Overview of all festivals 2025/2026

When does the modern age actually begin? The usual answer is "around 1900," but for cultural history, the era of constant questioning already begins with Romanticism. Specifically, with Beethoven and Rossini, the most famous composers of their time, who were each driven in their own way. We are presenting Rossini's fairy tale La Cenerentola (Cinderella) – a signature role, by the way, of the great Pauline Viardot, a resident of Baden-Baden. Beethoven's Seventh Symphony and Rossini's operas brought the mechanical frenzy into music around the time when the term "railway" was first mentioned. Shortly afterward, the work of J. S. Bach was rediscovered, an occasion to pause and savor the event – and to found many middle-class choirs. What would German democracy be without its choirs and associations, those social training grounds of self-determination? Growing beyond ourselves: this is what everyone will experience who participates in our European Singfest.

Since The Snow Queen was premiered in 2015, the ballet ensemble of the National Opera of Ukraine in Kiev has repeatedly presented the work in Ukraine and abroad, in recent years increasingly as a sign of resistance and self-empowerment. Despite the difficult living and working conditions, the company pursues their artistic passion and works on maintaining something like a day-to-day life, in this way acting as a perfect ambassador for their home country. 

At Takeover, it is all about dreaming, inventing, dancing, and above all trying things out. For the future. For the spirit of togetherness. For music. With stunning acts and exciting workshops in a stylish atmosphere. Give it a try at Takeover!

In 2026, the Easter Festival Baden-Baden will welcome Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of Germany. Baden-Baden looks back on a long tradition of "music of the world" and of proactively fostering cultural heritage. With Richard Wagner's Lohengrin, Bach's St. Matthew Passion, and Britten's War Requiem, a new generation of exciting artists interprets masterpieces of European music history. We can look forward to conductor Joana Mallwitz, conductor Klaus Mäkelä, and soloists Hélène Grimaud (piano), mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča, Piotr Beczała as Lohengrin, Rachel Willis-Sørensen as Elsa, and young violin virtuoso Daniel Lozakovich. When spring awakens in Baden-Baden and the Easter holidays promise a festive mood and enjoyment, the music world comes together to experience hot springs and the Festspielhaus featuring operas, oratorios, exquisite chamber music, and monuments of the symphonic literature. We look forward to welcoming you! Once again, we are committed to world-class artists and the future of classical music!