SHMF Music Festival Stocksee »With Raspberry Cake and Cherry Pie«

Classical Music in the Countryside

Since 1986, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (SHMF) has been attracting stars of the classical scene to the castles, barns, and riding halls of Germany's northernmost state. The 'Music Festivals in the Countryside' format, founded by the legendary festival director Justus Frantz, has been a hallmark of the festival for decades: classical music is brought out of the large concert halls and into rural Schleswig-Holstein — with a picnic atmosphere, a farm bakery, and an animal enclosure.

Gut Stockseehof: A Hamburg Estate in the Segeberg District

Gut Stockseehof is located in the municipality of Stocksee in the Segeberg district of Schleswig-Holstein and has been owned by the Hamburg merchant family Baur since 1926, now in its fourth generation. The fruit hall, a tall wooden structure on the farm, offers a special acoustic setting for chamber music, folk, and jazz. Outside of the concerts, visitors can picnic on the meadows, try freshly baked bread and, of course, the famous raspberry cake at the farm bakery — a tradition that gives the concert series its name.

Three Concert Blocks Per Day

The program follows the proven format of all 'Music Festivals in the Countryside': on Saturdays, three one-hour concerts between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. (Block A) and a 90-minute evening concert starting at 8 p.m. (Block B); on Sundays, three more one-hour concerts between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Block C). In addition, there are walk-acts, break games for children, and culinary stands — the entire day becomes a family outing.

A Programmatic Diversity Across Continents

Young soloists, established chamber ensembles, and international folk bands take to the stage — the SHMF has focused on diversity rather than canon for years. Artists travel from all over the world, from Scandinavian string quartets and Brazilian guitar duos to Balkan and Klezmer ensembles.