Stechlin Summer Concerts

Summer Music by the Clear Lake

Lake Stechlin is both a geological and literary celebrity: a clear, deep glacial lake in the Ruppiner Schweiz, immortalized in German literature by Theodor Fontane's novel “Der Stechlin”. For years, the Stechlin Summer Concerts have been held around this special lake — a multi-part concert series that brings classical, chamber music, baroque, and crossover programs to the churches and the Stechlinsee-Center.

Dates and Venues 2026

The 2026 season starts on Sunday, June 28, at the Menz Church with the Trio Laccasax (saxophone, accordion, double bass). The following concerts will primarily take place at the Stechlinsee-Center and the Neuglobsow Church:

• July 4 — Friederike Fechner (Cello) & Matthias Suter (Marimba)
• July 11 — Axis Duo, flute & fortepiano, works by Emilie Mayer
• July 25 — Organ concert with Joachim Thoms, combined with the Stechlinseefest
• August 1 — JayMikaSax, young saxophonist
• August 8 — Reinhard Glende & Susanne Seiffert, recorder & harpsichord, baroque program
• August 13 — Musik an der Tonstraße, chamber music in the format of the festival of the same name

The Village Church Soundscape

The small village churches in Menz and Neuglobsow are the secret stars of the series. The simple, clear acoustics of the rural brick churches are ideal for chamber music and baroque programs — they lend the works an intimacy that concert halls can hardly achieve. This is complemented by the Stechlinsee-Center, which, with its moderate seating capacity, also enables concert formats beyond church architecture.

Stechlin and the Ruppiner Schweiz

The municipality of Stechlin is located in the Oberhavel district, in the far north of Brandenburg on the border with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Lake Stechlin is considered one of the purest lakes in Germany — visibility over ten meters, protected within the Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park. Visitors to the summer concerts should plan a day trip to the lake, a hike in the forest, or a visit to the geoscientific experience center “Stechlin-Center”.

Musik an der Tonstraße — The Organizer

The concert series is supported by the association Musik an der Tonstraße, which has been organizing the chamber music festival of the same name in the region for years. The Tonstraße — a historic trade route through the Ruppiner Land — gives the association and its festival program its name. The concerts of the summer program are a good introduction to the sound cosmos of this small but fine Brandenburg music association.