Mozart Summer Schloss Salem

Mozart Summer Schloss Salem — Classical Music in the Imperial Monastery

When the Lake Constance region blossoms culturally in high summer, the Mozart Summer Schloss Salem is among the most aesthetically profound classical experiences. Since 2004, the Südwestdeutsche Mozartgesellschaft e.V. has organized this concert series under the artistic direction of founder Georg Mais — in its 22nd edition in 2026. The Mozart Society itself states: "This festival is one of the most musically significant concert series in the Lake Constance cultural region." In the historic halls of the former Reichskloster Salem, you will experience a combination of architectural splendor, intimate concert settings, and uncompromising musical standards.

Schloss Salem — Imperial Monastery and Concert Hall

Schloss Salem originated from the Reichskloster founded in 1134 by the Cistercians — one of the most important monasteries in Southern Germany. After secularization in 1803, it came into the possession of the Margraviate of Baden; today, it is home to the Schule Schloss Salem (founded in 1920 by Prince Max von Baden and Kurt Hahn). The concert halls — the Kaisersaal, the Bibliothekssaal, and the Münster — offer exceptional acoustics and baroque splendor: ceiling paintings, stucco, massive wooden furnishings, candle chandeliers. You sit in a hall where contemporaries of Mozart might have performed — the atmosphere makes the concerts a holistic experience.

Artistic Direction — Georg Mais

Georg Mais founded the Mozart Summer in 2004 as a concert series for the Lake Constance cultural region and has shaped its artistic direction ever since. Mais is also the principal conductor of the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim and excels at placing Mozart in dialogue with his contemporaries and historical periods — not as an isolated genius, but as a focal point of classicism. This curatorial philosophy makes the festival unique.

Program 2026 — Four Concerts

August 21, 2026 — Mozarts Frauen (Reading and Music): Opening evening with Georg Mais as speaker, Katharina Schmitz (violin), and Immo Schaar (viola). Works from Mozart's era.

August 22, 2026 — Leipziger Kammersolisten: Chamber concert featuring works by Amon, Eybler, Hoffmeister, and Mozart — composers surrounding Mozart, often unjustly overshadowed.

August 23, 2026 — HANA Quartett: "One of the best string quartets of the young generation" with works by Haydn, Mozart, and Dvořák — a program spanning from early classicism to late romanticism, viewed through Mozart's lens.

August 30, 2026 — Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim: Closing concert conducted by Georg Mais, with soloist Shilong Fan (guitar). Baroque-Classical masterpieces.

Salem and Lake Constance — A Perfect Summer Day

The municipality of Salem is located in the Bodenseekreis district, about 10 km northeast of Überlingen, in the gently rolling hinterland of the lake. A summer excursion to the Mozart Summer can be ideally combined with a Lake Constance tour: a boat trip to Mainau or Meersburg, hiking the Pfullendorfer Höhenweg, visiting the Affenberg (Monkey Mountain) or the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen (Pile Dwelling Museum). Those who attend the festival rarely come for just one concert — most visitors combine several concerts with a stay at Lake Constance.