Between Classical, Club, and Continents: stARTfestival by Bayer 2026 hosted at six venues

Leverkusen, October 21, 2025 – With around 30 events at unique venues in Leverkusen, Monheim, Dormagen, Berlin, and Weimar, the stARTfestival invites you on a journey of discovery through the artistic present from April to June. The new program ranges from audiovisual world premieres and dance productions from Iran to neo-classical techno formats and a birthday concert for one of the oldest ensembles in Bayer's cultural history.

High-caliber. Diverse. Unexpected.

"Art must take a stand," says stARTfestival Director Christoph Böhmke. "Not loudly or superficially, but with depth. We believe it brings people together – and for that, we need bold programs."

Persian-Canadian countertenor Cameron Shahbazi combines traditional Persian music with arias from classical opera literature on April 29 in Monheim – together with pianist Sophia Muñoz. On May 21, Palestinian soprano Nour Darwish and Israeli percussionist Tom Betsalel come together in "One Pulse" at Berlin's Piano Salon Christophori – a blend of Arabic poetry, contemporary Palestinian music, and Western classical music. When Austrian icon Conchita Wurst takes the stage at the German National Theater Weimar with the formation "Frau Thomas & Herr Martin" on May 27, it will be colorful. An evening of pure joie de vivre with chanson, Viennese songs, and swing.

The Bayer Philharmonic will perform Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" on June 14, inspired by tales from "One Thousand and One Nights," paired with music by Kurdish-Persian singer-songwriter Hani Mojtahedy.

Concert experiences that cannot be repeated

The stARTfestival does not see itself as a classical music festival but as a stage for the unexpected. This is particularly evident in the formats featuring internationally renowned artists:

Beatrice Berrut (May 3, Berlin) brings both Radiohead and Liszt to the stage in one set as a pianist and singer. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein (May 19, Leverkusen) deconstructs the classical concert format with her project FRAGMENTS 1 – a hybrid production of light, space, and sound. Michał Pepol, one of the most exciting cellists from Poland, mixes Bach, Reich, and Mykietyn with self-produced electronic tapes (April 30, Leverkusen). Brooklyn Rider, an experimental string quartet, celebrates the German premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank's work "Frida’s Dream" (June 18, Leverkusen) – a commissioned work by the stARTfestival, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and other partners.

stARTacademy: Art promotion that creates space

The stARTfestival will again bring stARTacademy scholars to the stage. Brazilian guitarist Guido Sant'Anna will perform with guitarist Plínio Fernandes at Schloss Morsbroich on June 3. Tubist Joshua Williams will join the Jazzrausch Big Band at the Erholungshaus on May 30. 

125 Years of Bayer Wind Orchestra: Cultural history meets garden party

Another highlight: Bayer's oldest ensemble celebrates its birthday. The Bayer Wind Orchestra, founded in 1901, invites you to a grand open-air garden party at the Erholungshaus in Leverkusen on May 25, 2026 – with musical greetings from other Bayer ensembles.

Modern dance between sensuality and resistance

Contemporary dance is also represented with three powerful evenings:

The Kamea Dance Company (April 28, Leverkusen) brings Orff's "Carmina Burana" to the stage as an ecstatic body ritual. Tehran-born performer Nastaran Razawi Khorasani asks in her production "This is not a dance!" (May 7, 2026, Leverkusen) how one dances when dancing is forbidden. Leverkusen choreographer Philippe Kratz (May 29) brings happiness, the search for meaning, and rhythm into a postmodern narrative with his "Sisifo felice" diptych.

One festival, many venues – tickets available now

Venues such as Altenberger Dom, Erholungshaus, Historic City Hall Wuppertal, German National Theater Weimar, or Piano Salon Christophori offer impressive stages for the ambitious program. Even the Viennese Café at Bayer's Berlin location will serve as a venue in 2026.

Tickets and the festival pass are available at www.startfestival.de.

Especially popular: the "Culture Buddy Ticket" – two tickets for the price of one, bookable until December 24, 2025, 3:00 PM.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health and nutrition. True to its mission "Health for all, Hunger for none," the company aims to benefit people and protect the environment with its products and services – contributing to solving fundamental challenges of a steadily growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to making a significant contribution to sustainable development through its business operations. At the same time, the company aims to increase its profitability and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands worldwide for trust, reliability, and quality. In the 2024 fiscal year, the company, with around 93,000 employees, achieved sales of 46.6 billion euros. Research and development expenses amounted to 6.2 billion euros. Further information can be found online at www.bayer.com/de.

Forward-looking statements
This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts by Bayer's management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual results, financial situation, development, or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those described in Bayer's published reports. These reports are available on Bayer's website at www.bayer.com/de. The company assumes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements or adapt them to future events or developments.