58th Wittener Tage for New Chamber Music & ORBIT – Festival for Contemporary Music Theatre

The Wittener Tage for New Chamber Music is considered one of the leading world premiere festivals internationally. It takes place from 24th to 26th April 2026 for the 58th time and is organised jointly by the Westdeutsche Rundfunk (WDR) public-broadcasting institution and the Kulturforum Witten. Over the course of three days, the festival consistently offers 20 world premieres as well as many German premieres. Within their programme Wittener Tage also focuses on the work of selected artists-in-residence; young composers and performers are supported by the Atelier Witten and the Witten #Labor, an outdoor project takes new music out of the concert hall and into the urban space. The artistic director of the festival is Anselm Cybinski, editor for contemporary music at WDR 3.

Running almost concurrently, the ORBIT – Festival for Contemporary Music Theatre takes place in Cologne from 23rd to 26th April. ORBIT represents a genre that unites music, theatre, literature, dance and visual arts on equal terms and is characterised by collective, transdisciplinary work, experimental approaches, a willingness to take risks, radical thinking and topicality. In its role as a platform for both local and international artists from the independent scene, ORBIT becomes a festival of encounters and dialogue. ORBIT is realised on the initiative of its artistic directors: composer and musician Christina C. Messner and director Sandra Reitmayer. There are several world premieres planned for the 2026 festival edition, including a commission from Philipp C. Mayer working with the Ensemble Garage, as well as a new work from Swiss composer, Cécile Marti. The festival will be expanded to include performances in public spaces and discussion forums. 

In addition to attending the two festivals in Cologne and Witten, this press trip includes meetings with the respective artistic directors as well as artists and ensembles, particularly from the independent scene in Cologne and North Rhine-Westphalia.