Trifolion Echternach; Credit: Pierre Weber

In an interview with Chronicle.lu, Maxime Bender, Director of Trifolion Echternach, explained how the cultural centre has been impacted by and adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past 22 months, as well as what the team expects (and hopes for) this new year.

Mr Bender, a multi-instrumentalist composer and jazz musician from Luxembourg, has been at the helm of Trifolion Echternach since July 2020.

Chronicle.lu: How long was Trifolion Echternach shut for during the pandemic? How was event organisation affected?

Maxime Bender: The Trifolion Echternach was never completely shut during the entire pandemic. However, the restrictions had a significant influence on our work. Many events had to be cancelled or rescheduled, some even several times. We had to reduce our hall capacity for most events and had to dispense catering for a long time.
 
There is also a great uncertainty involved in the planning of our events, as we can never predict how the situation and the resulting sanitary measures will develop. We only know until shortly beforehand whether the events can take place or not. Our team has had to show incredible flexibility and energy over the last two years.
 
Chronicle.lu: Did the Luxembourg government support the centre and its staff financially? If so, how?
 
Maxime Bender: Yes, we got support with helping funds as well as a support programme called “Neistart Lëtzebuerg” for helping to create new productions and so helping the artists to get work during these difficult times.
 
Chronicle.lu: Was Trifolion Echternach able to retain staff?
 
Maxime Bender: Fortunately, we were able to retain our entire team.
 
Chronicle.lu: Did Trifolion Echternach have to bring in new staff and / or provide additional training to existing staff in response to the COVID-19 measures?
 
Maxime Bender: We had to provide more staff and freelancers for the CovidCheck controls at the entrances and for the rapid test stations. Additionally, all our team members had to be constantly informed about the latest sanitary measures and procedures to ensure a smooth event flow and to guarantee a safe visit for our guests.
 
Chronicle.lu: In what way will the latest government measures affect the centre (if at all)?
 
Maxime Bender: We are currently experiencing the effects of the present COVID-19 wave very clearly. The restrictions have become stricter again regarding the increasing COVID-19 numbers in Europe. Many tours and events have been cancelled or postponed, so that we had some programme adjustments as well. However, we have recently submitted a sanitary concept, which allows us to maintain many of our events.
 
Chronicle.lu: What are Trifolion Echternach's hopes or vision for 2022?
 
Maxime Bender: First and foremost, we obviously hope for an improvement of the COVID-19 situation in 2022 and a return to a more normal everyday life, even though we are aware that some aspects will still be with us for a while. But as a cultural centre, we also hope for an exciting cultural year with many collaborations and programme highlights and with a satisfied audience.