Magdeburg Cathedral Festival
A week of festivities between Gothic pillars
About Cathedral Festival Magdeburg
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Artistic Sounds Under the Pillars of Magdeburg Cathedral
At the heart of the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt lies a building that has been a special vessel for music for centuries: Magdeburg Cathedral, founded in 1207, making it the oldest Gothic cathedral construction on German soil. When the Magdeburg Cathedral Music organization invites to the Cathedral Festival once a year, vocal ensembles, chamber musicians, songwriters, and actresses perform for seven days under the star-studded vaulting—an event series that seeks less the high gloss of major festivals and more a focus on the space, the sound, and the audience before it.
The festival week has established itself as a permanent fixture in the cultural landscape of Central Germany. It operates under a changing motto, each year addressing a theme that connects Magdeburg Cathedral with the city's history. For the 2026 edition, it is the anniversary "500 Years of the Magdeburg City Library"—a tribute to the Reformation era, in which Magdeburg played a key role in the Protestant movement, and to the value of the written word as a carrier of memory and identity.
From Vocal Ensemble to Tango Under Gothic Arches
The program lines of the Magdeburg Cathedral Festival follow a proven alternation: a cappella concerts by established vocal ensembles, chamber music with the in-house string quartet, literary-musical readings, a conservatory concert featuring the city's young talent, and the grand finale concert with the Magdeburg Cathedral Choir, the Cathedral Choir School, the Young Ecumenical Choir, and the Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Cathedral Music Director Christian Otto. What makes it special is the breadth: often only a few days separate a sacred choir program, a Frida Kahlo reading, and a tango evening, all within the same sacred space.
Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, and Cathedral Music
The city on the Elbe is the seat of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, with a history shaped by Otto I, the Reformation, and the destruction of 1945. The cathedral survived all upheavals and is today the main church of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany. The Magdeburg Cathedral Music, the organizer of the festival, operates one of the oldest church music institutions in the region with its Cathedral Choir, Choir School, and Boys' Choir—the festival week is its most publicly visible showcase.
Cathedral Festival Magdeburg — edition 2026
The 2026 festival week combines very different sound worlds over seven days. It opens with the Leipzig vocal ensemble amarcord and their program "Immortal Beauty"—six male voices, five centuries of sacred music, acoustics that seem tailor-made for this ensemble. This is followed by a chamber music evening with the Otto String Quartet, a literary-musical reading about the painter Frida Kahlo, and a jazz evening in the "Europa Concert" format, before the songwriter WENZEL SOLO shapes the festival week. The conservatory concert on Saturday afternoon opens the stage to young musicians from the city. The emotional climax is the Gala Concert on Pentecost Sunday: Vivaldi's Gloria and Johann Sebastian Bach's Fourth Brandenburg Concerto, performed by the Magdeburg Cathedral Choir, the Choir School, the Young Ecumenical Choir, and the Berlin Baroque Orchestra Märkisch Barock under Cathedral Music Director Christian Otto.
Programme Cathedral Festival Magdeburg 2026
Monday, June 1st, 2026 — 7:30 PM
- amarcord — "Immortal Beauty". A cappella vocal ensemble from Leipzig (from €33.95)
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026 — 7:30 PM
- Chamber music concert with the Otto String Quartet (from €22.95)
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026 — 7:30 PM
- Frida Kahlo — Reading with Music (from €33.95)
Thursday, June 4th, 2026 — 9:00 PM
- Europa Concert — Jazz meets Otto (from €28.45)
Friday, June 5th, 2026 — 7:30 PM
- WENZEL SOLO — Songwriter (from €33.95)
Saturday, June 6th, 2026
- 3:00 PM — Conservatory Concert (from €17.05)
- 7:30 PM — Tango meets Gothic (from €33.95)
Sunday, June 7th, 2026 — 6:30 PM
- GLORIA — Gala Concert: Vivaldi (Gloria) + Bach (4th Brandenburg Concerto). Magdeburg Cathedral Choir, Choir School, Young Ecumenical Choir, Märkisch Barock Baroque Orchestra, soloists, conducted by Cathedral Music Director Christian Otto (from €22.95)
Highlights Cathedral Festival Magdeburg 2026
Prices Cathedral Festival Magdeburg 2026
Practical information — Cathedral Festival Magdeburg
Getting There
Magdeburg Cathedral is located in the city center on Domplatz. From Magdeburg Central Station, you can reach it on foot in about 15 minutes or by tram lines 1, 2, 5, 8 (stop "Domplatz"). Parking is available in the Domplatz parking garage and at Hasselbachplatz.
Tickets
Advance booking via Biber Ticket (0391-5999700), Volksstimme Service-Center, and online at magdeburgerdommusik.de. Prices range from approximately €17 to €34 depending on the concert. Remaining tickets available at the box office.
On Site
Admission is usually 30 minutes before the start. The cathedral's acoustics are outstanding; all seats offer good visibility. Cloakroom available; photography during concerts is not permitted.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place Cathedral Festival Magdeburg
Magdeburger Dom
Am Dom 1, 39104 Magdeburg