Music and theater

Music

It is not only folk music that has a long tradition in Bavaria. Traces of renowned composers are found in Augsburg"s Mozart House, in Bayreuth"s museums dedicated to Wagner and Liszt, in Dießen"s Carl-Orff-Museum and the Richard-Strauss-Institute in Garmisch-Patenkirchen. 

Bavaria is home to many famous orchestras.

The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bamberg Symphonic Orchestra are found in international top positions. Based in Munich"s national theater, the Bavarian State Orchestra plays in one of the world"s top-rated opera houses. The Munich Symphonic Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Hofer Symphonic Orchestra, the Nuremberg Symphonic Orchestra, the Bad Reichenhall Symphonic Orchestra and the Castle Werneck Chamber Orchestra offer top-class programs.

A diverse musical program is also offered in numerous castles and monasteries such as Nymphenburg, Dachau and Schleißheim, Ottobeuren, Benediktbeuren and Seeon. In addition, a range of international music festivals such as the Bach Week in Ansbach, the Mozart Festival in Würzburg, the Kissinger Summer Festival in Bad Kissingen, the European Weeks Festival in Passau, the International Organ Week in Nuremberg and the Richard-Strauss festival in Garmisch Patenkirchen take place during summer. Jazz, rock and pop music is played on various musical events such as the International Jazz Week in Burghausen.

The Bavarian Music Council has more than one million members and is the parent organization for Bavaria"s musical life. Particularly in rural areas, amateur music-making plays a major role. 600.000 citizens are members in one of 11.000 choirs, brass bands and other instrumental ensembles organized by the Bavarian musical association "Singen und Musizieren in Bayern" ("Singing and music-making in Bavaria"). 135.000 children and youths are musically educated in one of 220 Bavarian singing schools and music schools. The latter have become the basis of Bavarian music culture since the foundation of the registered association of Bavarian singing schools and music schools in 1970. 

Theater

The Bavarian State Opera is one of the most traditional Bavarian stages for international singing stars. It is home of the Bavarian State orchestra, one of the best opera orchestras worldwide. 

The Munich Kammerspiele and the Bavarian State Drama Theater at the Residenztheater are two of Germany"s top-rated language theaters.

Operas, operettes and musicals are played in Munich"s State Theater at Gärtnerplatz. Up-and-coming artists are educated in the Bavarian Theater Academy at Prinzregententheater. Munich"s theater offer is completed by popular theater, youth theater ("Schauburg"), German theater, and awealth of private theaters, free theaters, boulevard theaters, cabarets and experimental stages.

Of course theater is not only played in Munich, but in entire Bavaria. Theaters in Nuremberg, Augsburg, Regensburg, Würzburg and Coburg satisfy the needs for musical theater, acting and dancing. City theaters in Bamberg, Erlangen, Fürth and Ingolstadt focus on language theater. Theaters in Hof, Landshut, Passau, Straubing, Memmingen and Dinkelsbühl are regionally significant. 

Various children"s and youth theaters such as Nuremberg"s "Pfütze" (literally "puddle") and Mummpitz, or puppet theaters like the world-famous Augsburger Puppenkiste address the younger audience. There are many other popular theaters and amateur theaters in addition.

Bavaria turns into a festival landscape in summer: Wagner fans from all over the world visit the Bayreuth festivals. Drama fans love to visit the Luisenburg Festival in Wunsiedel and the Feuchtwangen Cloister Playhouse. A fairly new festival in Andechs is dedicated to the works of Carl Orff.

Dancing has also got a long tradition in Bavaria. Folk dances such as the "Schuhplattler" are known worldwide. Classical ballet is brought to perfection in the Bavarian State Ballet. Internationally renowned choreographers show the recent trends in contemporary dance at the European dance workshop ("Tanzwerkstatt Europa").