Name: Walking in Beauty Festival – Voices Unite 2026
Start: 2026-04-09T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-04-12T00:00:00+00:00
Location: St. Matthäus-Kirche / Kammermusiksaal der Philharmonie

Walking in Beauty

About Walking in Beauty

Walking in Beauty is Berlin's young choral festival dedicated to contemporary sacred choral music. For three days, CHORALSPACE transforms the Kulturforum am Tiergarten into a resonance space for singing voices: workshop days, an international festival choir project, an open night of choirs at St. Matthäus Church, and a festive closing concert in the Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie. In 2026, the festival will be held under the motto “Voices Unite” – with British composer Bob Chilcott as Composer in Residence.

Dates 09 Apr — 12 Apr 2026

Venue Berlin (11000)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Walking in Beauty — edition 2026

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The third edition is themed “Voices Unite”. The British choral composer Bob Chilcott is the Composer in Residence. Program framework: three workshop days at the Kulturforum, a public Night of Choirs at St. Matthäus Church, and a closing concert in the Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie. Active participation via CHORALSPACE; some concerts are free to attend.

Walking in Beauty 2026 spans four days with workshops, a festival choir project, and two major concert evenings. The venues are St. Matthäus Church at Matthäikirchplatz, the Chamber Music Hall of the Berliner Philharmonie, and Luisenkirche in Charlottenburg.

The festival is the third edition since its founding by CHORALSPACE Berlin and, in 2026, with Bob Chilcott as Composer in Residence, places a clear focus on British and international contemporary choral music. Active choristers can register for the workshop pass and become part of the festival choir; the audience will experience the result in the closing concert.

Highlights Walking in Beauty 2026

Bob Chilcott as Composer in Residence; Night of Choirs free at St. Matthäus Church; Closing Concert at the Philharmonie Chamber Music Hall.

Programme Walking in Beauty 2026

Saturday, April 11, 2026

8:00 PM — Night of Choirs, St. Matthäus Church, Matthäikirchplatz 1, 10785 Berlin. Berlin and international choirs present their repertoire. Free admission.

Sunday, April 12, 2026

8:00 PM — Closing Concert, Chamber Music Hall of the Berliner Philharmonie, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, 10785 Berlin. Festival choir and guest ensembles with works by Bob Chilcott (Composer in Residence) and other composers of contemporary choral literature.

Workshop Days (April 9–12)

Several rehearsal days at the Kulturforum and at Luisenkirche in Charlottenburg, closed to registered festival choir participants. Direct work with Bob Chilcott and the artistic team of CHORALSPACE.

Detailed program and artist information at choralspace.org/walking-in-beauty.

Prices Walking in Beauty 2026

Night of Choirs (April 11, 8:00 PM, St. Matthäus Church): Free admission. Closing concert in the Chamber Music Hall: Tickets via CHORALSPACE or the Berliner Philharmonie ticket shop. Workshop pass participation fee: €98/person (as of inventory research; current prices at choralspace.org).

Practical information

Practical information — Walking in Beauty

Getting There

St. Matthäus Church and the Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie are located at the Kulturforum in the Tiergarten district (Mitte borough). Take the U-Bahn line U2 to Potsdamer Platz, then a five-minute walk; take bus 200 directly to “Philharmonie Süd”. From the main train station (Hauptbahnhof), take the S-Bahn lines S1/S2 to Potsdamer Platz.

Admission

Night of Choirs at St. Matthäus Church: Free admission. Closing concert in the Chamber Music Hall: Tickets available via CHORALSPACE / Berliner Philharmonie. Participation fee for active choristers for the workshop program. Current details at choralspace.org.

Accommodation

Hotels around Potsdamer Platz and in Charlottenburg; more affordable options in Schöneberg and Kreuzberg, each a 15-minute U-Bahn ride away.

Three Days of Choral Singing at Berlin's Kulturforum

In April 2026, Walking in Beauty will bring together Berlin and international choirs for the third time in a place that is the natural home of classical choral music in Berlin: the Kulturforum in the Mitte district. The organizer is CHORALSPACE Berlin, a young network dedicated to contemporary sacred choral music, which launched the festival in 2024.

Bob Chilcott – Composer in Residence

The focus in 2026 is on the work of British composer Bob Chilcott, one of the most performed living choral composers worldwide. Chilcott will accompany the festival as Composer in Residence and work directly with the participating singers during the workshop days. The festival motto “Voices Unite” is to be taken literally: singers from several countries will rehearse together in the international festival choir for the closing concert.

Three Venues at the Kulturforum and in Charlottenburg

Walking in Beauty uses several venues: St. Matthäus Church, located right between the Gemäldegalerie and the Neue Nationalgalerie, the Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie on Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße, and the Luisenkirche in Charlottenburg. The movement between these spaces is part of the concept: from the intimate church space to the concert acoustics of the Chamber Music Hall.

Night of Choirs and Closing Concert

Two public concert evenings structure the weekend: the free “Night of Choirs” at St. Matthäus Church, where participating ensembles perform one after another, and the grand closing concert in the Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie. Both are accessible without festival registration – the Night of Choirs is particularly suitable for first-time visitors who want to get to know the repertoire.

Participate or Listen

Walking in Beauty is aimed at both: choristers who book a workshop pass and become part of the festival choir, and Berliners as well as travelers who simply want to listen. CHORALSPACE values encounters – between choirs, generations, and nationalities. The festival is thus also a contribution to Berlin's choral scene, which, with over 200 ensembles, is one of the densest in Europe.