New Year's Concert of the City of Neuss

A Concert Tradition Since the 1980s

The New Year's Concert of the City of Neuss has been one of the social and cultural highlights of the year's start in Neuss since the late 1980s. Organized by the city in collaboration with the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss am Rhein (DKN), the city's chamber orchestra, the concert presents a different thematic program each year – usually in the spirit of the Viennese New Year's tradition with a regional or European accent.

January 11, 2026 – Italianità in Neuss

The 2026 edition takes place on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at 11:00 AM, in the Stadthalle Neuss. Programmatically, the focus is on Italian joie de vivre: a concert filled with sparkling works by Italian composers – complemented by arias of German and Austrian origin that follow the Italian theme.

Giuseppe Mengoli – Mahler Prize Winner at the Podium

The evening's conductor is Giuseppe Mengoli, one of the most promising Italian conductors of the younger generation. He won the Mahler Conducting Competition and is currently in high demand internationally. For the Neuss New Year's Concert, he takes the podium as the Maestro of the Deutsche Kammerakademie – a concert that ideally showcases Mengoli's affinity for the Italian repertoire (Verdi, Rossini, Puccini).

Soprano Ludmilla Lokaichuk

The concert's soloist is the Ukrainian soprano Ludmilla Lokaichuk, a sought-after voice for Verdi, Puccini, and Strauss roles in opera houses in Germany and Austria. She will perform several arias from the Italian Bel Canto and Verismo traditions, combined with Strauss waltzes and operetta excerpts.

Works by Rossini, Verdi, Rota, Strauss, Puccini

The program combines well-known classics with less frequently performed gems:

• Rossini: Overtures and Sinfonia pieces
• Verdi: Arias and choral scenes
• Nino Rota: Film and concert music
• Johann Strauss: Waltzes and polkas
• Puccini: Operatic drama

Host: Daniel Finkernagel

The concert will be hosted by the renowned radio and television presenter Daniel Finkernagel – a voice familiar from numerous NDR and WDR classical productions. He will explain the musical background, introduce the composers and works, and connect the program items with anecdotes – a format that makes the concert evening much more accessible.

The Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss

The DKN has been the musical flagship of the city of Neuss for decades. The chamber orchestra performs not only in the Stadthalle but also at the Globe Theater, in Reuschenberg Castle, at the Festival Alte Musik Knechtsteden, and during the Klassiknacht in the Rosengarten of the LAGA 2026. The DKN is one of the most important chamber orchestras in the Lower Rhine region and in West Germany as a whole.

Concert Sold Out – Looking Forward to 2027

The 2026 concert is sold out. Those who wish to attend a New Year's event in Neuss should inquire about tickets for the 2027 concert well in advance – preferably directly from Tourist Information Neuss or westticket.de.