Name: John Cage Organ Organ²/ASLSP Halberstadt 2026
Start: 2026-08-05T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-08-05T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Burchardikloster Halberstadt (St. Burchardi)

John Cage Klangwechsel

About John Cage Klangwechsel

Since 2001, what is probably the slowest concert in the world has been running at the Burchardi Monastery in Halberstadt: John Cage's 'ORGAN²/ASLSP' (As Slow As Possible) is performed over 639 years — until the year 2640. Each Klangwechsel (sound change) is an international pilgrimage destination; in 2026, the 17th Klangwechsel falls on August 5th.

Dates 05 Aug — 05 Aug 2026

Venue Halberstadt (15085)

Prices 5.00€ — 30.00€

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

John Cage Klangwechsel — edition 2026

Tickets →

On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the 17th Klangwechsel of the John Cage Organ Art Project will take place at the Burchardi Monastery in Halberstadt. A new tone will be added or removed — a moment that carries the slowest concert in the world one stage further. International pilgrimage destination, registration recommended.

The 17th Klangwechsel of the performance of John Cage's "ORGAN²/ASLSP", running until 2640, will take place on August 5, 2026, at the Burchardi Monastery in Halberstadt. The exact program, time, and registration details will be announced by the project team in the months leading up to the date on aslsp.org. Experience shows that visitors from Europe, North America, and Asia travel for the Klangwechsel; early reservation of accommodation and tickets is advisable.

Highlights John Cage Klangwechsel 2026

17th Klangwechsel in a 639-year ongoing performance. International art event. Burchardi Church as venue.

Programme John Cage Klangwechsel 2026

Wednesday, August 5, 2026 — Burchardi Monastery Halberstadt

17th Klangwechsel in the ongoing 639-year performance of John Cage's ORGAN²/ASLSP
Silent devotion and meditative concert situation
International character — visitors from all over the world
Before and after the Klangwechsel: opportunity to visit the Burchardi Church and the organ specially built for the project

The exact time, schedule, and registration procedures will be published by the John Cage Organ Art Project in spring/summer 2026.

Prices John Cage Klangwechsel 2026

Admission to the Klangwechsel by registration. Prices and donation options via aslsp.org. Final Ticket (admission to the closing ceremony in 2640) available as a special sponsorship.

Practical information

Practical information — John Cage Klangwechsel

Getting there

Halberstadt is located in the northern foothills of the Harz mountains. By car via the A36 (exit Halberstadt-Zentrum) or the B79. By train: ICE stop Magdeburg, then continue with a regional train to Halberstadt (approx. 45 minutes). The Burchardi Monastery is near the city center, within walking distance of the train station.

Tickets & Admission

Admission to the Burchardi Monastery during regular opening hours for a small fee. For the Klangwechsel itself, registration is strongly recommended — the event is usually overcrowded. Reservations via the official website aslsp.org.

On site

Special rules of conduct apply during the Klangwechsel (silence, no flash photography, no mobile phones). Expect a meditative, intense experience — not a classic concert situation. Several hotels in the city; recommendation: book accommodation directly in Halberstadt, or alternatively in Quedlinburg or Wernigerode.

What does 639 years sound like?

In 1985, the American composer John Cage wrote a piano piece whose title later became his inspiration: ORGAN²/ASLSP — As Slow As Possible. How slow is 'as slow as possible'? In Halberstadt, an international team of artists has been performing a piece since September 5, 2001, that is scheduled to last 639 years. The piece is played on a specially built organ in the Burchardi Monastery — and, if everything goes according to plan, will end on September 5, 2640.

Klangwechsel as a global pilgrimage destination

Every time a new tone is added or an existing one is removed, a Klangwechsel takes place. These changes are the only 'concerts' in the classical sense: hundreds, sometimes over a thousand people travel from all over the world to witness the moment when an organ stop is changed. The Klangwechsel have become an international phenomenon since 2001, mobilizing the intersection of contemporary art, philosophy, and religion.

The 17th Klangwechsel — August 5, 2026

In 2026, the 17th Klangwechsel will be celebrated on August 5, 2026, at the Burchardi Monastery in Halberstadt. After 25 years of continuous performance, the piece is only about 4% complete. The project operates without state funding — it is financed exclusively through private donations, sponsorships (639 are permanently visible in the church), art purchases, and the famous 'Final Ticket': a ticket for the final event in the year 2640, which can be purchased today and inherited.

Halberstadt in the state of Saxony-Anhalt

Halberstadt is located in the Harz district in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The city is a bishop's seat, has significant Romanesque-Gothic architectural history (Halberstadt Cathedral, Church of Our Lady, Burchardi Monastery), and in recent years has developed an unexpected profile as a location for the most experimental contemporary sound art. The John Cage Organ Project is now one of the most famous cultural landmarks in Saxony-Anhalt, attracting visitors from Tokyo, New York, and São Paulo to Halberstadt.