All events

What have you always wanted to know about Beethoven?

Together with you, we will focus on a special topic related to the great composer. The focus is primarily on Beethoven the man. We will introduce you to a few selected objects in the museum. In the coffee round afterwards, creative and thought-provoking impulses will stimulate discussion.

The programme is aimed at senior citizens, culture lovers, but also curious people who would like to learn and experience something. As the topics change, the round(e) can be booked as a single or multiple event.

Three singers – three hearts beating in unison – one ensemble – one shared breath – one trio: Trio Ukraina was founded in Bonn in spring 2022 by Iryna Dusheiko (Kyiv), Yana Andrushchenko (Kyiv) and Yulia Parnes (Bonn, born in Moscow). With our songs from Ukraine, but also from Georgia, France and Italy, we combine the musical similarities of different cultures with new and unique arrangements. Our music moves and enlivens, saddens and encourages.

In cooperation with the Landesmusikrat NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia State Music Council)

Pianist Simon Haje's programme is a journey through works that for him represent a musical processing of farewells. According to Simon Haje, music can be a source of strength and hope for an improvement in the world. For all the variety of 'farewell colours', it is this one feeling of well-being that unites the works of this evening.

With the kind support of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes

The charity Christmas concert is taking place for the third time and invites you to get into the festive spirit with family and friends. This year there will be an exclusive acoustic special. With soulful interpretations of Christmas classics and popular songs to sing along to, goosebumps are guaranteed. An intimate concert with special sounds.

But this evening is not just about music: as in previous years, gifts will be given to the young patients at the Parent-Child Centre at Bonn University Hospital. In addition, the proceeds from the concert will be donated to a charity project in our region that is close to our hearts.

A magical Christmas with Italian tenors!

Italy has never been so close! If you long for atmospheric Christmas sounds, southern warmth and the incomparable magic of la dolce vita, this special Christmas concert is just the thing for you.

The three singers Francesco Malafronte, Cosimo D'Ambrosio and Antonio Palumbo enchant with their unique voices and are accompanied by pianist Angelo Gallone. Together, they take their audience on a musical journey full of Italian passion and festive spirit. The programme combines the most beautiful classic Christmas carols, great Italian opera arias, Neapolitan folk tunes and unforgettable international evergreens. The secret of the trio's success: Italian temperament, a pinch of nostalgia and an indispensable touch of romance – perfectly matched to the most wonderful time of the year.

A cultural highlight for everyone who loves music, joie de vivre and the special magic of the Christmas season.

In its concert 'Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur' (The Glory of God in Nature), the vocal ensemble Les Lumières presents rarely heard vocal arrangements from the 19th century – from Friedrich Silcher's song arrangements to multilingual versions of the Mass in C major. Texts lend Beethoven's instrumental works new layers of meaning between religion and love. The highlight is the performance of parts of the Ninth Symphony in Carl Czerny's piano arrangement for four hands.

Anke Helfrich is one of the most outstanding jazz musicians in Europe. Her list of awards and the prominent names she has played with speak for themselves. She has long since developed her own style, which is characterised by musicality, sensuality of sound, swinging virtuosity and the ability to listen. She fuses music and attitude into highly interesting projects, as in her current programme 'WE'LL RISE' This is about visualising inspiring women and forgotten pioneers. Anke Helfrich has been playing with her excellent trio for years. Bassist Dietmar Fuhr has played with countless jazz stars at home and abroad, has his own quartet and is a lecturer at several universities. Drummer Jens Düppe is also in great demand on the scene and tours with international formations.

Read more

What have you always wanted to know about Beethoven?

Together with you, we will focus on a special topic related to the great composer. The focus is primarily on Beethoven the man. We will introduce you to a few selected objects in the museum. In the coffee round afterwards, creative and thought-provoking impulses will stimulate discussion.

The programme is aimed at senior citizens, culture lovers, but also curious people who would like to learn and experience something. As the topics change, the round(e) can be booked as a single or multiple event.

Read more

One was considered a child prodigy and did not even live to see her twenty-fifth birthday. The other lived almost a full century and dedicated her life to the work of her sister who died young. Lili and Nadia Boulanger are two exceptional figures in music history.

The 'Boulangerie' project brings their works and life stories into dialogue with each other, thereby initiating a dialogue between the arts. By bringing together biographical narratives and pieces by the two sisters, the project explores their impact in the present day, traces their significance for our contemporary view of female composers, and discovers in text and sound the discourses, horrors and upheavals of the 20th century.

Not only do the two sisters have their say musically, but so do those around them. In addition to works by Nadia and Lili Boulanger, another focus is on their teachers, such as Ernest Boulanger, but also Gabriel Fauré, Louis Vierne and Maurice Ravel.

The works were selected by Anouchka and Katharina Hack, while the literary passages were written by Tilman Strasser and recited during the concert. As an author and cultural concept developer with a musical education, he has already dealt with the intersections of music and literature in many of his works.

In collaboration with Literaturhaus Bonn e.V.
Supported by the Kunststiftung NRW (Art Foundation of North Rhine-Westphalia)

‘Playing with Friends’ is a group of musicians who, as young talents, were given the opportunity to join the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, founded in Weimar in 1999 by Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim. They come from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Israel and Germany. Just six weeks after the West-Eastern Divan was founded, the group gathered here came together from the ranks of the orchestra to make music in a changing chamber music ensemble under the name ‘Playing with Friends’.

The young musicians of that time have since become mature and professional orchestral musicians and soloists. They have made way for the next generation in the Divan Orchestra. Today, they enrich many renowned orchestras in the European cultural scene with their voices. Most of them have permanent engagements in Berlin, Basel, Düsseldorf, Vienna, Tel Aviv, Cairo and Doha.

The musicians of ‘Playing with Friends’ embody the spirit of their role models and teachers, Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim, namely that it is the task of a musician to express his or her soul with the help of an instrument and thus reach out to neighbours.

'It was dark, the moon was shining brightly…' With a new programme, we once again haunt the Beethoven House – in the dark, of course, and equipped only with a torch, searching for shadows and sounds from Beethoven's time.

Alexander Gadjiev's personality combines Central European culture with profound musical experience. He owes this in part to his home town, the Italian-Slovenian border town of Gorizia, European Capital of Culture 2025. The celebrated pianist and second prize winner of the 2021 International Chopin Competition, who also received the special prize from Krystian Zimerman, will present a French programme to the Bonn audience.

Sport has long been more than just a leisure activity and physical exercise. It has developed into an important location factor that offers a wide range of advantages for both local authorities and businesses. Whether it's popular sport, elite sport or sporting events, they create economic momentum, promote social cohesion and strengthen regional identity.

Sports facilities, clubs and venues attract people. They increase the attractiveness of a city or region as a place to live and work. Companies are increasingly basing their location decisions on the quality of life for their employees. A diverse range of sports improves precisely this quality of life: it promotes health, offers social networks and acts as a balance to everyday working life. Successful clubs, modern sports facilities and active exercise programmes convey dynamism, innovation and joie de vivre. The positive image associated with this pays off – whether in attracting skilled workers, students or investors.

The importance of sport for social cohesion should not be underestimated either. It brings people from different backgrounds together, promotes integration and strengthens voluntary work.

Sport also has a direct economic impact: sporting events, clubs, gyms and sports service providers create jobs and generate revenue.

Sports events of national importance – such as the Telekom Baskets Bundesliga games or the Deutsche Post Marathon Bonn – also attract visitors to the city who then stay there longer than just for the event itself. This benefits hotels and restaurants, retailers, tourist attractions such as museums, taxi companies and transport companies. Increased demand and additional orders during events at regional companies and service providers lead to higher tax revenues from additional turnover in the form of trade tax and value added tax.

Sport is therefore a key component in the competitiveness of a location. It generates economic value, creates jobs, promotes social integration and strengthens regional identity.

The legendary violinist Midori performs three masterpieces by Franz Schubert with her trio - a concert experience in a class of its own.

With the kind support of the Hermann J. Abs Foundation

Gürzenich Orchestra veterans Johannes 'Schäng' Eßer (double bass) and Gerhard 'Gerrry' Dierig (viola) join Jan Weigelt (piano) and Rudi Rumstajn (guitar) for their first appearance in the Chamber Music Hall, where they will perform classics and rarities from Cologne's Krätzjer culture, ranging from Carl Wirts and Jupp Schmitz to Bläck Fööss. Precious and delicious gems from the traditional song repertoire. Sometimes thoughtful, sometimes lively, sometimes quirky, but always with a musicality that is rarely heard.

Costumes are very welcome – feel free to come to the concert in fancy dress!

Suitable for singing along

A highlight of the anniversary session of the Bönnschen Fastelovends in the presence of Prince and Bonna.

German-Spanish pianist Fabián dos Ríos invites you to a highly personal programme developed over seven years – an intimate piano concert full of stirring stories and live readings.

Literature Meets Piano is the opening of a new concert series and celebrates its Bonn premiere in the incomparable, warm acoustics of the Chamber Music Hall.

From his own compositions – inspired by The Little Prince and The Alchemist – to iconic film melodies by Hans Zimmer and Ludovico Einaudi, a mystical soundtrack is created that ranges from delicate melancholy to radiant hope.

What have you always wanted to know about Beethoven?

Together with you, we will focus on a special topic related to the great composer. The focus is primarily on Beethoven the man. We will introduce you to a few selected objects in the museum. In the coffee round afterwards, creative and thought-provoking impulses will stimulate discussion.

The programme is aimed at senior citizens, culture lovers, but also curious people who would like to learn and experience something. As the topics change, the round(e) can be booked as a single or multiple event.

The Avin Trio, winner of multiple awards at the German Music Competition 2024, offers interesting insights into the genre of piano trios in the programme 'Alte (Un)bekannte'.

Supported by the German Music Council's concert funding programme German Music Competition and GVL

The Pablo Held Trio has been shaping the European jazz scene for two decades. The trio is known for its intuitive interaction and fearless joy of playing. Their concerts are full of surprises, always in the field of tension between composition and improvisation. Audiences, the specialised press and jazz greats are equally fascinated. In 2026, the trio will celebrate its 20th anniversary with several tours, inviting special guests to play with them. In our concert, it is the wonderful American saxophonist Chris Potter. With his technical brilliance, harmonic sophistication and relentless pursuit of innovation, Potter has earned a reputation as one of the most influential voices in contemporary jazz. His remarkable career spans decades, and his contributions to the art form inspire musicians and listeners alike.

The Beethoven27 project by Jan Caeyers and Kit Armstrong with the moderated performance of 27 key works by Beethoven in 27 European cities will be continued after the Bonn launch last year with a programme focusing on the 'Eroica'.

Donations to: https://missionsiret.de/

With the kind support of the Hermann J. Abs Foundation

'It was dark, the moon was shining brightly…' With a new programme, we once again haunt the Beethoven House – in the dark, of course, and equipped only with a torch, searching for shadows and sounds from Beethoven's time.

Join us on a musical journey to the Beethoven House. We will explore the museum and play lively songs and famous Beethoven melodies on the ukulele. Of course, the beloved 'Elise' cannot be left out. We will also do crafts, chat and sing.

The versatile violinist Ragnhild Hemsing is deeply connected to the rich folk tradition of her native Norway. She combines elements of Norwegian folk music and classical music in a youthful and fresh way with her hardanger fiddle.

‘Foreign Masters’: Migrants from all over Europe shaped the incomparably rich music scene of London, the cultural capital of the 18th century. Max Volbers, winner of the 2023 OPUS KLASSIK award for Young Artist of the Year, and Alexander von Heißen, winner of the 2022 Bach Competition, bring a particularly dazzling facet of the music metropolis to life.

Handel from Halle was the most influential English composer, his opera arias were pop on the island. Under Handel's baton, the Italian oboist Sammartini made a name for himself in the orchestra; his compositions were considered original and fiery. Alessandro Scarlatti's ‘Pyrrhus and Demetrius’ was the second most successful opera in the kingdom. Corelli and Alberti, who never set foot on English soil, were made stars by resourceful music publishers in the cosmopolitan city. At the same time, the recorder became fashionable as the ‘gentleman's flute’, the instrument of wealthy amateurs and connoisseurs who performed for guests in private circles. Jacques Paisible/James Pesible, one of the greatest recorder players of the time, also helped his instrument to reach new heights in England.

It was musical migration, then, that gave English music its immensely rich heritage!

Works by George Frideric Handel, Arcangelo Corelli, Giuseppe Sammartini, Giuseppe Alberti, Johann Pepusch and others.

With the kind support of the German Music Council

What have you always wanted to know about Beethoven?

Together with you, we will focus on a special topic related to the great composer. The focus is primarily on Beethoven the man. We will introduce you to a few selected objects in the museum. In the coffee round afterwards, creative and thought-provoking impulses will stimulate discussion.

The programme is aimed at senior citizens, culture lovers, but also curious people who would like to learn and experience something. As the topics change, the round(e) can be booked as a single or multiple event.

With his late string quartets, Ludwig van Beethoven once again broke new ground at the end of his life. Anyone who plays or listens to them discovers a fascinating world of sound and expression, while at the same time being confronted with numerous questions. In a dialogue between interpretative practice and scholarship, the evening is devoted to the Quartet in E flat major, Op. 127 – a profound, humorous and deeply human work that is often unjustly overshadowed by Beethoven's other late works and was premiered exactly 201 years ago to the day.

The young Scandinavian Absalon String Quartet is currently completing a two-year master's degree in chamber music at the Robert Schumann University of Music in Düsseldorf with Prof. Eckart Runge, in whose practical seminar, together with Prof. Dr. Tobias Bleek (musicology), the work Op. 127 was studied.

In the first part of the joint event organised by the Beethoven Archive and the Düsseldorf University of Music, the work will be discussed and then performed in its entirety.