What does everyday life at the Ludwigsburg Festival look like? During the city stories of the Ludwigsburg Museum, our artistic director Jochen Sandig will take you takes you behind the scenes of one of the most traditional festivals in Baden-Württemberg. In the monthly lecture series »City Histories,« experts will introduce unique places, fields of work and institutions in Ludwigsburg. On October 12, the stately rooms of the historic building and learn more about the vision for our celebration of the arts, democracy and sustainability.

Interested in diverse and queer issues? Fancy movement and dance? The »3RD BOX WORKSHOP« at the beginning of July allows for a safe and playful exploration of gender and gender identities and prepares for the visit of »THE 3RD BOX« on 10 July on a deeper level. We welcome registrations until 1 July.

You can experience two special concerts from the past season in the next few days: The Oberon Trio and Barbara Hannigan with the Festival Orchestra. On 19 June, the chamber music concert with works by Clara Schumann, Julia Purgina and Franz Schubert will be broadcast as »Concert Document of the Week« on Deutschlandfunk at 21:05. Shortly afterwards, on 20 June at 00:40, they can watch the rousing concert by Barbara Hannigan and the Festival Orchestra retrospectively.

The Belarusian activists Maria Kalesnikava, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Veronika Zepkala have been awarded this year’s International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen for their services to the unity of Europe. In her speech, Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock referred to the laureates as «the most courageous women in Europe«. As the «Festival of the Arts, Democracy and Sustainability« we are very happy about this news and welcome this important sign for freedom and democracy. The International Charlemagne Prize is one of the most significant European and has been awarded to personalities and institutions since 1950. 

The concert «The Unfinished Revolution«, which will take place on June 11 at the Forum am Schlosspark, will be dedicated to the Belarusian peace activist Maria Kalesnikava. The Belarusian conductor Vitali Alekseenok and the orchestra of the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele will perform Schubert’s 7th Symphony with poem settings by Belarusian composers.

On Sunday, May 15 at 5 p.m., we cordially invite you to the »Dabke Community Dance« in our festival center in the castle courtyard. The traditional circle dance Dabke is danced in the eastern Mediterranean region at holidays, family celebrations or for travelers. The dancer and choreographer Medhat Aldaabal and the percussionist Ali Hasan look forward to a moving togetherness. Also interested people without previous knowledge are welcome! Put on comfortable shoes and dance along!

With our subscription packages »Beethoven hoch drei«, »Tanz and Ritual« and »Welt im Wandel« you can look forward to a unique of three productions from the 2022 festival season and benefit from a 20% discount on your purchase. Select the subscription that suits youand book it through the Ludwigsburg Festival ticket office.

On September 9, 2022, we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle’s »Speech to the German Youth« and we ask ourselves: What would actually be a speech from the youth today? What wishes, goals and criticism would young voices of the present want to articulate? The emergence of such a speech the Ludwigsburg Festival would like to give time and space to the creation of such a speech in the coming months. Members of the Youth Community Council have already declared their willingness to participate in this project. A next meeting for the development of a »speech of the youth« will take place on Monday, April 25, 4 pm. A great opportunity to exchange ideas with other young people and to collect first ideas. Sign up for this up to 22. April by mail to: Education@schlossfestspiele.de We are looking forward to meet more interested young people who want to contribute their voice and work together on a »Youth Speech«!

With The new Corona Ordinance of the State of Baden-Württemberg of April 3, 2022. the previous contact restrictions at cultural events will fall. Since we care about your health, we would like to encourage you to continue to wear a medical mouth and nose covering indoors. In order to ensure the safest possible attendance at events, we also ask that you observe general hygiene rules such as sneezing and coughing etiquette, and, if possible, to keep a distance of 1.50 meters from other guests and our staff, and in the event of symptoms of illness such as fever, cold, cough, etc. to stay at home . Thank you for your support!

We are pleased to present our complete program for the 2022 season, which is now on pre-sale. With 80 events and over 50 productions in the period from May 5 to July 16, the Schlossfestspiele Schlossfestspiele is entering the tenth decade of its existence. Here you can find the program calendar with ticket sales.

The Ludwigsburg concert of «Einstürzende Neubauten« has been moved for production reasons and will now take place on Tuesday, June 21 at 8 p.m. in the MHPArena in Ludwigsburg. The Stuttgart post-punk band «Die Nerven« will perform with a supporting program. Tickets for this music highlight are still available in our online store and in the ticket office. Tickets that have already been purchased for the concerts scheduled for 2020 or 2021 and are dated accordingly will remain valid.

Perfectly prepared for the next festival season: the new festival bag and the notebook with deer pole motif have recently moved into our festival shop and are waiting to be used. Collect your concert memories, sketches, or autographs in the notebook and easily transport it in the sustainably produced festival bag. With its practical size of 38 cm x 42 cm, it offers enough space for other belongings. You can still get the bag for the special price of 9€ until Christmas. For only 5€ you can enjoy the notebook. For more information on both products, visit our Festival Shop!

To sweeten the winter season, we have started a small craft action: Our colorful posters of the past two seasons shine in a new light with the help of these simple instructions as »festival stars«. Tinker with us!

In early May, Oksana Lyniv opened the 2021 season with the festival orchestra, and now the conductor, who was the first woman to take the podium at the Bayreuth Festival in the summer of 2021, will become music director of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in January 2022.

In the series of talks by and with Elisa Erkelenz and David-Maria Gramse, unusual connections of classical music with philosophy, science, (martial) arts and pop are brought to light and thus »the pudel's core« of that genre is explored from a variety of perspectives. The podcast is released on the first of every month and is also available on our Digital Stage.

Unfortunately, Javier Perianes had to cancel his participation in the original concert evening »Zimmermann Perianes Cantilena« at short notice due to illness. For this reason, Tabea Zimmermann has decided to perform an extraordinary solo programme on Thursday, 8 July at 6 pm and 9 pm respectively with the new title »Tabea Zimmermann Solo«.

Over the course of a month, nine young people between the ages of 20 and 30 came together for six online workshops lasting several hours and dealt intensively with diverse gender identities and perceptions through writing tasks, movement sequences and free exchange. A filmic insight into the work can be seen on the Digital Stage.

In the film »Saz - The Key of Trust«, the instrumentalist Petra Nachtmanova follows the traces of the saz. Hardly represented in books, the history of this Persian or Ottoman-Turkish instrument is a mystery. At the »Saz Musik Fest« on 18 June, she will present her journey from Bosnia to Iran, recorded on film, and will play songs from there together with guests.

Originally scheduled for 11 May 2020, the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung is now bringing the award ceremony for Tabea Zimmermann forward. On 15 June, her more than 30 years of work will be honoured. She will use the prize money to establish a new foundation. We congratulate the prize-winner, who will also be a guest in Ludwigsburg on 8 July!

The »Piano City« concept developed by pianist Andreas Kern will move to the digital in 2021 to celebrate the house music tradition also and especially in these times. If you enjoy playing the piano, we look forward to your contribution on Instagram or Facebook - at whatever level and in whatever genre! For more information, click here.

The year 2021 is still marked by the Corona effects, but also by digital, hybrid and, last but not least, numerous live events. Unlike last year, we were able to cover the entire festival period from 6 May to July 11 as well as the autumn dates in September and October with a total of 37 events! In addition to this we were able to present a triad of music, art installation and dance in the fall. We are grateful and happy and look back on a successful year.

The STEGREIF.orchestra invites you to an exciting new new format: In the digital 360° audiowalk you can follow individually routes to listen to Mozart’s musical and political diversity. For this you need a smartphone, headphones and sturdy shoes. From May 28 the project is available on the Digital Stage.

In a new scenic film project, the »Human Requiem« becomes an examination of the current consequences of Corona. Directed by Jochen Sandig and musically conducted by Gijs Leenaars, the Rundfunkchor Berlin offers hope and comfort in difficult times with Brahms' »Ein deutsches Requiem«. 

The Ludwigsburg Festival is launching the 2021 season with new momentum digitally. After the prelude with the »Fest Spiel Overtüre«, we now continue with a project by the STEGREIF.orchester: #bfree. Starting on 8 May on the digital stage. We look forward to your virtual visit!

What concerns you and the people from your city? Where do you experience moments of wakefulness, anger or happiness in public space? Searching for poetic moments in society, the workshop »Spoken Moments Poetry« is pursuing a digital concert experiment for collective success. Interested people from the age of 13 can register now.

The Ludwigsburg Festival opened the 2021 season with the »Fest Spiel Overture« and presented the digital audience with Oksana Lyniv, Anna Larsson, Christian Elsner and the Festival Orchestra. In cooperation with ARTE Concert, the opening concert was livestreamed on May 6 at 8pm and is now available on-demand on our Digital Stage until early November. We look forward to your virtual visit!

April 16 brings 16 new releases: The media »Dying Swans Project« by Gauthier Dance comprises 16 solo choreographies, each with a different signature. The stage version of this project will take place during this year's Ludwigsburg Festival. Visit our Digital Stage and enjoy these digital masterpieces!

Are you between 17 and mid-20s and interested with diverse and queer topics? Then sign up now for the workshop »Somewhere in Between« with director and choreographer Gary Joplin. In May and June you will spend three weekends exploring diverse identities and orientations. You can find the detailed announcement here.

Originally Edivaldo Ernesto was going to give an insight into his »Depth Movement« technique at the Tanz- und and Theaterwerkstatt Ludwigsburg in May. Due to Corona, his workshop cannot take place as planned. We are looking for an alternative date.

In the short program of last year's Ludwigsburg Festival, the performance of the Mandelring Quartet with Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartets Nos. 1, 8 and 15 was a particular highlight. On 8 March 2021, the concert recording will be broadcast by SWR 2. Perfectly the Mandelring Quartet presents Shostakovich's incomparable art between lyrical pain, pointed sharpness and smug grotesqueness.

The founder of contemporary »African Dance« has been committed for decades to the deepening and spreading of African Dance. Since the 1960s, Germaine Acogny has been realizing and manifesting her vision, enriching the african - and eventually the international - dance world as a dancer, teacher and mentor. The Biennale Danza Festival now honours her life's work with the Golden Lion. In anticipation of this year's »Sacre« project, we congratulate her!

Einstürzende Neubauten have cancelled their »The Year of the Rat Tour« for 2021. The concert planned for May 16, 2021 in Ludwigsburg has been postponed to July 9, 2022.

With »I can't breathe«, the dancer touched not only the visitors of the Ludwigsburg Festival. His renewed performance at the Romaeuropa Festival in September also convinced the jury of the Italian Danza&Danza Awards. We congratulate Edivaldo Ernesto for the award as best dancer 2020!

With the aim of contributing to an open and sustainable society oriented towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Ludwigsburg Festival 2020 set off into a new decade. The fact that social cohesion can also be created virtually is also demonstrated by Alondra de la Parra with her project »The Impossible Orchestra«.

During the nationwide lockdown to contain the Corona pandemic, the Ludwigsburg Festival ticket office will also have to close.

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were also launched by former German President Horst Köhler, among others. He and his wife Eva Luise Köhler are the patrons of the Ludwigsburg Festival for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons. Horst Köhler has shared his thoughts on this in a foreword.

We will have to continue living with the pandemic for a while, let's embellish the new everyday life as best we can. For example, with a (non medical) masks in the colours of the Ludwigsburg Festival.