Open Air in the Grugapark — Essen Philharmonic Orchestra

Open Air in the Grugapark — Classical Music Under the Open Sky

The Open Air in the Grugapark by the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra is a firm summer tradition in Essen — a single evening each year when the orchestra leaves its concert hall behind and performs under the open sky in the large city park. The 2026 edition takes place on Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The venue is the Grugapark, one of the largest park areas in the Ruhr region.

2026 Program — Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky

The concert combines two 19th-century Russian classical masterpieces in a summer evening program:

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 — one of Tchaikovsky's most famous symphonies, characterized by dramatic tension and programmatic soundscapes
• Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition — original piano composition, presented in its orchestral version (likely Ravel's orchestration, the standard repertoire), a journey through 10 musical depictions of paintings

Wolfram-Maria Märtig and Thorsten Stepath

The concert will be conducted by Wolfram-Maria Märtig, a frequent guest conductor of the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra. The evening will be hosted by Thorsten Stepath, who will introduce the works and provide context — a proven concept that makes the open-air event accessible even for classical music beginners.

Grugapark — Essen's Green Heart

The Grugapark is one of the largest park areas in the Ruhr region, inaugurated in 1929 for the Great Ruhrland Horticultural Exhibition (Gruga). With extensive flower fields, themed gardens, animals, playgrounds, and a large concert meadow, it offers the ideal backdrop for the open-air concert. The park is supported by the GEWOBAU Wohnungsgenossenschaft Essen, which helps make the concert possible.

Essen — Concert Capital of the Ruhr Region

Essen (an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Ruhr region, approx. 580,000 inhabitants) is one of the most important classical music centers in western Germany, home to the Aalto Theatre and the Philharmonie Essen. The Essen Philharmonic Orchestra, as the resident orchestra of the theater and Philharmonie Essen, covers the entire spectrum from symphonic works to opera. The Open Air in the Grugapark relocates this offering once a year to the city park — a deliberate step out of the concert hall and into public space.