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Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival

Magnificent manor houses, sophisticated mansions, decommissioned shipyards - original venues in both Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg are the hallmark of this unique music festival.

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Felix König

The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival

The SHMF was founded in 1986. Despite its name, the festival brings music to locations beyond Germany’s northernmost state. For example, audiences in Hamburg and even parts of Denmark and Lower Saxony won’t have to travel far for performances. With its many concerts in a wide variety of venues, it is one of the festivals that covers the largest area in the world! While it primarily has attracted lovers of classical music, fans of other genres such as pop, electronic and jazz will also find a diverse range of concerts, readings and lectures to their liking.

Unique concert venues

Magnificent manor houses, sophisticated estates, historic stables, old churches, romantic parks and decommissioned shipyards – unique venues are the hallmark of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. They provide a unique atmosphere and varying sound experiences to audiences of any genre. The acoustics are always a new challenge for the organisers and musicians of the festival - after all, music sounds completely different in a barn than in an official concert hall!

SHMF 2024

With 203 concerts, five ‘Music Festivals in the Countryside’ and two Children's Music Festivals, visitors can experience a wealth of music at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Many internationally acclaimed artists will be taking part, including Lang Lang, Rolando Villazón, Alisa Weilerstein, Bomsori Kim, Sabine Meyer, Grigory Sokolov and Kate Lindsey. This year's top orchestras include the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and the Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice. There will also be plenty on offer beyond classical music, including concerts by jazz great Jamie Cullum and the legendary soul-funk band Kool & The Gang.

The festival will focus on Venice in 2024. More than 90 concerts will present the musical diversity of the musical metropolis - from the Renaissance to modern times. This year's portrait artist will be the Crimean-born saxophonist Asya Fateyeva. For her SHMF artist portrait, she has put together a multifaceted programme with a total of 17 concerts and events.

Dates

6 July - 1 September 2024

More information

For more information, including tickets and a full line up, visit the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival online.