The International Chorbiennale Aachen
Celebrating together: choirs from all over the world and from the region bring an entire city to life.
Every two years, the International Chorbiennale Aachen transforms the city into a vibrant centre of choral music.
Aachen's excellent choirs meet top international ensembles, while renowned ensembles such as the WDR Radio Choir Cologne enrich the festival.
Advanced choral concerts form the heart of the Chorbiennale, complemented by choral-symphonicmasterpieces performed in collaboration with the Aachen Symphony Orchestra. Magical moments happen at lunchtime concerts. Other concerts take Place at many locations in and arround Aachen
A special highlight is the "Long Choir Night," which culminates in a celebratory midnight "Farewell" in front of the town hall. For two weeks, singers bring the entire city to life – always within an inspiring overarching theme.
Organisers and participants of the Chorbiennale 2025
Municipal institutions and volunteers create a unique cultural event
The International Chorbienniale Aachen 2025 is organised by the City of Aachen, represented by Heinrich Brötz Head of the Department of Culture, as well as the Aachen Cultural Organisation and the Aachen City Theatre/Music Department. Maximilian Stössel and his agency ProStimme Medien- und Dienstleistungsgesellschaft mbH have been commissioned to direct the 2025 Chorbiennale.
The patron of the festival is Aachen’s Mayor Sibylle Keupen.
The artistic direction falls under the auspices of the choirmasters of the five Aachen founding choirs and the General Music Director of the City of Aachen Christopher Ward. The five founding choirs and their respective directors are:
Aachen Chamber Choir – Martin Te Laak
Bach Vocal – Georg Hage
Carmina Mundi – Harald Nickoll
Young Choir Aachen – Fritz ter Wey
Madrigal Choir Aachen – Johannes Honecker
The festival is carried many other invited international and national choirs, the Aachen Symphony Choir, the five founding choirs, and about seventy amateur choirs from the city and region of Aachen. The association"Friends and Supporters of the International Chorbiennale Aachen" supports the Chorbiennale financially, organisationally and with its enthusiastic volanteers.
Only the tremendous voluntary commitment of the many people who participate in the preparation and running of the festival makes the Chorbiennale what it is today: an unforgettable choir festival.
Details of the choirs and the programme of the current Chorbiennale can be found here:
The history of the Chorbiennale
The Chorbiennale is a success story and is supported by the enthusiasm of all participants
The International Chorbiennale Aachen was founded in 2009 by the then Head of Culture and City, Director Wolfgang Rombey, together with the then General Music Director, Marcus Bosch, and the four founding choirs: Chamber Choir Aachen, Carmina Mundi, the Aachen Youth Choir Aachen and the Madrigal Choir Aachen. Since then, it has developed into a successful, nationally acclaimed international choral festival.
On average, approximately 500 singers from Germany and abroad participate in the Chorbiennale. The events of the past two Chorbiennale events were each attended by approximately 30,000 people from the entire Aachen city region and the neighbouring Netherlands and Belgium.
All political bodies of the city of Aachen support the Chorbiennale and ensure that the festival is co-funded by a public grant from the city of Aachen.
Take a look at the festival brochures of past Chorbiennale events and get an idea of this magnificent choral landscape.