MaerzMusik

Crossing Boundaries, Composing Futures

MaerzMusik word mark on a dark blue background

Trailer MaerzMusik 2025, Design: 3pc

© Berliner Festspiele / MaerzMusik

MaerzMusik cherishes a legacy of boundary-crossing creativity, thriving between the familiar and the unfamiliar, the classical and the postmodern, fixed genres and genre-bending. This year, the festival also responds to socio-political, cultural and ecological urgencies, demanding new ways of co-existing. In a moment where continuation in old forms is in question, how do we compose otherwise, in a way that is viable for the future?

Over ten days composers will explore soundscapes and narratives in works crafted for unique constellations of instruments, ensembles and performers. The festival opens with the German premiere of “MELENCOLIA” by Brigitta Muntendorf and Moritz Lobeck in cooperation with Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Ensemble Modern. “Streik” for ten drum sets by Enno Poppe and “POETICA” by Chaya Czernowin featuring solo percussionist Steven Schick delve deeper into the riches of the percussion arsenal. Diverse compositions for brass instruments by Liza Lim, Raven Chacon, Wadada Leo Smith and many others were commissioned as part of the projects Global Breath and The Monochrome Project, both initiated by Marco Blaauw. They stretch classical paradigms, inviting audiences into evolving performative realities.

Various projects with multidisciplinary approaches unfold through dismantled hierarchies in music and beyond. Ensemble Nikel presents Mark Barden’s composition “limina” in combination with the German premiere of the dance solo “Sensation 1” by choreographer Ligia Lewis. “Minor Characters” by Matthew Shlomowitz and Jennifer Walshe is a “song cycle for the 21st century” that examines how the internet communicates reality to us, while Nguyễn + Transitory’s collaboration with Thai dancers embodies vulnerability through an interactive, touch-sensitive instrument.

Works by Ute Wassermann and others challenge thresholds of perception, the “Salon of Touch”, conceived by Bastian Zimmermann, discovers immersive sound and tactile experiences, and the works presented by Yarn/Wire on their Berlin debut focus on micro-listening. A cross-generational perspective on the voice is present in performances by Joan La Barbara, Pamela Z, Ty Bouque and Laura Bowler. Each encounter explores the unique textures and expressive potential of the voice, pushing the limits of its artistic use. The festival finale, co-curated by Wojtek Blecharz, explores listening as a relational practice and redefines normative ways of presenting music.

We look forward to welcoming you to the festival!

 

Kamila Metwaly
Artistic Director
MaerzMusik

Matthias Pees
Director
Berliner Festspiele

Library of MaerzMusik

Now in its third year, the Library of MaerzMusik will be open throughout the festival as a place for gatherings and collective reflection, facilitating encounters between artists, audiences and a range of content. Offering interactive formats, talks and artistic interventions, it aims to create a space for the exchange of knowledge and shared experiences that is open to the public free of charge.

People reading sit on sofas in the upper foyer of the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.

Library of MaerzMusik, 2023

© Berliner Festspiele, photo: Camille Blake

Up to 25 % Off When You Attend Several Events

Choose several events from the programme and save up to 25 % off the individual ticket prices. This offer applies to tickets at both full and reduced prices. The allocation is limited. The offer does not include the music theatre show “MELENCOLIA”.

Festival Magazine 2025

88 pages, German an English

“Towards Sonic Manifolds” is the title of the magazine that accompanies this year’s MaerzMusik while it also reads like a motto for the entire festival. The magazine brings together essays, artists’ conversations and different positions on the themes and protagonists of the programme. Delve deeper into the background and sonic spectrum of MaerzMusik.

Please note: The pdf is not barrier-free.

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Downloadmagazine (pdf, 2.1 MB)

In the Media Library

Find out more about some of MaerzMusik’s artists: talks, interviews and a portrait will be published regularly in the Berliner Festspiele Media Library.

Pamela Z uses gestures to control music controllers on a stage.

Pamela Z

© Gretchen Robinette

MaerzMusik 2025

Impressions

About MaerzMusik

MaerzMusik sees itself as a place to exchange artistic knowledge(s) through new encounters and collective experiences. The festival is rooted in the multimodality of listening, contemporary music, and sound, employing concerts, performances, installations, music theatre, film screenings, and discursive formats to open up a space where life, art, and theory can co-exist.