News

St. John Passion at the Theater Erfurt 

Truly ancient yet utterly alive: On March 29 at the Theater Erfurt, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the RIAS Chamber Choir will demonstrate just how captivating music from the 17th to the early 19th century can sound with their performance of Bach’s St. John Passion. A story of trust and betrayal, love and despair, fear, pain, and the hope for mercy and redemption. Thrillingly beautiful and emotionally resonant. A masterpiece. Featuring tenor Benedikt Kristjánsson, one of today’s finest Evangelists.

A Grand Opening to Kick Off the Festival in Eisenach

Sacred music for royalty in Eisenach and Dresden—by the two masters of the church cantata, Telemann and Bach. A magnificent opening concert will take place on March 28 at the Georgenkirche in Eisenach. In addition, a reunion and a chance to hear two top-tier ensembles well-known from the Bach Weeks: Vox Luminis and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. A perfect start to a festival full of highlights.

We celebrate Bach's 341st birthday in Arnstadt

A birthday party with guests from all over the world. This is a special experience and has a special occasion: Johann Sebastian Bach's 341st birthday is just around the corner. As every year, the birthday boy will be honored and celebrated prominently on March 21 in Arnstadt's Bach Church by the Young Stuttgart Bach Ensemble with three Lutheran short masses. These are works that the Thomaskantor compiled from cantata movements in the late phase of his life. The concert is a collaboration with the International Bach Academy and the Bachfest Stuttgart.

 

Thank you, Helmuth Rilling

The Thuringia Bach Festival mourns the loss of the renowned Bach conductor, church musician, and music educator Helmuth Rilling, who passed away on February 11 at the age of 92. From 2014 to 2018, he shaped the festival through the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, where international musicians worked together on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in intensive rehearsals, masterclasses, and concerts. Rilling also founded the Gächinger Kantorei and the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and devoted his life to promoting and interpreting Bach’s sacred works. With deep gratitude, the Thuringian Bach Festival bids farewell to an influential musician, teacher, and friend.

Congratulations to ELINA ALBACH

Harpsichordist Elina Albach is the new fellow of the GLENN GOULD BACH FELLOWSHIP – a groundbreaking scholarship programme launched in 2020 that gives selected fellows the opportunity to reinterpret Baroque music for the 21st century.

LONG NIGHT OF HAUSMUSIK

In a long-standing tradition, the Thuringia Bach Festival always start with the Long Night of Hausmusik. Join in and open your doors on 27 March 2026.

Festival season 2026

Pre-sales for the upcoming festival season, which runs from 27 March to 19 April, will begin on 20 November 2025. You can look forward to 50 concerts throughout Thuringia.