Osterkonzert im Berliner Dom

Easter Concert at Berlin Cathedral: Bach under the Dome

Easter 2026 will be particularly sonorous at Lustgarten in Berlin-Mitte. On Easter Sunday, Berlin Cathedral will host Bach’s Easter Oratorio and other cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach. The program features Bach’s Easter Oratorio BWV 249 together with Cantatas BWV 6 and BWV 158, performed by Collegium Vocale Berlin and Concerto Brandenburg under the direction of Thomas Hennig. Those looking for classical church music will find one of the city’s most atmospheric concerts here.

Unlike the church services, the concert requires an admission fee. It is therefore advisable to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets are available directly at the Berlin Cathedral ticket counters without booking fees. If you want to play it safe, you should plan early.

From Good Friday to Easter Monday: A Full Program

At 15:00 on Good Friday, at the hour of Jesus’ death, Bach and Mendelssohn will be performed by the Staats- und Domchor Berlin, the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, and the Kammersymphonie Berlin. At 17:00, Cathedral Organist Andreas Sieling will also present „Good Friday with Bach!”, including arias and choruses from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion transcribed for organ. Furthermore, on Holy Saturday, the Celebration of the Holy Easter Vigil takes place, beginning at 22:00 in the dark church, which gradually fills with candlelight.

However, the centerpiece of the entire Easter program remains the Cathedral’s legendary Sauer Organ. The large Sauer Organ was designed and realized simultaneously with the building’s construction. At its inauguration in 1905, with its 7,269 pipes and 113 stops, it was considered the largest organ in Germany. Today, it is the largest organ from the late Romantic period still preserved in its original condition. Its sound fills the nave of Berlin Cathedral with a power that one feels before even properly hearing it.