SHMF Opening Concert — Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival

The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival — One of Europe's Largest Music Festivals

The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (SHMF) is one of the most important and largest classical music festivals worldwide. Founded in 1986 by the American pianist and conductor Leonard Bernstein together with Justus Frantz and the state government of Schleswig-Holstein, it has become a firmly established summer classical music celebration: between July and August, around 130 concerts take place at venues throughout the state — from the Lübeck concert hall to barns, churches, and castles in the countryside, to open-air events in Kiel, Flensburg, Husum, or on Sylt.

The Opening Concert in Lübeck

The summer traditionally begins with the Opening Concert in the Musik- und Kongresshalle Lübeck. The concert is given in two identical performances — on two consecutive evenings, both at 8 p.m. — to reach as many classical music lovers as possible.

2026 — Anastasia Kobekina and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra

For the 2026 season, the following soloist and ensemble will be on stage:

• Anastasia Kobekina — Cellist, internationally acclaimed for her expressive playing and diverse repertoire choices
• NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra — one of Germany's most important broadcast orchestras, based in neighboring Hamburg
• Karina Canellakis — one of the leading conductors of her generation, a frequent presence on Europe's major festival stages in recent years

Lübeck as a Festival Venue

Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein (around 220,000 inhabitants), a district-free city in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, and with its UNESCO World Heritage old town, it is one of Northern Germany's most significant cultural centers. The Musik- und Kongresshalle (MuK for short) on Holstenhafen is a modern concert hall with some of the best acoustics in the region — ideal for the SHMF opening.

A Festival That Plays Throughout Schleswig-Holstein

Unlike most major classical festivals (Salzburg, Bayreuth, Lucerne), the SHMF is decentralized: it doesn't focus on one location but distributes its 130 concerts across the entire state. This allows the festival to discover unusual venues year after year — thatched-roof barns, brick village churches, castle gardens, even stables — and make classical music an experience specific to each location.