© www.unsplash.com, Larisa Birta
Der Nikolaikirchhof mit der Nikolaikirche ist ein bedeutsamer Ort für die Musikkultur in Leipzig
© www.leipzig.travel

The fascinating power of music can be felt everywhere in Leipzig and the surrounding region – on streets and squares, in churches, concert halls, castles, palaces, monasteries, on impressive open-air stages and at the many authentic places where famous musicians lived and worked. Over the past centuries, more than 500 composers lived and worked here, including these great figures of music history: Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, and Clara and Robert Schumann, as well as Richard Wagner, Edvard Grieg, Albert Lortzing, Gustav Mahler, and Hanns Eisler. You can experience the originally preserved places of world-famous composers along the Leipziger Notenspur.

The city's rich musical heritage also includes the Gewandhausorchester, the world-famous Thomanerchor, and the Oper Leipzig, which has always been committed to preserving the Wagner legacy and is one of the oldest civic music theatre stages in Europe. 

But Leipzig is not only a city with a great musical history — it also keeps tradition alive. The city attracts classical music fans with top-class festivals and an impressive musical events calendar.

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Overview of festivals

Gewandhaus Festival Days Leipzig

Beethoven Festival Leipzig 2027

May 9 - 23, 2027

Blick auf das Gewandhaus zu Leipzig mit Logo Gewandhausorchester in der oberen Bildmitte.
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Beethoven for All – The Gewandhaus Celebrates 200 Years of Musical Revolution

To mark the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death, the Gewandhaus Leipzig will present a festival of international significance in 2027: featuring all symphonies, world‑renowned stars such as Lang Lang, Igor Levit, and Leonidas Kavakos, an exceptionally curated chamber music series, a new version of “Egmont,” and projects that reinterpret Beethoven’s music for today.

The festival is structured around three major pillars: performances of the symphonies and key instrumental concertos with the Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Gewandhauskapellmeister Andris Nelsons and internationally acclaimed soloists; an excellently curated chamber music series; as well as projects that reexamine Beethoven’s music and explore it from contemporary angles. The program spans interpretative traditions shaped over centuries to crossover formats, jazz, and electronic perspectives. Among the participating artists are Lang Lang, Leonidas Kavakos, Igor Levit, Pablo Ferrández, Anna Prohaska, Julia Fischer, Michael Wollny, the Stegreif Orchestra, the Gewandhaus Octet, as well as the Gewandhaus Quartet, which will perform all of Beethoven’s string quartets.

The festival gains a special historical dimension through Beethoven’s close connection with the Gewandhaus Orchestra: it was the first orchestra in the world to perform all of Beethoven’s symphonies as a complete cycle during the composer’s lifetime. The festival continues this tradition. In addition to the symphonies, it also highlights works premiered by the Gewandhaus Orchestra, including the Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56 for piano, violin, cello, and orchestra, the concert aria “Ah! Perfido,” and the Piano Concerto No. 5 in E‑flat major, Op. 73. The Beethoven Festival 2027 presents itself as an artistic statement: for the power of tradition, for the openness of the Gewandhaus, and for a Beethoven whose music has lost none of its political and social impact even 200 years after his death.

The advance ticket sale has been running since 27 June 2026.

Venues of the Gewandhaus Orchestra

The Gewandhaus Orchestra

Gewandhauskapellmeister Andris Nelsons und das Gewandhausorchester beim Mahler-Festival 2023.
© www.gertmothes.de, Gert Mothes

The Gewandhausorchester is the oldest civic symphony orchestra in the world. In 1743, 16 merchants founded the concert society Das Große Konzert, laying the foundation for today’s Gewandhausorchester. When the orchestra moved into an exhibition building of the cloth and garment makers in 1781, the ensemble received its first prestigious concert hall and the name “Gewandhausorchester.” Today, the orchestra performs not only at the Gewandhaus but also at the opposite Opera House, as well as together with the famous Thomanerchor in the St. Thomas Church.

  • Founded in 1743

  • world’s oldest civic symphony orchestra

  • The namesake is the House of the Clothmakers

  • 3 venues: Gewandhaus, Leipzig Opera, St Thomas Church

  • Andris Nelsons has been Gewandhaus Kapellmeister since the 2014/15 season

Event recommendation:

Klassik airleben in Leipzig’s Rosental

With Klassik airleben, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra thanks its audience every year at the end of the Gewandhaus season. On two consecutive evenings, the world-famous symphony orchestra performs two Grand Concerts under the open sky and invites all Leipzig residents and visitors to join.

During this time, the Rosental turns into an open-air concert hall and a meeting place for families, friends, and acquaintances. Thousands of people stream onto the large meadow in front of the stage – with folding chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets. The atmosphere is unique and captivating. Even those who are not classical music fans succumb to the charm of the music, the summery vibe, and the relaxed mood. With wine and snacks, in shorts and flip-flops, everyone listens to the magnificent performance of the world-class orchestra. It is not uncommon for friendships to form with “folding-chair neighbours”, and people often make plans to meet again the following year.

The free admission to Klassik airleben is mainly thanks to the strong partner of the Gewandhaus Orchestra – Porsche – and many other companies in the business community.

Bach Festival Leipzig

Passion

June 10 - 20, 2027

Bild des Bach-Archivs Leipzig mit Logo
© Tanja Grevismühl

From 10 to 20 June 2027, Leipzig will once again transform into the world capital of Bach and celebrate the Leipzig Bachfest under the motto "Passion".

Passion stands for devotion and for the story of suffering, for powerful emotions and dedication, for joy and pain, for the heart as well as the cross. For a Bach enthusiast, however, Passion first and foremost stands for two scores that the Thomaskantor wrote here in Leipzig: the St John Passion and the St Matthew Passion. The latter celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2027. This is reason enough to place the entire Leipzig Bachfest 2027 under the motto “Passion”. And this will be fulfilled on every level – with an intensity never seen before! At authentic historical venues, internationally renowned performers can be experienced in over 200 events as part of the Leipzig Bachfest. 

TRAVEL OFFERS AND TICKETS

Advance ticket sales for the Leipzig Bachfest 2027 begin on 24 November 2026. However, you can already take advantage of the opportunity to register your interest for the travel offers for the Leipzig Bachfest 2027 and automatically receive our offer in October/November.

Bach sites Leipzig

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Trip to the Bach Festival in Leipzig

Sign up now for travel offers for the Bach Festival 2027!

© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Bachfest Leipzig – the beginnings

Innenansicht der Nikolaikirche bei einem Konzert während des Bachfests Leipzig in der Musikstadt
© www.gertmothes.de, Gert Mothes

The first Leipzig Bachfest already took place in 1908 on the occasion of the unveiling of the "New Bach Monument". Selected pieces by Bach were performed; he lived and worked in Leipzig from 1723 until his death in 1750 as Thomaskantor at the St. Thomas Church . As part of the Leipzig Bachfest, around 100 different events take place each year.

Johann Sebastian Bach Competition

Preisträger des Internationalen Bach-Wettbewerbs Leipzig 2022 mit Blumen
© www.gertmothes.de, Gert Mothes; Bach-Archiv-Leipzig

The internationally renowned Johann Sebastian Bach Competition for young performers was first announced in 1950. From 1996 to 2024, it took place every two years in July with three alternating disciplines: piano, harpsichord and violin or Baroque violin. The competition is open to instrumentalists and singers between 16 and 33 years old. Since 2025, the music competition has been held annually in March with one discipline in focus – and a final streamed worldwide on March 21, Bach’s birthday.

Mendelssohn Festival Days

Cooperation between the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig and the Mendelssohn House

1 – 8 November 2026

Blick auf das Mendelssohn-Haus Leipzig mit darüber gelegtem gleichlautendem Logo
© Andreas Schmidt

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 4 November, the anniversary of his death. Since 1997, this has also included the Mendelssohn Festival Days, which since 2021 have been presented through a cooperation between the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig and the Mendelssohn House with a diverse and sophisticated programme.

Internationally renowned artists create a rich musical programme ranging from symphony concerts with the Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Andris Nelsons, to choral symphonies, song recitals and chamber music performances. A variety of talks, guided tours and lectures complete the festival days, which are understood as a tribute to Leipzig.

Mendelssohn locations in Leipzig

Mendelssohn House Leipzig

Leipzig

www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner | AI-optimized | CC-BY

Leipzig Gewandhaus

Leipzig

www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner | AI-optimized | CC-BY

Festival Days of Opera Leipzig

Verdi Festival Days

May 2028

Blick auf den Leipziger Augustusplatz mit beleuchteter Oper Leipzig
© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

The Oper Leipzig, with its more than 330-year tradition, is one of the flagship institutions of the musical city of Leipzig, where composers such as Bach, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Wagner wrote music history.

As early as 1693, the first opera house on the Brühl was opened as the third civic music theatre in Europe after Venice and Hamburg. Since 1840, the world-renowned Gewandhausorchester has performed at all productions of the opera and the Leipziger Ballett. In addition to today’s opera house on Augustusplatz, built in 1960, the Musikalische Komödie in the Lindenau district serves as a venue for musicals and operettas and is part of Oper Leipzig. Opera fans love both the exciting productions and the outstanding musical quality of the house. The international ballet company of Oper Leipzig also delivers performances of the highest calibre.

The festival days of Oper Leipzig take place on a biennial cycle. Following the magnificent opening with “WAGNER 22” , the international ballet festival “Leipzig dances!” took place in 2024, followed in 2026 by the festival “LORTZING 26”, which focused on the composer Albert Lortzing on the occasion of his 225th birthday and 175th anniversary of his death.

In May 2028, the festival days will be dedicated entirely to Guiseppe Verdi

Locations Opera Leipzig

Leipzig Opera

Leipzig

www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner | CC-BY

Musical comedy

Leipzig

www.tomwilliger.de, Tom Williger | CC-BY

Thematic focuses of the Leipzig Opera Festival Days

  • 2022: Wagner

  • 2024: Ballet

  • 2026: Lortzing

© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Welcome to Leipzig – The Podcast for Your Leipzig Trip

Opera Leipzig: Something for everyone

Leipzig Music Trail

A musical walk

  • 5.3 km long

  • 23 stations with information and sound samples on places where famous composers worked

  • can be explored on foot

  • average distance between stations: 225 m

  • recognizable by curved steel elements in the ground as well as information steles

© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Explore Leipzig - City Tours

Digital city tours through Leipzig

Eine Familie informiert sich über das Bach-Denkmal vor der Thomaskirche mithilfe der Explore Leipzig App.
© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

With the free Explore Leipzig app, you can discover the city's highlights easily and in your own way!

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 different tours. You can choose between a large tour through the city centre, a highlight tour, a family tour as well as four alternative tours through Leipzig's trendy districts.

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

All tips for the music city of Leipzig at a glance