Long Night of the Organ – Opening of the Hamburg Organ Summer
Opening night of the Hamburg Organ Summer at the Elbphilharmonie and the five main churches
2026
About Long Night of the Organ Hamburg
Long Night of the Organ Hamburg — edition 2026
The 2026 edition continues the established format: a multi-hour opening night at the Elbphilharmonie with alternating performances by the organists of the participating venues. As the Orgelstadt Hamburg association and the Elbphilharmonie usually publish the exact program and date in spring, the program and tickets are still open at the time of research (May 2026).
Following the opening night, the weekly concert series begins in the five main churches plus the Mariendom: St. Jacobi on Mondays, St. Michaelis on Tuesdays, St. Petri on Wednesdays, St. Nikolai on Thursdays, St. Katharinen on Fridays, and Mariendom on Saturdays – continuing until early September.
Highlights Long Night of the Organ Hamburg 2026
- Multi-hour opening night at the Elbphilharmonie
- Principal organists from all five main churches plus the Mariendom
- Participation of HfMT Hamburg
- Subsequent concert season June–September in 6 churches
- Hamburg as one of Europe's organ cities (200+ instruments)
Programme Long Night of the Organ Hamburg 2026
Long Night of the Organ (Opening Night) – Grand Hall Elbphilharmonie
- 2026 Date: not yet published (typically June/July)
- Duration: several hours (in previous years, approx. 6 hours alternating)
- Participants: Principal organists of the five main churches, Mariendom organist, students and teachers from HfMT Hamburg
- Repertoire: spanning organ literature from Bach through the Romantic era to contemporary works
Hamburg Organ Summer 2026 – Weekly Series (June – September 2026)
- Monday – St. Jacobi (Schnitger Organ 1693)
- Tuesday – St. Michaelis (Steinmeyer Organ 1962)
- Wednesday – St. Petri
- Thursday – St. Nikolai am Mahnmal
- Friday – St. Katharinen
- Saturday – Mariendom (Catholic)
Full program and tickets from spring 2026 via orgelstadt-hamburg.de and elbphilharmonie.de.
Prices Long Night of the Organ Hamburg 2026
Practical information — Long Night of the Organ Hamburg
Getting There
Subway U3 Baumwall (5 min walk to Elbphilharmonie) or U4 Überseequartier/HafenCity Universität. Bus line 111 stops directly at the Elbphilharmonie. By bike: The Alster-Speicherstadt route leads directly to HafenCity.
Tickets
Tickets for the Long Night of the Organ are available through the Elbphilharmonie. Advance sales usually open in spring 2026. Prices vary depending on the seating category in the Grand Hall.
Date
The exact date for 2026 will be published in spring 2026. Typically in June/early July, lasting several hours – coinciding with the start of the Organ Summer (June–September).
Full Organ Summer Programme
Concert schedule for all five main churches and the Mariendom is available at orgelstadt-hamburg.de.
Hamburg, City of Organs
Those who only know Hamburg through its harbour and Reeperbahn overlook its second great identity: the Hanseatic city is one of Europe's most important organ cities. With over 200 historical and modern instruments – including world-renowned ones like the Schnitger organ in St. Jacobi (1693), the Steinmeyer organ in St. Michaelis (the 'Michel') (1962), or the new Klais organ in the Elbphilharmonie (2017) – the city has been a pilgrimage site for organists for generations.
The Organ Summer
For years, the Hamburg Organ Summer has bundled the concerts of the five Protestant main churches and the Catholic St. Marien-Dom into a joint season – from early June to early September. Each church has a fixed day of the week for its concert series: St. Jacobi on Mondays, St. Michaelis on Tuesdays, St. Petri on Wednesdays, St. Nikolai on Thursdays, St. Katharinen on Fridays, and Mariendom on Saturdays. This makes the Organ Summer the most intensive systematic concert marathon in the state of Hamburg.
The Long Night of the Organ – Opening Night
The Long Night of the Organ kicks off the season each year: a multi-hour opening concert in the Grand Hall of the Elbphilharmonie, representing all participating venues. The organists of the main churches perform one after another or together, supplemented by students and teachers from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (HfMT). The event lasts for several hours – the exact duration and program structure for 2026 are still to be determined.
Organists 2026
As in previous years, the principal organists of the participating churches are expected to perform – including Thomas Dahl (St. Petri), Andreas Fischer (St. Michaelis), Martin Böcker, Jan Ernst, and other soloists. The exact artist list for 2026 will be published by the Orgelstadt Hamburg association in spring 2026.
In the Hamburg-Mitte District, in the State of Hamburg
The Elbphilharmonie is located in HafenCity (HafenCity district, Hamburg-Mitte borough) and has been the city's musical landmark since its opening in 2017. Its Klais concert hall organ, with 4,765 pipes, is one of the most modern instruments in Europe. The main churches are spread across the city centre – St. Michaelis (Neustadt), St. Petri (Altstadt), St. Jacobi (Altstadt), St. Katharinen (Altstadt), St. Nikolai (at the Mahnmal in the city centre). The Long Night of the Organ connects the most important of these venues in the musical opening of the summer season.
Where it takes place Long Night of the Organ Hamburg
Long Night of the Organ Hamburg at a glance
History of Long Night of the Organ Hamburg
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