As the new year dawns, the Sinfonieorchester Aachen invites you to a series of captivating musical events that promise to enliven the senses and uplift the spirit. From the grandeur of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to innovative compositions inspired by his legacy, music enthusiasts are in for a treat. The events, spread across Aachen and Cologne, feature talented performers and unique orchestral pieces, creating an unforgettable start to 2025. Join us as we explore the essence of human connection and the power of music to unite and inspire.

Aachen's New Year Symphony: A Celebration of Beethoven and Beyond

This season, Sinfonieorchester Aachen presents a captivating array of concerts, offering diverse musical experiences for all ages and tastes. From a heartwarming children's tale to iconic symphonic masterpieces, these events promise a unique blend of genres and styles. Highlights include a family-friendly concert featuring Handel, an innovative symphony premiere, and a toddler-friendly musical exploration. Join us on this musical journey at various historic venues across Aachen, where each concert presents a fresh narrative, creating memorable moments through the universal language of music.

Diverse Musical Experiences Await at Sinfonieorchester Aachen Concerts

Sinfonieorchester Aachen is set to take audiences on a musical journey around the world with a series of captivating concerts. From the intriguing sounds of international music in 'Music is it!: Around the World' to the grandeur of Mahler's Symphony No. 3 and Liszt's orchestral innovations, the program showcases a wide array of genres and styles. Whether it's engaging toddlers in 'Sun, Moon, and Stars' or exploring Tchaikovsky's footsteps in Aachen, each event fosters a unique connection between music and culture, promising rich experiences for all attendees.

A Musical Journey: Exploring Sinfonieorchester Aachen's Diverse Concerts

Embark on an extraordinary musical journey with the Sinfonieorchester Aachen as they present a series of captivating concerts. From the intricacies of Baroque compositions and chamber music to the grandeur of orchestral symphonies, these events bring together renowned conductors and performers. Highlights include Martin Haselböck leading a Baroque masterpiece, Hendrik Vestmann showcasing Liszt and Franck, and Christopher Ward paying homage to Tchaikovsky's legacy in Aachen, offering audiences an unforgettable cultural experience.

A Musical Journey Through Time: Sinfonieorchester Aachen's Captivating Concert Series

In the vibrant city of Aachen, a series of remarkable musical events are set to captivate audiences, blending history, talent, and innovation. From the echoes of Tchaikovsky's past to modern orchestral grandeur, the Sinfonieorchester Aachen orchestrates a varied lineup. Featuring world premieres, classic symphonies, and unique collaborations, these concerts pay homage to musical legacies while pushing creative boundaries. Join us as we explore these events, where each performance promises a unique experience, resonating with both traditional and contemporary melodies.

Aachen's Musical Marvels: A Journey Through Time and Emotion

As a composer, Franz Liszt is one of the most innovative musicians of the 19th century and one of the creators of the genre of tone poems, the most famous of which - based on the poetry of Alphonse de Lamartine - can be heard in this symphony concert: "Les Préludes". As a piano virtuoso, Liszt caused astonishment everywhere and this is reflected not least in his particularly complex Piano Concerto No. 2, which takes on downright symphonic features. César Franck also left his audience baffled: his symphony, which was to remain a solitary work in his work, seemed far too idiosyncratic. "Au banan"! - a concert evening whose virtuosity is astonishing.

6th Symphony Concert

Parkhotel Quellenhof Aachen - Premiumhotel Aachen

Das Konzert der Blechbläser:innen des Sinfonieorchester Aachen

Brass in Concert

St. Michael Aachen

3rd Chamber Concert

Theater Aachen

Baroque in Lufo

Ludwig Forum for International Art

At the toddler concerts with Lisa Klingenburg, even the very youngest children have the opportunity to move to classical music of different styles or simply to listen! This provides a variety of ways to access the sounds of the instruments and the stories that the music tells.

3rd Toddler Concert: "Sun, Moon and Stars"

oratorio concert

It is one of the monoliths of symphonic literature: Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3, which had its premiere as part of the Tonkünstlerfest in Krefeld. It reveals an attempt at a musical cosmology that extends from inanimate matter to divine love. Like hardly any other work, it corresponds to the vision of the composer, who once said that the aim of a symphony is "to build a world using all the means of existing technology." This explains the combination of highly idiosyncratic sound characters, from blissful folk songs and appeal-like marching music to natural idylls and religious visions.

5th Symphony Concert

Musik ist eine Sprache, die man in der ganzen Welt versteht. Tauche ein in die pulsierende Vielfalt der Klänge und Rhythmen! Mit unserem Jugendkonzert »Around the World« schaffen wir ein Panorama der verschiedenen Klangwelten und -traditionen und öffnen die Ohren für Vertrautes und Unerhörtes.

Music is it!: »Around the world«

Großes Haus

It's going to be festive: And what music is better suited to a splendid celebration than Baroque music? One of the most famous composers of that time not only spent some time in Aachen, he also took a bath or two in Aachen's hot springs: his name is Georg Friedrich Händel! Whether he was thinking of his "Water Music" - young and old will find out at the 3rd family concert. As part of this family concert, we are offering the popular #singalong format.

3rd Family Concert: "Handel in the Hot Springs of Aachen"

"Ömmer jet Nöits" - we give this phrase special meaning in this symphony concert. Firstly with the powerful, poetic Overture No. 2 by the composer Emilie Mayer, who is still rarely heard today. Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 is one of the composer's most frequently played works and,
thanks to its virtuoso passages and lyrical structure, continues to enjoy great popularity to this day. The main work of the concert offers a true novelty, as announced in the title: the world premiere of the "approximate sonata" by the Aachen composer Philipp Maintz.

4th Symphony Concert

Charlemagne Festival

The hungry wolf is preparing his traditional stew recipe when suddenly a lamb appears at his door. The wolf is completely confused: what should he do when his dinner smiles at him and wants to throw its arms around him? A beautiful story about friendship and responsibility, which is crowned at the end by a really excellent vegetable stew - without any lamb.

2nd Cushion Concert: "The Lamb That Came to Dinner"

In keeping with tradition, the Aachen Symphony Orchestra is heading into the heart of student life at the university - and to the sea - for the ninth time! Under the title " Seascapes " , the audience can discover what wind, waves, spray and storms sound like when composers set them to music. Presentations and interviews provide exciting background information. In addition to Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's concert overture " Sea Calm and Happy Voyage " (based on the poem of the same name by Goethe) and Frank Bridges' powerful orchestral suite " The Sea " , a special highlight on the programme is the concerto for birds and orchestra " Cantus Arcticus " by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara 

Einsteins Musicbox

Der Stummfilm »Beethoven« entstand im Jahr 1927 anlässlich des 100. Todestages des Komponisten. Der Regisseur Hans Otto Löwenstein, ein Pionier des österreichischen Films, wollte mit dieser Filmbiografie in fünf Akten, die an zahlreichen Originalschauplätzen in Wien und Umgebung gedreht wurde, dem Publikum Beethoven als Mensch näherbringen. Im Jahr 2020 hat Malte Giesen eine wegweisende neue Filmmusik zur Begleitung dieses Stummfilmklassikers komponiert: Er zitiert Werke Beethovens mit dem Ziel, daraus »eine Art ›komponierte Interpretation‹ zu entwickeln, die den Film musikalisch in immer wieder unterschiedlicher Funktion begleitet. Dabei möchte ich mit Techniken arbeiten, die unmittelbar an die zeitgenössische Ästhetik und Philosophie meiner Generation anknüpfen: Remix, Sampling, Shuffling, auch gerade der Mix Orchester/Elektronik soll hier zu Einsatz kommen.


Beethoven

We are guests at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall and are celebrating the new year there with a very special double portion of Beethoven: "All men become brothers" promises the overwhelming finale of his Ninth, the famous setting of Schiller's "Ode to Joy" for four soloists, choir and orchestra. Before that, a work by our Composer in Focus Philipp Maintz is on the program. Maintz, a native of Aachen, was inspired to write his short orchestral piece "red china green house" by the conversation books of the deaf Beethoven. He describes the underlying mood as "bright, light, summery - and a little mischievous" - a promising start to the new year!

EPSG:4326

New Year's Concert Cologne

Museum Ludwig

The joy of human connection has probably never been sung about more beautifully than in Beethoven's Ninth. The New Year can hardly start in a more atmospheric way than with this famous, top-class piece.

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods

Eurogress Aachen

Kölner Philharmonie

We are celebrating the new year with a very special double portion of Beethoven: "All men will become brothers" promises the overwhelming finale of his Ninth, the famous setting of Schiller's "Ode to Joy" for four soloists, choir and orchestra. Before that, a work by our Composer in Focus Philipp Maintz is on the program. Maintz, a native of Aachen, was inspired to write his short orchestral piece red china green house by the conversation books of the deaf Beethoven. He describes the underlying mood as "bright, light, summery - and a little mischievous" - a promising start to the new year!

New Year's Concert

Our Christmas concert with the motto "Jelöcksellich Chressfest!" promises bliss surrounded by snow and the ringing of bells. With festive orchestral sounds, popular Christmas classics and the odd surprise, we'll get you in the mood for the holidays. And of course, every year, we also have Christmas songs sung together on the program!

Christmas concert

In this chamber concert, the interns of the Aachen Symphony Orchestra present themselves with a program they have compiled themselves, spanning the period from Viennese Classicism to the present day: in Franz Anton Hoffmeister's Quartet, the double bass plays first violin for a change. The Horn Trio op. 40 by Johannes Brahms and the 2nd String Quartet by Alexander Borodin evoke German and Russian Romanticism, respectively. And the Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov touchingly commemorates the loss of a close friend with his piece "Mariel" in the soft, muted colors of cello and marimba.

Chamber Concert - Orchestra Academy

Classical meets modern - Glass meets Tchaikovsky! The exceptional saxophonist Andrej Lakisov lets the Aachen Symphony Orchestra discover new spheres with a concert by Philipp Glass. Also on the program: Tchaikovsky's sonorous string serenade.

concert in the music bunker

Zusammen mit seiner Band und dem Kinder- und Jugendchor des Theater Aachen präsentiert der Singer- Songwriter Johannes Stankowski Lieder seines Winteralbums »Alles wird weiß« auf der Bühne des Großen Hauses und läutet so die Adventszeit ein.
Spätestens beim ersten Klassiker singt dann hoffentlich auch das Publikum mit und alle freuen sich gemeinsam auf die schönste Zeit des Jahres!

Alles wird weiß

"Jodde Honger" - in this spirit, we present you with aural delights in this concert. Verdi's "Nabucco" overture opens the evening with an exquisite specialty of musical theater. William Walton's "Belshazzar's Feast", the musical setting of a biblical banquet, takes you into a world of opulent sounds and rousing choirs. The evening is rounded off with Tchaikovsky's powerful Symphony No. 4, which offers musical enjoyment with emotional depth and masterful melodies. The Aachen Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of its General Music Director Christopher Ward, performs together with the Aachen Theater Choir, the "Tonart" choir and baritone Ronan Collett, who lends his voice to Walton's composition.

3rd Symphony Concert

The program of the 2nd chamber concert combines lightness and passion: The Serenade op. 10 for string trio from 1903 is the most famous chamber music work from the pen of the Hungarian composer Ernst von Dohnányi. The title promises lighter musical entertainment, but the five movements are masterfully worked out in detail and an impressive variety of colors is extracted from the transparent trio formation. The situation is similar with Peter I. Tchaikovsky's string sextet, which he wrote as a "memory of Florence": in parts it is permeated by a serenade-like tone that was surely inspired by the happy trip to Tuscany from which the composer had recently returned.

2nd Chamber Concert

51st Aachen Bach Days

Evangelische Initiative "Engagiert Älter werden

1st Toddler Concert: "Confetti Rain"

Program: Hanns Eisler »Hollywood Songbook«: When she lay at night and thought / My young son asks me / To the little radio / In the willows / L'automne californien / About suicide // Charles Ives: Watchman! / The Greatest Man / Afterglow / Memories: A 'Very Pleasant' & B 'Rather Sad' // Samuel Barber: Rain has fallen, Op. 10 no. 1 / Sleep now, Op.10 no. 2 / O boundless, boundless evening, Op. 45 no. 3 // Stephen Sondheim: Losing My Mind (Follies) / Pretty Woman (Sweeney Todd) / Send in the Clowns (A Little Night Music)

1st Liederabend

Ghosts? In the theater? Then it's time for the ghost hunters. And who doesn't know the famous theme song from "Ghostbusters," the humorous and horror classic of the 1980s? After the great success of the previous season, this year we are once again presenting a family concert that will give us the creeps with spooky sounds. Under the direction of Hiroshi Ueno, the Aachen Symphony Orchestra will play at the witching hour.

2nd Family Concert: »Ghostbusters«

The motto "Saukäs" fits the works in this concert perfectly, starting with the overture by Wenzel Heinrich Veit, a contemporary of Robert Schumann and almost unknown today . We encounter great virtuosity in Mozart's Sinfonia concertante. Schubert's symphony is grand in terms of its size and ambition: Schumann raved about its "heavenly length".

2nd Symphony Concert

Musicians from the Aachen Symphony Orchestra present true musical matters of the heart in different ensembles in the 1st Chamber Concert: Mozart's virtuoso string duo KV 423 was written as a friendly act for the ill Michael Haydn. And Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's string quartet op. 13 is even a double matter of the heart: a homage to Ludwig van Beethoven and a secret message of love. The program also includes two works for the unusual combination of clarinet and soprano by Louis Spohr and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

1st Chamber Concert

To commemorate the end of the Second World War in Aachen, the October Music is played every year in the sacred space of Aachen Cathedral.

October music

Hardly any other composition combines the impossibility and power of a supernatural love like Wagner's prelude to "Tristan and Isolde", which culminates in the romantic love death. The Aachen composer Philipp Maintz describes the piano concerto genre as "one of the most beautiful and pleasurable playgrounds" - to which he pays homage here with one of his own representatives. The main work of the evening is Richard Strauss' great tone poem "Ein Heldenleben", a powerful orchestral piece that reflects the epic highs and lows of the eponymous hero in musical splendor.

1st Symphony Concert

On this occasion, the orchestra comes to you! Several instrumental ensembles play at various locations in Aachen city center and provide musical accompaniment to the event.

Music Mile

City Center Aachen

Sheep are not known for being stubborn, brave and extremely unyielding. But Leni, the Cameroon sheep, seems to have exactly these qualities in abundance. Leni is unhappy and at some point decides to start a new life: among horses! Three musicians from the Aachen Symphony Orchestra tell you in a musical way how this could happen.

1st Cushion Concert: "Today I am a Horse"

Every year, the Aachen Symphony Orchestra and General Music Director Christopher Ward invite the audience to open-air concerts in a late summer atmosphere in the Aachen Kurpark.

Kurpark Classix - Last Night: »Carnival - Alaaf!

Kurpark

Every year, the Aachen Symphony Orchestra and General Music Director Christopher Ward invite the audience to open-air concerts in a late summer
atmosphere in the Aachen Kurpark.

Kurpark Classix - A Night at the Opera: »An American in Aachen - an American night«

As punishment for his cheeky behavior, young Nils Holgersson is shrunk to the size of a gnome. On the back of the domestic goose Martin, he travels north with the wild geese and experiences numerous adventures and some dangers. The Aachen composer Anno Schreier has translated the classic children's book by Selma Lagerlöf into the present day and created music that is as entertaining as it is memorable, giving the events of the journey a musical form. The Aachen Symphony Orchestra and the children's choir of the Aachen Theater perform under the musical direction of choir director Jori Klomp.

Kurpark Classix for Kids: "Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey"

2nd Toddler Concert: "Ring the Bell"

Tchaikovsky in Aachen? – Of course! In 1887, the famous composer stayed in the city for a few weeks and used his stay to compose. He liked the surroundings, he used the time for long walks and was particularly enthusiastic about the animals in the zoo, which he visited as well as the numerous cafés. In this world premiere by the composer André Parfenov, General Music Director Christopher Ward follows in the footsteps of Tchaikovsky in Aachen together with schoolchildren.

4th Family Concert: "Tchaikovsky in Aachen"

cathedral concert

Aachen Cathedral

The three robbers attack carriages and rob the travelers. But when one day they meet the little orphan girl Tiffany, their lives are turned upside down with a question. Soon they are looking for other unfortunate children, for whom they buy a magnificent castle and eventually found an entire town.

3rd Cushion Concert: "The Three Robbers"

Anno Schreier's aim when composing his "Sinfonia amorosa e giocosa" was to capture the "allegedly light, relaxed tone of Mozart's early symphonies," and perhaps also their humor. Tchaikovsky also attempted to awaken the spirit of a bygone era in his Variations on a Rococo Theme, whose soloist will be the award-winning cellist Gabriel Schwabe. Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, which reflects his initial fascination with the rebellious Napoleon, exudes a revolutionary spirit.

7th Symphony Concert

Charlemagne Prize award ceremony in Aachen City Hall

City Hall Aachen

Das traditionelle Konzert des Sinfonischen Chores Aachen. In Kooperation mit der Aachener Chorbiennale.

Chor+

City Church of St. Nicholas

4th Chamber Concert

Paul McCartney? The Beatle? Composer of an oratorio? Of course! In 1991, McCartney composed this large-scale choral work, which premiered in Liverpool Cathedral that same year - a special honor for the composer, as he had failed an audition for the cathedral choir as a child - "Oh my goodness," as the Aachen native would say. He was all the more pleased to receive a commission from the Royal Liverpool Orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to flesh out his interest in music for choir and orchestra. At the end of the season and under the direction of Christopher Ward, members of the opera ensemble will perform this extraordinary work together with the orchestras of the Theater Aachen and the choirs of the Chorbiennale.

8th Symphony Concert

CHIO: "Horse and Symphony"

Deutsche Bank Park

4. Crawling Concert: "Humm, hum, hum..."

»September Album«: Music by our Composer in Focus Philipp Maintz in the old tram depot

Classic Lounge - Radical Vibes im Depot

Paul McCartney? The Beatle? Composer of an oratorio? Of course! In 1991, McCartney composed this large-scale choral work, which premiered in Liverpool Cathedral that same year. To kick off the season and under the direction of Christopher Ward, members of the opera ensemble, together with the Aachen Opera Choir and the Aachen Symphony Choir, will perform this extraordinary work in the spa park.

Kurpark Classix - »To Liverpool«

Neun Studioalben in 20 Jahren, die hierzulande allesamt in die Top 10 der Album-Charts einstiegen. Dazu mehrere Nummer-1-LPs in ihrer englischen Heimat und immerzu ausverkaufe Tourneen. Wer der Schnelllebigkeit des Musikgeschäfts derart erfolgreich trotzt, darf die eigene Biografie mit einem Karrieremerkmal schmücken, nach dem praktisch alle Künstler streben: Beständigkeit. Katie Meluas Musik ist seit mehr als zwei Dekaden eine Konstante in den Playlisten unzähliger Popsongliebhaber, die Tiefe aufdringlicher Lautstärke vorziehen. An Hits mangelt es ihr dennoch nicht: »Closest Thing To Crazy«, »Nine Million Bicycles« und ihr Charts-Topper »What A Wonderful World« sind vielgespielte Evergreens geblieben.

Sinfonieorchester Aachen

May 11, 2025

4th Family Concert: "Tchaikovsky in Aachen"

May 17, 2025

cathedral concert

May 19 - Jul 9, 2025

3rd Cushion Concert: "The Three Robbers"

25 - 26 May, 2025

7th Symphony Concert

May 29, 2025

Charlemagne Prize award ceremony in Aachen City Hall

27 - 28 Apr, 2025

6th Symphony Concert

Apr 11, 2025

Brass in Concert

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