Name: Ultraschall Berlin — Festival for New Music 2026
Start: 2026-01-14T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-01-18T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Radialsystem, Haus des Rundfunks, Heimathafen Neukölln

Ultraschall Berlin

About Ultraschall Berlin

Since 1999, Ultraschall Berlin has been Germany's most important festival for new music, jointly organized by Deutschlandfunk Kultur and radio3 from rbb. In January 2026, the 28th edition will span five days between Radialsystem in Friedrichshain, Haus des Rundfunks in Westend, and Heimathafen in Neukölln. The program features the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Brad Lubman, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Ensemble Mosaik, Trio Accanto, and violinist Ilya Gringolts — with works by György Kurtág, Hans Werner Henze, and a series of German premieres.

Dates 14 Jan — 18 Jan 2026

Venue Berlin (11000)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Ultraschall Berlin — edition 2026

Tickets →

The 28th Ultraschall Berlin runs from January 14 to 18, 2026, with concerts at three venues in Friedrichshain, Westend, and Neukölln. The program features the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Brad Lubman, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Ensemble Mosaik, Trio Accanto, and violinist Ilya Gringolts.

Five days of festival for contemporary music with a focus on works by György Kurtág, Hans Werner Henze, and a series of German premieres. Tickets are available via the festival website. The concerts will subsequently be broadcast on the participating stations Deutschlandfunk Kultur and radio3 from rbb.

Highlights Ultraschall Berlin 2026

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Brad Lubman
Ensemble Mosaik and Trio Accanto
Violinist Ilya Gringolts as soloist
György Kurtág and Hans Werner Henze in composer focus
Three venues between Friedrichshain, Westend, and Neukölln
Subsequent broadcast on DLF Kultur and radio3

Programme Ultraschall Berlin 2026

The 28th Ultraschall Berlin runs from January 14 to 18, 2026. Organizers: Deutschlandfunk Kultur and radio3 from rbb. The following edition is already announced for January 20 to 24, 2027. Festival information according to ultraschallberlin.de.

Venues 2026

Radialsystem — Holzmarktstraße 33, 10243 Berlin-Friedrichshain
Haus des Rundfunks — Masurenallee 8–14, 14057 Berlin-Westend (rbb headquarters)
Heimathafen Neukölln — Karl-Marx-Straße 141, 12043 Berlin-Neukölln

Confirmed Ensembles and Soloists

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin with conductor Brad Lubman
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO)
Ensemble Mosaik — one of the most important German ensembles for New Music
Trio Accanto — piano, saxophone, and percussion
Ilya Gringolts, violin

Composers in Focus

György Kurtág (Hungary, b. 1926) — one of the most influential contemporary composers
Hans Werner Henze — a tribute to the German composer who died in 2012
A series of German premieres by other composers

Radio Broadcast Format

All concerts are professionally recorded and subsequently broadcast by Deutschlandfunk Kultur and radio3 from rbb. The festival thus serves simultaneously as a public concert format and a production environment for the broadcasting group.

Prices Ultraschall Berlin 2026

Tickets are available via ultraschallberlin.de and at the box offices of the three venues. Single concert tickets and combined festival passes are available. Discounts for students, pupils, and seniors.

Practical information

Practical information — Ultraschall Berlin

Venues

Radialsystem — Holzmarktstraße 33, 10243 Berlin-Friedrichshain (S-Bahn Ostbahnhof + 5 min walk). Haus des Rundfunks — Masurenallee 8–14, 14057 Berlin-Westend (U2 Theodor-Heuss-Platz). Heimathafen Neukölln — Karl-Marx-Straße 141, 12043 Berlin-Neukölln (U7 Karl-Marx-Straße).

Tickets

Tickets are available via the website ultraschallberlin.de and at the box offices on the evening of the performances. Single concert tickets and festival passes are available.

A Festival Brand of the Berlin Broadcasting Institutions

Ultraschall Berlin was founded in 1999 as a joint festival of two public broadcasters — today Deutschlandfunk Kultur (DLF Kultur) and radio3 from rbb. This unusual, broadcaster-supported organizational mechanism makes the festival the most reliable fixture for contemporary music in Germany: every year in January, five to six days of programming, professional recording of all concerts, followed by broadcast on radio. What is programmed here shapes the discourse of the German new music scene.

Three Venues, Three Districts

The 2026 edition utilizes three central Berlin venues: the Radialsystem at Holzmarktstraße 33 in Friedrichshain (former pumping station on the Spree riverbank, now a prominent venue for dance, performance, and new music), the historic Haus des Rundfunks on Masurenallee in Westend (Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district, headquarters of rbb), and the Heimathafen Neukölln at Karl-Marx-Straße 141 (Neukölln district, a performance hall from the 1900s). The geographical span between East and West Berlin is part of the program: contemporary music meets diverse acoustic and atmospheric spaces.

What to Hear in 2026

The 2026 program focuses on several Berlin ensembles: the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin with American conductor Brad Lubman, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO), Ensemble Mosaik (one of the most important German ensembles for new music), and Trio Accanto. Soloist includes violinist Ilya Gringolts. Featured composers include György Kurtág (Hungary, b. 1926) and the late Hans Werner Henze.