Start of the new season of the concert series "Soirée Arcadia"

The third season of the established concert series "Soirée Arcadia" will run from October 2025 to June 2026 at the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz. The successful series continues the tradition of Queen and patron Kristina of Sweden (1626–1689), who was dedicated to the cultivation of art and science and hosted famous soirées. The events in the Kalkhof-Rose concert facilitate an interdisciplinary dialogue between literature, music, and science.

The third season kicks off with the concert "Italy on the Rhine" on Thursday, October 2, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Kalkhof-Rose concert hall. Thematically, it draws a connection to the heyday of court music in Koblenz in the late 18th century under Elector Clemens Wenzeslaus of Trier and his sister Kunigunde.

In this concert, Hanna Kim Koo (soprano), Shai Terry (mezzo-soprano), and David Jakob Schläger (tenor) present arias and duets as they were performed at a "court music academy" in Koblenz. Christian Rohrbach accompanies on the piano and conducts. Claudia Eder reads from letters written by Princess Kunigunde of Saxony, and Prof. Dr. Karl Böhmer gives the introduction.

Soirée Arcadia is conceived by Claudia Eder in collaboration with Aglaia Schieke. The Walter and Sibylle Kalkhof-Rose Foundation makes the concert series possible. If you have any questions about the series, please contact Aglaia Schieke. 

Preview of upcoming events:

December 5, 2025
Lecture and concert on Rainer Maria Rilke
With works by Siegfried Matthus and Peter Kiefer
Lecture: Prof. Dr. Ulrich von Bülow
Music: Judith Gennrich (mezzo-soprano) and Hedayet Djeddikar (piano)

January 27, 2026
Jerusalem – The Venice of God
With music by Avner Hanani, Ilse Weber, and Paul Ben Haim, and texts by Jehuda Amichai
Lecture: Dr. Thomas Sparr
Music: Shai Terry (mezzo-soprano) and Adi Bar Soria (piano)

March 12–13, 2026
Love Letters and Music
Lecture: Prof. Dr. Andrea Rapp and Prof. Dr. Eva Wyss
Music: Carlo Lay (cello) and Ana Bakradze (piano)

April 30, 2026
Arrangement as Original: An Evening with Max Reger
Lecture: Prof. Dr. Susanne Popp
Music: Piano duo Rinko Hama and Ruben Meliksetian

May 22, 2026
Title of event to follow.

June 26, 2026
Title of event to follow.