50 Years of Chansons Michaelstein

A GDR Songwriter Tradition Returns

The history of the Chansons Kloster Michaelstein is a special tale from GDR cultural history. Founded in 1976 as a private initiative in the former Cistercian monastery Michaelstein near Blankenburg in the Harz mountains, the gathering was a refuge for East German songwriters for ten years – a place where they could perform their songs largely uncensored. In the cellar beneath the monastery church, artists like Gerhard Schöne, Stefan Krawczyk, the duo Sonnenschirm, and many others performed, whose lyrics were otherwise subject to state supervision.

In 1986, the GDR authorities put an end to the event. After reunification, it was cautiously revived but remained a niche event for a long time. In 2026, for its 50th anniversary, the Chansons Michaelstein will have its grand revival.

Anniversary Festival at Michaelstein Monastery

On June 27 and 28, 2026, the former Cistercian monastery Michaelstein – now home to the Music Academy of Saxony-Anhalt and part of the Saxony-Anhalt Cultural Foundation – will become the venue for a festival combining original recordings from the 1970s and 80s with live performances by contemporary artists.

Invited are songwriters from the early days: Skibba, Schulze, Riedel – names that resonate in the East German songwriter scene. Alongside them are current artists like Ontano and Frau Schröder, who carry the tradition into the present. The live program is complemented by listening sessions with original recordings, talks with contemporary witnesses, and a family program.

Michaelstein Monastery — A Place of Peace and Music

Michaelstein Monastery was founded in the 12th century as a Cistercian monastery and today comprises an impressive complex with a monastery church, cloister, monastery gardens, and the Music Academy. It is located on the outskirts of Blankenburg in the Harz district, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in close proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Quedlinburg and the Brocken mountain.

Today, the monastery is known for its classical concert program, masterclasses for historical performance practice, and organ concerts ("OrgelKlangZeit"). The Chansons festival offers a rare opportunity to experience a very different musical tradition in the same place – that of the GDR songwriter movement.

More Than a Concert — A Piece of German History

Those who attend the 50th-anniversary revival will experience more than just a songwriter concert. They will step into a time capsule: the 1970s and 80s, the courage of East German songwriters against censorship, the importance of small private gatherings for preserving artistic freedom. This is precisely what makes the Chansons festival a special event in Saxony-Anhalt's calendar.