Summer Concert of the Möhnsen Musicians — Gut Basthorst

One Band, One Stable, One Tradition

The Möhnsen Musicians e.V. are a traditional North German brass band. Founded in 1968, they play Bavarian brass music, Oktoberfest tunes, and march music — a deliberate musical choice in the south of Schleswig-Holstein, far from Bavaria. Today, the association has around 40 active musicians and is one of the best-known brass bands in the district of Herzogtum Lauenburg.

Gut Basthorst — Cultural Monument with Stable Acoustics

Gut Basthorst is a historic estate near Basthorst in the district of Herzogtum Lauenburg, about 30 kilometers east of Hamburg. The property — now a cultural monument — houses an old cowshed, which has become a much-booked concert hall due to its surprisingly good acoustics. Top orchestras and renowned ensembles regularly perform here — from classical to folk to brass music.

Three Bands, One Concert

For over ten years — according to a press release in 2017 for the 6th Summer Concert — the Möhnsen Musicians have maintained a tradition: They perform annually in the cowshed together with two friendly bands:

• Möhnsen Musicians e.V. from Möhnsen (District Hzt. Lauenburg)
• Bargteheide Town Band from Bargteheide (District Stormarn)
• Original Werraspatzen from Hesse (Werra Valley)

The highlight of each summer concert is the joint march, where all three bands — over 70 musicians — stand on the stable stage simultaneously and play the same march.

The Program

The program consists of several blocks:

• Block 1: Performance by the Möhnsen Musicians (classical program with marches, polkas, and Oktoberfest hits)
• Block 2: Performance by the Bargteheide Town Band
• Block 3: Performance by the Original Werraspatzen
• Block 4: Joint March by all three bands — the annual highlight
• Supporting program: Performance by the training orchestra (young talent)

500 Guests in the Cowshed

The concert attracts up to 500 guests to the cowshed annually — a scale that is extraordinary for a brass music concert in the region. Many guests travel from Hamburg, the Stormarn district, and Herzogtum Lauenburg, some even from Hesse (fellow travelers of the Werraspatzen).

Möhnsen — Small Community, Big Music

Möhnsen is a community with around 350 inhabitants in the Amt Schwarzenbek-Land district of Herzogtum Lauenburg, in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Despite its small size, the Möhnsen Musicians hold a firm place in the North German brass music scene — also as a reliable band for Oktoberfeste, Schützenfeste, and Stadtfeste throughout Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg.