Music Festival Spring Swabia Ochsenhausen 2026

30 Years of the State Academy — Anniversary Edition 2026

The Music Festival Spring Swabia is the renowned classical music festival of the State Academy for Musical Youth in Baden-Württemberg, located in Ochsenhausen. In 2026, the 29th edition of the festival runs from May 28 to June 1, 2026 — simultaneously an anniversary edition celebrating the 30th anniversary of the State Academy. The former Imperial Abbey of Ochsenhausen — one of the most important Baroque monasteries in Upper Swabia — provides the unique backdrop that has made the festival famous far beyond the region.

Venues — Baroque Library and Bräuhaussaal

The concerts take place in two special rooms of the monastery: the Baroque Library — a magnificent hall with stucco ceilings and historic bookshelves — and the Bräuhaussaal, which is also acoustically excellent and offers space for the festival's chamber music concerts. The Ochsenhausen Library is considered one of the most beautiful monastery libraries in Southern Germany and lends the concerts an extraordinary atmosphere — classical music in an almost museum-like architectural setting.

Linus Roth — Artistic Direction

The artistic director is Prof. Linus Roth, one of Germany's most sought-after violinists. He performs worldwide with a Stradivarius violin (Dancla, 1703), has released numerous recordings, and is particularly committed to the work of Mieczysław Weinberg. For years, Roth has shaped the program of Spring Swabia — an ideal mix of classical canon and rediscoveries, often with thematic arcs connecting composers and works from different eras.

Artists and Program 2026

The 2026 anniversary edition brings together six major concerts featuring, among others:

• Ariel Zuckermann — Israeli-German conductor and flutist
• Felix Klieser — German horn player (born without arms, plays the horn with his feet — internationally acclaimed soloist)
• The King's Singers — British a cappella sextet, world-famous since 1968
• Prof. Linus Roth himself as soloist
• New in 2026: A Flamenco evening with dancers — a premiere for the festival, thus expanding its classical framework

Gala Dinner in the Chorsaal

A culinary highlight: an exclusive, five-course gala dinner in the magnificent Chorsaal of the State Academy. Limited seats, separate registration required. The dinner combines culinary excellence with the extraordinary atmosphere of a historic monastery hall.

Ochsenhausen — Monastery Town in Upper Swabia

Ochsenhausen (Biberach district, approx. 8,600 inhabitants) is located in Upper Swabia between Memmingen and Biberach. The former Imperial Abbey of Ochsenhausen — a Benedictine monastery founded in 1093, secularized in 1803 — is one of the most impressive monastic complexes in Upper Swabia. Today, the monastery complex houses the State Academy for Musical Youth and the Monastery Museum. Spring Swabia has used this unique monastic architecture for its concert series since 1997.