26 of the German Civil Code (BGB) consists of the chair, his or her deputy and the treasurer. The board of directors is entitled to appoint additional members.
(2) The society is represented in and out of court by each board member individually within the meaning of section 26 BGB.
(3) The board of directors may grant powers of attorney and appoint a managing director for the conduct of day-to-day business.
(4) Each board member is to be elected individually by the general assembly. Only members of the society may be elected as board members. If a member of the board of directors resigns prematurely, the board of directors may appoint a successor for the remaining term of office of the departed member.
(5) The board of directors may adopt its own rules of procedure, which require the approval of the general meeting.
(6) The board of directors meets at the invitation of the chair or his or her deputy. The meetings are chaired by the chair, in his or her absence by his or her deputy. The board of directors has a quorum if at least two of its members are present. Resolutions are passed by majority vote. In the event of a tie, the chair has the casting vote.

Section 14 Election, term of office of the board of directors
The board of directors is elected for four years. Re-election is permitted. The board members remain in office after their term of office has expired until new board members have been elected.

Section 15 Tasks of the board of directors
(1) The board of directors is responsible for the management in accordance with the bylaws and the resolutions of the general meeting.
(2) In particular, the board of directors is obliged to prepare the annual report, the annual accounts, and the budget and to present them to the general meeting for resolution.
(3) The board of directors decides on the admission of full members in accordance with sections 6 and 7 of the bylaws.

Section 16 Cash audit
The society's accounts are audited at the end of a financial year by one or more cash auditors elected by the general assembly, who do not have to be members of the society. The cash auditors check whether the use of the society's funds corresponds to the budget estimates and whether the society’s accounts have been properly kept. The cash auditors have to report on this to the general assembly.

Section 17 Dissolution
(1) The dissolution may only be decided by an extraordinary general meeting convened for this purpose alone. Two thirds of the members must be present for this. Three quarters of the members present must vote for the dissolution.
(2) If the liquidation of the society's assets is necessary (dissolution, withdrawal of legal capacity), the members of the board of directors who are in office within the meaning of section 26 BGB (chair, deputy chair) are the liquidators.
(3) In the event of dissolution or termination of the society or the permanent loss of tax-privileged purposes, the society's assets are to be donated to the Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Stiftung foundation (foundation under civil law) in Leipzig, which is to use them directly and exclusively for its non-profit purposes.

Board of directors of Internationale Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Mendelssohn-Hauses Leipzig e.V. (International Society for the Promotion of Mendelssohn House Leipzig)

Anne Brockelt, chair
Christiane Schmidt, deputy chair
Margarete Kalus, treasurer
Ulrich Hentze, special tasks

All board members can be reached at the address of Mendelssohn House, Goldschmidtstrasse 12, 04103 Leipzig, and by email at verein@mendelssohn-stiftung.de.