City of Music: Leipzig

With the Bach Festival, the city of Leipzig honors its renowned St. Thomas Cantor (composer for the St. Thomas Church) Johann Sebastian Bach every year in June. In doing so, it follows a tradition of Bach preservation initiated by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

The Bach Festival Leipzig 2025 will take place from June 12 to 22 and will explore transformational processes in the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. The festival will feature works that Bach himself subjected to fascinating transformation processes, pieces he created in the style of various European musical preferences, and compositions by others that he rearranged. Exciting new concert formats will also be part of the 2025 festival theme “Transformation.”

Renowned performers from around the world will be featured in over 150 events across 11 days, including the THOMANERCHOR LEIPZIG (St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig) and the Gewandhaus Orchestra.

The memory of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy is kept alive in Leipzig. Traditionally, Leipzig honours the composer and musician every year with many concerts around Mendelssohn Day on November 4th, the anniversary of his death. Since 1997 also with the The Mendelssohn Festival, which has been in cooperation with Gewandhaus in Leipzig and Mendelssohn House with a diverse, demanding program.

Internationally renowned artists create a rich musical program, ranging from symphony concerts with the Gewandhausorchester under the direction of Andris Nelsons, from choral symphonies to song recitals and chamber music performances. A variety of discussions, guided tours, and lectures complete the festivities.

The Leipzig Opera With its more than 325-year-old tradition, it is one of the flagships of the music city of Leipzig, where composers such as Bach, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Wagner wrote music history.

The first opera house at Brühl was opened in 1693 as the third civic music theatre in Europe after Venice and Hamburg. Since 1840, the world-renowned Gewandhausorchester to all performances of the opera and the Leipzig Ballet. In addition to the current opera house on Augustusplatz, built in 1960, the Venue Musical Comedy Theatre in the district of Lindenau as a venue for musicals and operettas at the Leipzig Opera. Opera fans love both the exciting productions and the first-class musical standard of the house. The international ballet company of the Leipzig Opera also inspires at the highest level.

The Leipzig Opera Festival takes place biennial . The great opening with “WAGNER 22” was followed by the international ballet festival “Leipzig tanzt!” in 2024. 2026 stands with the festival "LORTZING 26” then the composer Albert Lortzing on the occasion of his 225th birthday and 175th death anniversary, the focus of the Leipzig Opera Festival. Not only did he premiere many of his operas in Leipzig, including "The Poacher" and "The Tsar and the Carpenter", but he also performed here as an actor and singer. He worked as opera director at the city theater for several years. In addition to revivals, new productions are also on the program. Lectures, choir and chamber concerts, and talk formats round off the festival.

With the free Explore Leipzig app, the highlights of the city can be explored easily and individually!

On a total of four interactive city tours, you will get a comprehensive overview of the city of Leipzig and learn many interesting facts and exciting background information. You can choose between a long walk through the city center, a highlight tour, a family tour, and alternative tours through Leipzig's trendy neighborhoods.

Tip: The city center tour “Leipzig on Foot” passes by the Leipzig Opera, the Gewandhaus, and St. Thomas Church.