ECLAT Festival of New Music Stuttgart 2026

ECLAT — New Music from Stuttgart since 1990

The ECLAT Festival Neue Musik Stuttgart was launched in 1990 by Musik der Jahrhunderte (MDJ) – an initiative for contemporary music founded in Stuttgart in 1985. Today, ECLAT is one of the most important European festivals for new music from the independent scene, positioning itself alongside major broadcaster-supported festivals (Donaueschinger Musiktage, Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik, MaerzMusik Berlin) as an independent platform for world premieres, concert installations, and music theatre experiments.

February 4–8, 2026 at Theaterhaus Stuttgart

The 36th edition runs from Wednesday, February 4th, to Sunday, February 8th, 2026 — as always at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart (Siemensstraße 11, 70469 Stuttgart) in the Feuerbach district. The Theaterhaus offers four stages of varying sizes — from intimate concert rooms to a large hall with sophisticated stage technology — making it the ideal venue for ECLAT's diverse programming.

Opening February 4th: Francesca Verunelli „Songs and Voices"

The opening on Wednesday, February 4th, 2026, features the cycle „Songs and Voices" by Italian composer Francesca Verunelli. The work explores the paradox of the unspoken and unfolds all vocal and instrumental forms of expression beyond language. A programmatic opening that foreshadows ECLAT's 2026 profile: music at the edges of language, at the interfaces of voice and instrument.

February 6–8: 22 World Premieres

From February 6th to 8th, the festival focuses on 22 world premieres — an exceptionally high number for a four-day festival and a testament to ECLAT's central importance for the international new music scene. Highlight program points:

• „BÄ!" — Music theatre by Clemens K. Thomas (composition) and Miriam Götz (direction/conception). A chamber theatre production that expands ECLAT's profile at the intersection of music and theatre.
• „Über Roboter und andere Menschen" — Concert narration between spoken theatre and concert.
• „Malanka" — Ukrainian-German concert narration. ECLAT 2026 thus sets a cultural-political accent on Ukrainian new music.
• „Noise Is a Queer Space" — Concert installation exploring noise music from a queer theory perspective.
• „Éndropía" and other program points.

Kinder-ECLAT — First time in 2026

A premiere for the 2026 edition: Kinder-ECLAT. For the first time, the festival offers its own program segment for younger audiences — with compositions for children, interactive concerts, workshops, and sound explorations. This opens the festival to a broader generation and more actively involves families in the new music scene.

Concept of the „Independent Scene"

ECLAT explicitly positions itself as a festival of the independent scene — supported by artist initiatives, foundations, and private sponsors rather than a broadcasting institution. This gives the festival artistic independence, which is evident in its programming: experimental formats, young composers, the boundaries between music and performance, gender issues, and the politicization of the world of sound.

Tickets and Festival Pass

Advance tickets available through the Theaterhaus Box Office: Phone +49 711 40 20 720, Email [email protected]. Festival passes and single tickets are available — early bird rates and student discounts apply.