Tage Alter Musik in Herne

50 Years of Early Music in Herne — A World-Class Anniversary

Since its founding in 1976, the Tage Alter Musik in Herne has become an international hallmark. What began as a regional initiative by the then Herne City Director Joachim Hengelhaupt is now described as “one of the world's most important festivals in the field of Early Music.” The 50th Anniversary Edition will take place from Thursday, November 12th to Sunday, November 15th, 2026 — four days of concerts, lectures, and encounters with specialists in Historically Informed Performance (HIP) from across Europe.

Partnership with WDR 3 Since 1980

The festival has been associated with Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR 3) since 1980 — all concerts are broadcast live or with a delay on the third program. This makes Herne an acoustic showcase whose reach extends far beyond the Ruhr region. Pianists, harpsichordists, lutenists, gambists, and vocal ensembles from Amsterdam, Basel, Brussels, Paris, Vienna, or London use the festival as a stage for premieres of historical works, reconstructions, and thematic focuses.

New Direction: Katrin Paulsen Succeeds Richard Lorber

The 50th edition also marks a generational change at the artistic helm: Katrin Paulsen, an editor at WDR 3, will take over the direction in 2026 from Richard Lorber, who had shaped the festival for many years. For the anniversary edition, Paulsen announced a cross-section of Early Music genres — from medieval vocal music and Renaissance polyphony to early Romanticism on historical instruments.

Venues — Kulturzentrum Herne as the Centrepiece

The main venue is the Kulturzentrum Herne with its large hall — acoustically high-quality, intimate format, ideal for chamber music and small ensembles. Other historic venues in and around Herne will be used for specific programs (vespers, church music programs, harpsichord recitals). The exact venues and concert sequences will be published in the weeks before the festival on herne.de and in the WDR 3 program announcement.

Accompanying Program — Research, Instrument Making, Encounters

In addition to the concerts, Herne is traditionally a meeting place for science and craftsmanship. An accompanying exhibition of historical instruments (harpsichords, lutes, viols, baroque oboes, transverse flutes) provides insight into the state of reproduction of historical sound devices. Lectures and workshop discussions with researchers complement the program and are aimed at both specialist audiences and interested amateurs.

Herne — Industrial City with a Cultural High Signal

Herne, with around 156,000 inhabitants, is part of the northern Ruhr area and, at first glance, a classic industrial city. With the Tage Alter Musik, it has carved out a unique cultural niche for itself since 1976, establishing its place on the map of European music festivals. For each edition, visitors come from all over Germany and neighboring countries to Herne — one of the few festivals that cultivates a genre with such concentration and tradition.