The “Bach300” anniversary enters the next phase: with a big summer festival for the whole family, the Bach Museum Leipzig opens the second act of the anniversary exhibition “Clear the Stage for Johann Sebastian Bach” on Saturday, 22 July 2023. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the museum offers a colourful programme with hands-on activities, family tours and a musical puppet show. Admission to all events is free.

The highlight of the summer festival is the exhibition opening at 11 am. Exactly 300 years ago, a new chapter in music history was opened: Leipzig elected Johann Sebastian Bach as Thomaskantor. Act 2 of the three-part anniversary exhibition “Clear the Stage for Johann Sebastian Bach” is dedicated to Bach’s search of perfection. With many sound effects, 3D audio games and interactive stations, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey into the secrets of Bach’s groundbreaking works for keyboard music. Harpsichordist Cornelia Osterwald will provide the musical framework for the opening with pieces from the Well-Tempered Clavier and the Goldberg Variations. The Dutch contemporary artist Elisabeth Müller will also be a guest: for the anniversary, she will present the Bach Archive with two works of art based on the Goldberg Variations as a gift.

Under the theme “Colour Rush”, museum guests can spend the whole day marbling paper and printing with models. At 3 pm the curtain rises in the baroque courtyard for the musical puppet show “Hühnerei und Entengrütze” with Meike Kreim and her puppet theatre “Papperlapapp” (for children from 3 years). Family tours at 11 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. invite you to immerse yourself in the world of the Baroque (recommended for ages 5 and up). In the museum, the interactive composing room, the virtual orchestra and many other hands-on stations are waiting to be tried out.

What do you associate with Johann Sebastian Bach? The children from Leipzig’s primary school am Grünen Gleis would like to find out! In the project “Bach for you” they have intensively studied Johann Sebastian Bach. The result is postcards with their thoughts and drawings. They are launching a postcard survey for the summer festival. The children are looking forward to your answers!

The Bach Museum Leipzig is located at Thomaskirchhof 15/16, directly opposite St Thomas’ Church. Admission on 22 July 2023 is free.

BIG FESTIVAL IN THE SMALL COURT – Free admission / PROGRAMME:

10am-6pm
Colour rush – marbling and printing with models: Hands-on activity for the whole family

11 a.m.
Opening of the exhibition “Bühne frei für Johann Sebastian Bach Akt 2: Auf der Suche nach Vollkommenheit” – with presentation of gifts

11 a.m.
Family tour of the Bach Museum (recommended for ages 5 and up)

12 p.m.
Project “Bach for you”: What do you associate with Johann Sebastian Bach? Children from the primary school am Grünen Gleis launch a survey with self-designed postcards

3 p.m.
“Chicken egg and duck grits”, puppet show by the Papperlapapp puppet theatre with Meike Kreim (for children from 3 years) (in fine weather in the baroque courtyard, in case of rain in the museum)

4.30 p.m.
Family tour of the Bach Museum (recommended for ages 5 and up)