The new season of classical concerts and operas begins: premieres, major performances and exciting festivals await you.
To kick things off, many theatres invite you to join in the celebrations, listen to the orchestras or take a look behind the scenes at an open day. so take a look and be inspired when it's "curtain up" again
Tip 1: Listen to the best orchestras in the world
The new season starts with a bang: Musikfest Berlin 2025 invites you to a festival of classical music with well over 40 concerts and 160 works. Top international ensembles will perform together with the world's best symphony orchestras, bringing not only classical masterpieces but also unusual and new compositions to life. Listen to "Jazz de Paris", go on a journey with "From Bauhaus to Broadway", celebrate the 100th birthday of Pierre Boulez and discover new worlds of sound.
When: 30 August - 23 September
Where: Philharmonie Berlin and other venues
Tip 2: Celebrate Jesus Christ Superstar
When the doors of Hangar 4 at Tempelhof Airport open at the beginning of the Komische Oper's new season, an extraordinary spectacle awaits. Where last year hundreds of people sang Handel's Messiah, several hundred will now take to the stage dancing in Jesus Christ Superstar. Director Andreas Homoki and stage visionary Philipp Stölzl are transforming the huge industrial hall into a pulsating rock show arena - a setting that is perfect for the really big performance.
When: Premiere: 19 September
Where: Hangar 4, Tempelhof Airport
Tip 3: Discover the State Opera
On Sunday, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden opens its doors to you from 11 am for a day full of music, dance, guided tours and insights behind the scenes. You can discover costumes and masks and get an insight into the performances of the coming season. Take a look behind the scenes that are otherwise closed to you on the free guided tours and marvel at the spectacular understage machinery of the main stage.
When: 14 September
Where: Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Mitte
Tip 4: Find out what's coming up at the Deutsche Oper
One day, four acts: On 21 September, you will have the opportunity to see excerpts from upcoming Deutsche Oper productions all day long at "Was kommt? You can watch individual acts from Turandot, La traviata, Rigoletto and Hänsel und Gretel and get a first impression. You pay 10 euros for each act, which you will receive back as a credit for a later performance.
When: 21 September
Where: Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bismarckstraße 35, Charlottenburg
Tip 5: Listen to a thousand in Tempelhof
A highlight at the start of the season is the special concert "Tausend in Tempelhof" on 25 and 26 September, where Mahler's Eighth will be performed in Hangar 4 at Tempelhof Airport. You can expect a monumental spectacle in a class of its own with a huge orchestra, outstanding soloists and impressive choirs.
When: 25 and 26 September
Where: Hangar 4, Tempelhof Airport
Tip 6: Listen to classical music under the stars
The Konzerthaus has also come up with something special for the opening of the season: you can watch the opening concert on 5 September on a big screen for the first time. it will be broadcast live in the Friedrichshain and Rehberge open-air cinemas . Listen to the sounds of the concert orchestra playing Ravel's "Boléro" and Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major op. 21 under the direction of Joana Mallwitz in the open air.
When: 5 September
Where: Konzerthaus, Friedrichshain and Rehberge open-air cinemas
Tip 7: Enjoy a dramatic prelude
Kirill Petrenko conducts Brahms, Zimmermann and Schumann at the Musikfest Berlin to kick off the season. The programme ranges from the late-romantic indulgence of Brahms' symphony to Robert Schumann's passionate Manfred Overture and Bernd Alois Zimmermann's oboe concerto. Look forward to an unforgettable evening with Kirill Petrenko and the magnificent Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
When: 29 August
Where: Philharmonie, Tiergarten
Tip 8: Experience the sound of the piano
Chief conductor Vladimir Jurowski and his Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin also kick off the new season at the Musikfest. Together with pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard , they will perform Helmut Lachenmann's masterpiece "Ausklang", in which the whole orchestra becomes a "super piano". This will be followed by the 11th Symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich.
When: 10 September
Where: Philharmonie, Tiergarten
Vladimir Jurowski & Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Tip 9: Celebrate two birthdays at once
2025 will be a double celebration: The Renaissance master Palestrina would have been 500 years old, while Arvo Pärt celebrates his 90th birthday. Two composers who set the praise of God to music in very different ways - one in artful polyphony, the other in radical simplicity. The RIAS Chamber Choir under Kaspars Putniņš combines both anniversaries in a special concert programme full of heavenly tones and spiritual depth.
When: 11 September
Where: Philharmonie, Tiergarten
Tip 10: Experience Neukölln as a grand opera
Life in Neukölln pulsates like an opera full of engines, choirs and street sounds - and this is exactly what the musical theatre group glanz&krawall brings to the stage with their open-air spectacle Big in Neukölln . Together with Sir Henry, they transform the Passagenhof into an opera arena in which night owls and neighbourhood voices become stars. Sung, rapped, beatboxed and improvised - with free admission, Neukölln itself becomes a big stage.
When: 11, 13 and 14 September
Where: Neukölln Opera House, Neukölln
Tip 11: Go hunting with us
The Berlin Palace Concerts bring the popular hunting quartets by Mozart and Haydn to the magnificent ambience of the Bode Museum. With their lively horn motifs, reminiscent of courtly hunting scenes, the works sparkle with energy and elegance. Festive court culture is combined with a unique concert experience.
When: 6 September
Where: Bode-Museum, Mitte
