Jazz at Jerichow Monastery

Jazz in the Romanesque Brick Cathedral

The Jerichow Monastery is one of the oldest brick buildings in Northern Germany — founded in 1144 as a Premonstratensianstift, a highlight of Romanesque brick architecture and an important building on the Romanesque Road. In the summer of 2026, this venerable sacred building in the Jerichower Land will host an extraordinary festival for the third time: Jazz im Kloster Jerichow.

From August 7 to 9, 2026 — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — the monastery will be a stage, sound body, and meeting place all at once. Since 2025, the festival has been running under the umbrella of the Altmark Festspiele, in collaboration with the Kulturstiftung Sachsen-Anhalt and Jerichow Monastery. This consolidation has brought new attention and a broader program to the festival.

A High-Caliber Weekend

The 2026 lineup showcases the breadth of German and international jazz: Uschi Brüning, the East German jazz and soul singer, considered the "Grand Dame of German Jazz," will perform her program "Herzenslieder" accompanied by Leipzig pianist Stephan König. The Jazzchor Freiburg — founded in 1990 and a top ensemble in the a cappella jazz scene for decades — is also among the highlights.

From South Korea comes Younee, whose virtuosic piano playing oscillates between classical and jazz — she calls her own style Free Classic & Jazz. Johanna Summer expands her improvisational approach on her album "Resonanzen," translating classical composers into jazz. Additionally, the Landesjugendbigband Sachsen-Anhalt will bridge generations with big band classics and West Coast jazz sounds.

Jerichow Monastery as a Sound Space

What makes Jazz im Kloster Jerichow special is the space itself. The Romanesque monastery church, with its clean lines, resonant acoustics, and simple brick architecture, provides a very different stage than a typical jazz club. This results in an unusual sonic experience for pianists, vocalists, and wind players — and a concert atmosphere for the audience that cannot be experienced anywhere else.

The Altmark as an Undiscovered Festival Region

The Jerichower Land is located between the Magdeburger Börde and the Elbe — a rural region of the state of Saxony-Anhalt that is still undiscovered by tourism. Jerichow Monastery is one of its cultural highlights. With the jazz festival, the region is developing into an interesting destination for cultural travelers away from the major festival locations.