Offenburg Cloister Concerts

Cloister Concerts — Chamber Music in the Baroque Courtyard

When the first notes of a piano-cello duo echo through the baroque cloister of the Offenburg Capuchin Monastery on a warm June evening, one of the most beautiful summers begins for chamber music lovers in the Ortenau region. From June 7 to July 5, 2026, the Open-air chamber music festival Cloister Concerts will take place — curated by the Offenburg City Cultural Office, featuring six top-class performances in one of Southern Germany's most atmospheric concert venues.

The Capuchin Monastery — A Historic Concert Venue

The Capuchin Monastery Offenburg was built in the 17th century by Capuchin monks. The cloister — the inner courtyard framed by columned arcades — is now part of a municipal cultural ensemble. The acoustics of the small, walled courtyard are exceptional: they concentrate the sound of string and keyboard instruments without reverberation, creating an intimate, almost chamber-music atmosphere — perfect for the festival's programming. The cloister seats around 200–300 visitors, making the concerts intimate experiences.

Opening and Highlight Concerts

The festival opens on Sunday, June 7, 2026, with the opening concert "Sounds of the South". The program features works by classical and modern composers, interpreted by Anna Adamik (Piano) and Martin Merker (Violoncello). Another highlight is the program "Songs from a Secret Garden" by Duo Belá Kovács, featuring works from Johannes Brahms to Ennio Morricone — a bridging program between classical tradition and film music. The festival concludes on Sunday, July 5, 2026, with a double concert "String Magic from Vienna to Florence": a matinee at 11:00 am and an evening concert at 7:00 pm for festival lovers who want to experience the program twice.

Program Concept — Chamber Music with Repertoire Diversity

The Cloister Concerts program spans the chamber music tradition broadly. You'll experience Baroque works (Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann), classical string quartets (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven), romantic sonatas (Brahms, Schubert), modern works from the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as crossover programs between classical, film music, or jazz. The repertoire is determined by the selection of guest soloists and ensembles; these come from German-speaking countries and occasionally internationally.

Offenburg — The District Capital of Ortenau

Offenburg, the district capital of Ortenaukreis with around 60,000 inhabitants, is located in the Upper Rhine Plain between the Black Forest and the Vosges, on the border with France (30 minutes via the Rhine bridge to Strasbourg). The city combines Baden lifestyle with Alsatian influences — the Hauptstraße with its half-timbered houses, the Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche (Holy Cross Church), the Salmen inn (historic site of the democratic movement in 1847), and the Kulturforum Burda Museum of Industry are worth seeing. In summer, Offenburg is a meeting point for wine and Black Forest hikes — the Cloister Concerts are the musical festival highlight.