Festival Europäische Kirchenmusik Schwäbisch Gmünd

A Festival with European Appeal

Schwäbisch Gmünd, the oldest Staufer town in Baden-Württemberg, has hosted one of Europe's most important church music festivals since 1989. For three weeks, the town's churches – primarily the Gothic Heilig-Kreuz-Münster, the Augustinuskirche, the Johanniskirche, and several other sacred buildings – become concert halls for classical church music, vocal polyphony, contemporary creations, jazz, crossover, and improvisation.

2026 Under the Motto „Balance“

The 38th edition from July 17 to August 9, 2026 carries the motto „Balance“. The artistic director is KMD Stephan Beck. The program includes around 40 concerts, church services, and accompanying events spanning the entire history of styles – from early music to world premieres. Seven concerts will be recorded and broadcast by SWR Kultur Radio.

Program Highlights

• Opening Concert (July 18): Bach's Mass in B minor with ChorWerk Ruhr and Concerto Köln in the Heilig-Kreuz-Münster
• Prize Winners' Concert (July 23): Swedish composer Thomas Jennefelt receives the European Church Music Prize – Concert in the Augustinuskirche with the Swedish vocal ensemble „Vokalharmonin“
• Windsbacher Knabenchor with classical choral repertoire
• Lyyra – US female vocal sextet
• Benjamin Appl (Baritone) with a song recital
• Organ Improvisation Workshop with Vincent Dubois (Notre-Dame de Paris), August 5–7, 2026, registration deadline June 8
• International ensembles from Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, and France

Church Music in the Stauferstadt

Schwäbisch Gmünd, founded in the 12th century as the first free imperial city of the Staufer dynasty, is located in the Ostalbkreis district in eastern Baden-Württemberg. The Heilig-Kreuz-Münster, one of Southern Germany's most significant Gothic hall churches (built from 1320 by Heinrich Parler), offers an acoustic stage that has attracted recordings by global classical labels. The Augustinuskirche, Johanniskirche, and the smaller sacred buildings in the city center complete the venue mosaic.

More Than Concerts

The festival sees itself not just as a concert series but as a platform for encounters: liturgical services, lectures, workshops, ecumenical discussions, and the three-day masterclass for organ improvisation with Vincent Dubois (titular organist of Notre-Dame de Paris) make it an event that musicians from all over Europe participate in. With the European Church Music Prize, the festival also boasts one of the most prestigious awards in its field.