1:1 CONCERTS again at Beethovenfest Bonn 03. September 2026

#freundeskreis

“Home is not a place; home is a feeling.”

With this line from a song by Herbert Grönemeyer, the Beethovenfest Bonn describes its 2026 theme: “Home”. A home is more than just a postal address – it is the state in which we feel safe, seen and understood. A space of resonance, both personal and social.

Hardly any concert format fits this idea better than the smallest of them all: at a 1:1 CONCERT, one musician and one listener come together for ten minutes of music. Who is playing, what is being played and on which instrument remains a secret until the very last moment. A wordless exchange of glances is enough – and a space is created in which two people can feel at home.

Following on from GRUND:GESETZ (2024, theme: »Together«) and the ULTRA Edition (2025, theme »Everything ultra«) – which featured 200 individual concerts organised in collaboration with the Freundeskreis des Beethovenfests e.V. – the 1:1 CONCERTS 2026 will form part of the festival for the third year running.

Concerts for people who rarely attend concerts

From 3 September to 3 October 2026, the festival will return to the Beethovenhalle after nine years of renovation. Since 1845, the Beethovenfeste Bonn have been closely linked to the eventful history of this concert hall and its predecessor buildings – this return is therefore, in programme terms, a ‘homecoming’. The ‘one-to-one’ concerts will take place in 2026 in a small, intimate format: starting in the summer months and, of course, during the festival itself. The venues are the Kulturbunker Bonn-Poppelsdorf (Trierer Straße 24), which hosted our ULTRA Edition as early as 2025, and the newly refurbished Beethovenhalle itself.

In 2026, concert tickets will be specifically allocated to people who have no access, or only limited access, to cultural events. In collaboration with the Bonn-based association f.em, women who have had breast cancer have already been able to experience a solo concert; further tickets were allocated to the Kulturtafel Bonn. Admission is free – as with all 1:1 CONCERTS.

Hosted once again by Freundeskreis e.V.

The project is once again being supported on the ground by members of the Freundeskreis Beethovenfest Bonn e. V., which will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2026. They welcome guests in person, explain the programme and accompany each concert – just as they did for the ULTRA Edition, when they worked with us to transform bars, a mausoleum, an eel boat and an operating theatre into concert venues. This short film by the Beethovenfest shows exactly what this commitment involves, following Freundeskreis member Ursula to a one-to-one concert in the Kulturbunker.

THANKS

The one-to-one concerts in 2026 are made possible by funding from the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, support from WestLotto as a partner of the Beethovenfest, and the provision of the Kulturbunker Bonn. Our heartfelt thanks go to the Friends’ Association, f.em and the Kulturtafel Bonn – and to all the musicians who are taking part in this musical blind date.