April 8–11, 2027

WELCOME TO BACH & NOW!

Hear Bach anew. Experience music anew.

Following two successful editions, Bach & now! – Agathenburg Bach Festival returns from 8 to 11 April 2027, inviting audiences to discover Johann Sebastian Bach from fresh perspectives and explore the connections between his music and the present day.

Set against the historic backdrop of Agathenburg Castle and at distinctive venues throughout the region, the festival brings together internationally renowned artists, outstanding performances and inspiring artistic ideas. Baroque music meets contemporary composition, music meets movement, and familiar works reveal unexpected perspectives.

Look forward to exceptional concerts, thought-provoking encounters and a festival that combines musical excellence beyond the mainstream with a spirit of curiosity and openness to new ideas.

Bach & now! – Tradition in Motion. Music in the Here and Now.

We look forward to welcoming you to Agathenburg and the surrounding region from 8 to 11 April 2027!

There is a difference between wanting to be interesting and actually being interesting.

His music never stops praying.

Music is a universal language.

Music is the place where sound and silence meet.

There is music wherever there is rythm, as there is life whenever there beats a pulse.

It’s a heavenly democracy.

I simply wanted to write melodies.

Programme

Altes Rathaus Stade, Königsmarcksaal

8. April 2027

10:00

Children’s Concert “The Keyboard Time Machine” – Juri Tetzlaff, Presenter; Elena Khurgina, Harpsichord and Piano

Schloss Agathenburg, Pferdestall

8. April 2027

19:30

Opening Concert of the Agathenburger Bach Days 2027 – Duo Villarceaux – Judith Mosch, Alexandra Sostmann, Piano

Schloss Agathenburg, Foyer

8. April 2027

21:30

Champagne reception following the opening concert

Schloss Agathenburg, Konzertsaal

9. April 2027

10:00

Composition Masterclass – Rouzbeh Rafie, Composer

Altes Rathaus Stade, Königsmarcksaal

9. April 2027

10:00

Children’s Concert “The Keyboard Time Machine” – Juri Tetzlaff, Presenter; Elena Khurgina, Harpsichord and Piano

Schloss Agathenburg, Maria-Aurora-Zimmer

9. April 2027

11:00

Sound Lab – Participatory Sound Art by Rouzbeh Rafie

Schloss Agathenburg, Konzertsaal

9. April 2027

17:30

Prof. Dr Michael Maul – “Bach’s St Matthew Passion: A Labour of Love” – Reading from His New Book

Schloss Agathenburg, Pferdestall

9. April 2027

19:30

Piano Recital Jan Čmejla – Works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Jean-Philippe Rameau, György Ligeti, Frédéric Chopin and Adam Skoumal

Schloss Agathenburg, Schlossgelände

10. April 2027

11:00

FUGE / SPRAY / CODE – Bach Meets Street Art – Workshop for Young People (Ages 13–18)

Schloss Agathenburg, Schlosskeller

10. April 2027

11:00

Escape Room – Workshop for Children (Ages 6–11)

Schloss Agathenburg, Pferdestall

10. April 2027

11:00

Bach with Maul & Schrammek – Talk and Music with Pianist Grigory Gruzman

Schloss Agathenburg, Maria-Aurora-Zimmer

10. April 2027

11:00

Sound Lab – Participatory Sound Art by Rouzbeh Rafie

Schloss Agathenburg, Konzertsaal

10. April 2027

14:00

Between Breath and Eternity – The Flute in Bach’s Time – Lecture by Prof. Karl Kaiser

Schloss Agathenburg, Schlosskeller

10. April 2027

14:00

Mini Escape Room – Workshop for Children (Ages 3–5)

Kirche St. Marien, Grünendeich

10. April 2027

16:00

First Light – Music of New Beginnings and Rebirth – Apollo5, Vocal Ensemble

Pastor-Behrens-Haus, Stade

10. April 2027

18:00

An Introduction to Bach’s Goldberg Variations with Pianist Burkard Schliessmann

Kirche St. Wilhadi, Stade

10. April 2027

19:00

Goldberg in Motion – Music and Dance – String Trio of Quatuor Fidelio, Dancers from the Semperoper Dresden

Schloss Agathenburg, Maria Aurora Zimmer

11. April 2027

11:00

Sound Lab – Explore, Discover, Compose – Participatory Sound Art by Rouzbeh Rafie

Schloss Agathenburg, Konzertsaal

11. April 2027

11:30

“To You, to You, Sebastian, I Shall Sing” – Lecture by Dr Thorsten Preuß (BR)

Kirche St. Cosmae et Damiani, Stade

11. April 2027

14:30

Between Worlds – Solo Recital – Diyang Mei, Viola

Schloss Agathenburg, Pferdestall

11. April 2027

17:00

Final Concert of the Agathenburger Bachtage 2027 – Kammersymphonie Berlin, Jürgen Bruns, Alexandra Sostmann

Schloss Agathenburg, Foyer

11. April 2027

18:30

Champagne reception following the final concert

Tickets

Dear Bach & now! guests,

From 15 November 2027, you’ll find all the information you need about advance ticket sales here, along with practical information for your festival visit.

Tickets go on sale on 28 November 2027 and are available exclusively through Schloss Agathenburg, either in person or online at www.schlossagathenburg.de.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Box Office &
Evening Ticket Sales

Cultural Foundation Schloss Agathenburg
Hauptstraße
D-21684 Agathenburg
Tel.: +49 (0)4141 54220

https://www.schlossagathenburg.de

Opening hours:
‘March – November:
Tue – Fri: 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Sat, Sun, public holidays: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Festival Pass

HVV
KombiTicket

A festival pass is available for €159 and is limited to 25 passes.
It grants admission to all concerts in the Pferdestall (4 concerts), the lecture recital with Elena Khurgina in the Baroque Hall of Schloss Agathenburg, and the concert by The Gesualdo Six in St. Mauritius Church in Hollern.
Additionally, it includes access to the VIP reception on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

The festival pass is non-transferable and must be presented upon entry.

Tickets with the special hvv KombiTicket imprint are also valid as tickets for zones A-F. The KombiTicket is valid on the day of the event from midnight until 6 a.m. the following day for travel to and from the event venue.

Give the gift
of musical enjoyment

Concert gift vouchers can be purchased at the box office.

Online
Ticketshop

You can conveniently book your tickets from home.

News

Reinhard Febel – Composer in Residence 2027

A New Perspective on Bach: World Premiere of a Concertino for Piano and String Orchestra With Reinhard Febel, Bach & now! – Agathenburg Bach Festival 2027 welcomes one of today’s most distinguished German composers a...

Two World Premieres at Bach & now! 2027

Contemporary music is an important part of Bach & now! – Agathenburg Bach Festival. The third edition of the festival will feature two works composed specifically for the occasion, which will be performed for the first t...

Goldberg in Motion – Bach in a New Dimension

What happens when music and dance come together on equal footing? With “Goldberg in Motion” Bach & now! – Agathenburg Bach Festival 2027 presents an extraordinary artistic project that brings Johann Sebastian Bach’s Gold...

Sound Lab – Participate, Discover, Compose

When Sounds Become Music What does the world sound like when we discover it through the ears of composers? At the sound lab during Bach & now! – Agathenburg Bach Festival, composer Rouzbeh Rafie invites children, teens, ...

Two Champagne Receptions at Schloss Agathenburg

Which moments from the concert will stay with you? After the opening and closing concerts, join us in the foyer of Schloss Agathenburg to share your impressions, meet the artists, and round off the evening over a glass o...

Der Festivalpass – Bach & now! 2027

With the festival pass, you can experience Bach & now! in all its musical diversity. It grants you access to all of the festival’s concerts and talks from April 8 through 11, 2027—including the champagne reception. A...

Our Supporters

We say thank you!

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our partners, supporters, sponsors, and foundations — without whom this festival would not be possible.