City of Music :Leipzig

With the Bach Festival, the city of Leipzig honors its important composer every June. Thomascantor Johann Sebastian BachIt thus follows a tradition of Bach cultivation that was already started by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

The Bach Festival Leipzig 2025 takes place from 12 to 22 June and examines transformation processes in the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. Works that Bach himself subjected to a fascinating process of transformation will be performed, which he created in the style of various European sound preferences, as well as compositions by third parties that he rearranged. Exciting new concert formats are also organized under the umbrella of the Festival motto 2025 “Transformation” .

Well-known performers from all over the world can be experienced in over 11 events over 150 days, including the Thomanerchor and the Gewandhausorchester.

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 Gewandhaus Orchestra to all performances of the opera and the Leipzig Ballets. In addition to the current opera house on Augustusplatz, built in 1960, the Musical Comedy 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 in Biennial The great opening with “WAGNER 22” The international ballet festival “Leipzig tanzt!” followed 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.

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 Mendelssohn Festival Days, 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 that ranges from symphony concerts with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under the direction of Andris Nelsons, to choral symphonies, song recitals and chamber music performances. A variety of discussions, guided tours and lectures round off the festival days.

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 during the various tours. You can choose between a large tour through the city center, One highlight tour, One tour for families and four alternative tours through Leipzig's trendy district.

Tip: The city center tour “Leipzig on foot” leads past the Leipzig Opera, the Gewandhaus and St. Thomas Church.