"I would like", Henze wrote in Spring 2007, "my music to make the same effect in the future (i.e. after my demise) as it does today, and that it, furthermore, may speak to an audience familiar with the actual cultural and social concerns. Thus it should be taken care of a kind of continuity which keeps alive our European idea of civilization and more, may be developped in the awareness of humans who appreciate the arts and love the music."
This legacy leeds to two fields of activity to which the Hans Werner Henze-Foundation dedicates its work. One is the "promotion of arts, culture and music" and particularly the conservation, protection and distribution of the muscial and literary work of Hans Werner Henze. Scientific research about the composer's work and its impacts is an important part of these duties. The other task Maestro Henze assigned to his foundation is to sponsor young musicians, especially composers. Thus, the foundation may participate in concerts and festivals with contemporary music, create own musical performing formats and participate in scientific events dealing with Henze's oeuvre. Furthermore the foundation has the possibility to grant scholarships to young, promising composers.

Prof. Dr. Reinhold Kreile
Vorstand
Rechtsanwalt (von Hans Werner Henze seit 1963), war Vorstand und Generaldirektor der GEMA, Justitiar der VG Wort, Mitglied des Kuratoriums der Ernst von Siemens-Stiftung, Mitglied des Stiftungsrats der Richard Wagner-Stiftung, Bayreuth und des Vorstands der Richard Strauss-Gesellschaft, München sowie Bundestagsabgeordneter der CSU. Er ist Professor an der Münchner Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film, und war Präsident der internationalen Vereinigungen der Verwertungsgesellschaften CISAC und BIEM, Paris, sowie Mitbegründer und Herausgeber der Zeitschrift für Urheber- und Medienrecht.

Prof. Dr. Reinhold Kreile
Board of directors
Lawyer (Hans Werner Henze's lawyer since 1963); he was director and general manager of the GEMA (composer's association for royalties), legal advisor of the VG Wort (writer's association for royalties), furthermore he was on the board of trustees of the Ernst von Siemens-foundation, on the foundation board of the Richard Wagner-Foundation (Bayreuth) and on the director's board of the Richard Strauss-Association. Kreile was member of the Bundestag (German parliament) for the CSU, holds a chair at the Munich University for Television and Film and was president of the international unions of collecting societies CISAC and BIEM, Paris and co-founder and editor of the monthly magazine "Zeitschrift für Urheber- und Medienrecht" (Journal for copy and media rights).

Prof. Dr. Johannes Kreile †
ehem. Vorstand
wurde nach dem Studium der Rechtswissenschaft und der Theaterwissenschaft Geschäftsführer der Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernseh-produzenten und war Anwalt mit Spezialgebiet Medien- und Urheberrecht. Kreile war Mitglied im Verwaltungsrat der Bayerischen Landeszentrale für neue Medien, Vorsitzender der Richtlinienkommission der FFA Filmförderanstalt Berlin und Vorsitzender des Beirats der MBA MediaBusinessAcademy. Er war Honorarprofessor an der Münchner Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film, hat Lehraufträge an der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz und der Bayerischen Akademie für Fernsehen. Zahlreiche Publikationen, darunter Mitwirkung am Handbuch „Recht im Internet“.

Prof. Dr. Johannes Kreile
Board of directors
After studying law and theatre sciences Kreile became general manager of the collecting society of the film- and tv-producers, and he is lawyer with an expertise on media and author's rights. He is on the board of administrators of the Bavarian center for new media, head of the commitee of the guidelines of the FFA (institute for promotion and sponsorship for film in Berlin) and head of the advisory board of the MBA Media Business Academy. Furthermore he is visiting professor art the Munich Unversity for Television and Movie, at the University of Mayence and the Baywrische Akademie für Fernsehen. Numerous publications, among them participation in the Handbuch "Recht internet" (compendium "law on internet").

Dr. Michael Kerstan, Dipl.Päd.
Geschäftsführer, Künstlerischer Beirat
langjähriger Assistent von Hans Werner Henze. Nach der Promotion im Fach Empirische Kulturwissenschaften war Kerstan künstlerischer Leiter des Jugendmusikfests Deutschlandsberg, der Jungen Kultur in Hallein und der KulturRegion Stuttgart; als Regisseur inszenierte er u.a. die italienische Erstaufführung von Henzes „Phaedra“ beim Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; Mitglied des El Cimarron-Ensembles, mit dem er verschiedene Uraufführungen in Szene gesetzt hat. Er publizierte u.a. einen Sammelband über Hans Werner Henze (Komponist der Gegenwart, Berlin 2006).

Dr. Michael Kerstan, Dipl.Päd.
Director, artistic advisor
Kerstan was Hans Werner's assistant for several years. He holds a doctor's degree in cultural ciences and has been artistic director of the Jugendmusikfest Deutsch-landsberg (Austria), the Junge Kultur in Hallein and the KulturRegion Stuttgart; as stage director he did the Italian premiere of Henze's "Phaedra" at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; he is member of the El Cimarrrón-Ensemble, together they realized numerous world premieres, and he published (together with Clemens Wolken), among others, a book about Hans Werner Henze (Komponist der Gegenwart, Berlin 2006).

Prof. Dr. Peter Ruzicka
Vorsitzender des Künstlerischen Beirates
Komponist (u.a. Opern: „Celan“ UA 2001 Dresden, „Hölderin“ UA 2008 Berlin), Dirigent, Intendant und promovierter Jurist, Professor an der Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, Mitglied der Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste und der Freien Akademie der Künste Hamburg. Nacheinander Intendant des Radio-Symphonie-Orchesters Berlin, der Staatsoper Hamburg und der Hamburger Philharmoniker, seit 1996 als Nachfolger Hans Werner Henzes künstlerischer Leiter der Münchener Biennale und von 2001 bis 2006 Intendant der Salzburger Festspiele.

Prof. Dr. Peter Ruzicka
Head of the board of artistic advisors
Composer Peter Ruzicka (see, among others, his operas "Celan", Dresden 2001 and "Hölderlin", Berlin 2008) is also a highly appreciated conductor, artistic director with a PHD in law, professor at the University of Music and Theater in Hamburg, member of the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste and of the Freie Akademie der Künste, Hamburg. He was artistic director of the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Staatsoper Hamburg and the Hamburg Philharmonic, the Münchener Biennale für Neues Musiktheater (as successor of Hans Werner Henze) and the Salzburg Festival.

Prof. Dr. Antje Tumat
Board of artistic advisors
Antje Tumat, Professor of Historical Musicology at the University of Paderborn/ Academy of Music Detmold. Doctorate on Hans Werner Henze's Prinz von Homburg (awarded the Ruprecht Karls Prize of the University of Heidelberg and the Walter Witzenmann Prize of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities), habilitation on music and language in 19th century drama music, professorships at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media and the University of Greifswald. 2017 appointment to Greifswald and Detmold/Paderborn. Publications on the early modern period and on music of the 18th to 20th centuries, especially on Hans Werner Henze. Further research interests: Music and theatre, Heidelberg Romanticism, gender research, music for radio and film.

Johannes Debus
Board of artistic advisors
The conductor made his debut at the Frankfurt Opera in 1999 with Henzes „Boulevard Solitude“. From 2001 – 2008 he stayed there as pianist, coach, and assistant conductor. As a guest he conducted the orchestras at Deutsche Oper Berlin, English National Opera London, Bayerische Staatsoper München, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Lincoln Center New York, the Ensemble Modern; he appeared at Festivals in Schwetzingen (World premiere of Sciarrino's „MacBeth“) and Spoleto (staged premiere of Henze's „Gogo No Eiko“). In 2009 he was appointed Music Director of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto.