Windsbacher Knabenchor — 80th Anniversary Festival

Eight Decades of Choir History in Middle Franconia

In 1946, the year after the end of the war, Protestant-Lutheran pastor Hans Thamm founded a boys' choir in the small Middle Franconian town of Windsbach, which was soon to become one of the leading choirs of its kind in Germany. Eight decades later, the Windsbacher, along with the Regensburger Domspatzen, the Thomanerchor Leipzig, and the Dresdner Kreuzchor, are among the 'big four' German boys' choirs. The supporting body – the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Bavaria – operates a complete boarding school and choir campus in Windsbach, in the district of Ansbach, where around 100 singers between the ages of 9 and 19 live, learn, and sing.

Anniversary Weekend October 17 and 18, 2026

The culmination of the anniversary year is the festival weekend on the third weekend of October 2026. On Saturday evening, October 17, the choir invites you to the grand festival concert in Nuremberg's St. Lorenz Church under the motto »jung und laut!«. The program spans from the founding days in 1946 to the present. For the first time in the ensemble's history, the boys' choir will share the stage with the newly founded Windsbacher Mädchenchor – led by Claudia Jennings since September 2025 – accompanied by the five-member classical crossover band Spark, which blends classical music with rock, jazz, and world music.

Festival Service and Open Day

On Sunday, October 18, a festive church service will begin at 10 a.m. in St. Margaretha Church in Windsbach, with musical accompaniment by the boys' choir itself. Afterwards, the choir campus at Heinrich-Brandt-Straße 18 will open its doors: visitors can tour the boarding school, rehearsal room, school, and library, talk with singers and educators, and enjoy food and drinks. A stage program will round off the day.

Boys' Choir Festival with International Guest Choirs

Embedded within the anniversary weekend is the boys' choir festival, for which the Windsbacher have invited five of Europe's most traditional boys' choirs. Three of the guest ensembles have medieval roots: the Nidarosdomens Gutterkor from Trondheim, Norway; the Escolania de Montserrat from the Catalan monastery of Montserrat near Barcelona; and the Regensburger Domspatzen. Two post-war foundations complete the lineup: the Knabenchor Hannover and the Polish Poznański Chór Chłopięcy from Poznań. The concerts will take place in churches in Middle Franconia and present sacred a cappella choral music from over five centuries – from Gregorian chant through the Renaissance and Baroque periods to the modern era.

Windsbach – A Choir Town in the Aischgrund

The town of Windsbach, with its 6,000 inhabitants in the district of Ansbach (State of Bavaria, Middle Franconia region), lives and breathes with the choir like hardly any other community in Germany. Located between Nuremberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber, on the edge of the Franconian Aischgrund, the choir has shaped the town's identity for 80 years. The anniversary is therefore not only a musical event but also a civic one: former singers, parents, teachers, and friends from all over the world will travel to celebrate together.

Key Program Highlights

• Saturday, October 17 — Festival Concert »jung & laut!« with Boys' Choir, Girls' Choir, and Spark in St. Lorenz Nuremberg
• Sunday, October 18, 10 a.m. — Festival Service in St. Margaretha Windsbach
• Sunday, October 18 — Open Day at the Choir Campus
• Concert Series Boys' Choir Festival with five international guest choirs
• Sacred a cappella choral music from over five centuries