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Johannes Hartmann
PR and Media10117 Berlin
Press Releases
RundfunkchorLounge »The Other Half of Olympus«: Music and Talk on Women, Power and Myth | Bestselling author and content creator Tara-Louise Wittwer and classical philologist Prof. Dr Katharina Wesselmann as guests on 2 July at Heimathafen Neukölln
On 2 July 2026, the Rundfunkchor Berlin presents the RundfunkchorLounge »The Other Half of Olympus – Women, Power and Myth« at Heimathafen Neukölln, focusing on female figures from antiquity and their impact up to the present day. In moderated conversations with author and content creator Tara Louise Wittwer and classical philologist Prof. Dr Katharina Wesselmann, the evening explores how patriarchal narratives about women continue to shape gender images and role expectations today – and how these ideas are negotiated and reinterpreted in music. Under the direction of Chief Conductor Gijs Leenaars, the programme spans a musical arc from Schubert’s Romantic interpretations of the gods and Antigone, via Renaissance madrigals by Monteverdi and Marenzio and Szymanowski’s mythical sound worlds, through to Brahms’ »Nänie« and ABBA’s »Cassandra«.
The Rundfunkchor Berlin Announces 26/27 Season
On Thursday, 28 May 2026, the Rundfunkchor Berlin unveiled its programme for the 26/27 season at The Ballery art gallery in Berlin-Schöneberg. Managing Director Rachel-Sophia Dries and Chief Conductor Gijs Leenaars introduced the upcoming season, which will be Leenaars’ final one in the role. Highlights include »We’re Not Going Anywhere – Queer Resilience«, the winning project of the 2025 »Choir of the Future« ideas competition, and a revived and expanded version of »Flying Mozart« with the Flying Steps at the Tempodrom. The SING! education programme also celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. The full programme is now available online. Subscriptions can be reserved via the choir’s visitor services, with single-ticket sales opening on 15 July 2026.
Song Exchange: »Starlight and Thunder« on 12 June 2026: 760 primary school students sing with the Rundfunkchor Berlin in the Grand Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie
At the 2026 Song Exchange »Starlight and Thunder«, the Rundfunkchor Berlin will join forces with sixteen school choirs for a sing-along concert for Berlin primary schools on Friday, 12 June 2026 at 3 pm in the Grand Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie. Under the direction of Anne Kohler, around 760 students will perform together with the Rundfunkchor Berlin in a programme featuring contemporary choral music by Latvian composers Ēriks Ešenvalds and Laura Jēkabsone, as well as works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Reinhard Mey and well-known evening songs and folk songs. The concert will be presented by moderator and journalist Muschda Sherzada.
Sing-along concert of the Rundfunkchor Berlin on 17 May: Mendelssohn’s »St. Paul« with 1,200 singers, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Simon Halsey at the Philharmonie Berlin
The 2026 sing-along concert of the Rundfunkchor Berlin will present Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s oratorio »St. Paul« at the Philharmonie Berlin on 17 May 2026. Together with around 1,200 singers from all over Germany, the oratorio will be performed for the first time under the direction of honorary conductor Simon Halsey. The concert begins at 3.30 p.m. in the Main Auditorium of the Philharmonie and will be recorded by Deutschlandfunk Kultur.
A cappella Concert »Hope« at Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche: The Rundfunkchor Berlin on 9 May under Benjamin Goodson, Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir, with an evening spanning madness, repentance and redemption
On Saturday, 9 May 2026 at 7 pm, the Rundfunkchor Berlin invites audiences to an a cappella concert at Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Under the title »Hope«, the programme traces a path – from inner turmoil and repentance to spiritual transformation and redemption – with works by, among others, James MacMillan, Olivier Messiaen and Arvo Pärt. Conducting is Benjamin Goodson, formerly Assistant Conductor of the Rundfunkchor Berlin and, from 2028, incoming Principal Conductor of the SWR Vokalensemble.
