Mendelssohn Festival 2026

The Mendelssohn Festival and the associated preservation and performance of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s works are an integral part of Leipzig’s musical culture. In close cooperation between the Mendelssohn House in Leipzig and the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, and curated by Elena Bashkirova, an exquisite festival program featuring symphony concerts, chamber music, guided tours, and discussion panels is presented annually around the anniversary of the death of the composer, pianist, conductor, and cosmopolitan on November 4, an exquisite festival program featuring symphony concerts, chamber music, guided tours, and discussion events. Among these, the concerts held in Mendelssohn’s authentic home—where he lived and died—as well as those featuring the Gewandhaus Orchestra rank among the most memorable experiences of Leipzig’s concert season.

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy ranks among the outstanding, universally educated, and versatile musicians of the 19th century. His musical career as a composer, conductor, and pianist took him throughout Europe. For twelve years, Leipzig was the center of his life. Here, as Gewandhaus Kapellmeister and co-founder of the first German conservatory, he had a decisive influence on the city’s musical life and its musical reputation.

The 2026 Mendelssohn Festival, taking place from November 1 to 8, 2026, will be held in conjunction with the Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony and will explore a multifaceted musical legacy that bridges tradition, identity, and artistic renewal. The focus is on Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, one of the most influential musicians of the 19th century, who set new standards as a composer, pianist, and conductor and, during his tenure as Kapellmeister of the Gewandhaus from 1835 to 1847, left a lasting mark on Leipzig as a world-class city of music.

Mendelssohn’s work, shaped by the tension between his Jewish heritage and Christian upbringing, forms the core of the festival. At the same time, the festival offers a glimpse into the work of significant Jewish composers such as Władysław Szpilman, Mieczysław Weinberg, Hans Gál, and Lera Auerbach. Piano and chamber music in a variety of ensemble configurations reflect the stylistic breadth and historical depth of this musical universe.

A special highlight is the opening concert, which includes the presentation of the International Mendelssohn Prize. Among the festival’s performers are Elena Bashkirova, the festival’s curator, Yulianna Avdeeva, Vadim Gluzman, Alexander Melnikov, the Quatuor Danel, Les Vents Français, the Barenboim-Said Academy Orchestra, and the Gewandhaus Orchestra under the direction of Andris Nelsons. Actor Ulrich Matthes lends a literary dimension to Mendelssohn’s “Concerto at the Hour of Death.”

The Leipzig Opera is also participating with a new ballet production by Juliano Nunes based on Mendelssohn’s *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*. Concerts at the Mendelssohn House and the Gewandhaus make the festival a vibrant and authentic encounter with Mendelssohn’s legacy and the musical city of Leipzig.