JugendKlassikFestival Gelsenkirchen

Classical Music from Young Hands, Industrial Scenery from 100 Years

The JugendKlassikFestival Gelsenkirchen is a special format in the German festival landscape: it combines international chamber music at a high level with the special atmosphere of a former coal mine. The venue is the stadt.bau.raum at Boniversstraße 30, in the Oberschuir district on the grounds of the decommissioned Oberschuir mine shaft. The organizer is the Städtische Musikschule Gelsenkirchen (Gelsenkirchen Municipal Music School).

Young Aspiring Musicians on the Big Stage

The festival is aimed at young aspiring musicians – mostly students at German and international music universities or prizewinners of national competitions. They perform in chamber music formations (string quartet, piano trio, wind ensemble, lied duo) and appear before an audience over three days. In the run-up, masterclasses are held by established teachers, the results of which often directly feed into the festival.

Program Architecture

• Friday, June 19, 2026 — Opening Concert
• Saturday, June 20, 2026 — Daytime Concerts with several chamber music formations
• Sunday, June 21, 2026 — Closing Concert

The detailed program and soloist lineups will be published in advance on the website of the Städtische Musikschule Gelsenkirchen.

Gelsenkirchen — Industrial Culture as Identity

Gelsenkirchen is an independent city in the northern Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia. After the end of hard coal mining, the city has reinvented itself with industrial culture sites such as Zeche Consol, the Wissenschaftspark Rheinelbe, and the stadt.bau.raum. The JugendKlassikFestival is part of this identity: classical music in industrial architecture that is not polished for tourism but shows its history — with special acoustics and aura.