Festival weekend in the Erzgebirge

Aue-Bad Schlema has established itself on the cultural map as a late-summer highlight for fans of brass band music. On the third weekend of September, from 18 to 20 September 2026, brass band enthusiasts from many countries will once again flock to the spa town.

Every year, thousands of music-loving visitors flock to the European Brass Band Festival to celebrate music without borders in the Ore Mountains. In the heated marquee, which seats 2,200, two stages provide a non-stop programme of brass band music – from the opening ceremony right through to the final concert.

Sunday becomes a participatory stage

In 2026, the festival will take a fresh approach: the third day of concerts is being reimagined. “We’re taking a chance on something we’re really looking forward to,” says Mario Unger-Reißmann, spokesperson for the host organisation, the Aue-Bad Schlema Miners’ Wind Orchestra.

The centrepiece of the new programme is a joint concert on Sunday afternoon, which is expected to last around an hour. “We’re inviting anyone who’d like to play with us and our guests to come up on stage,” says Unger-Reißmann, explaining the idea. Anyone who enjoys making music can be part of this performance – and thus part of the festival.

You can find the programme for this joint concert here: https://www.blasmusikfest.eu/europa-klingt/ No booking is required. The festival in Bad Schlema is traditionally opened with a joint concert featuring all the orchestras – and now, with the new ‘play-along’ concert, the closing event will also have its own joint highlight.

Everyone is aware that the new format needs to develop. “This won’t be a sprint, but a marathon. But we hope it will gradually take root.” The aim is to bring brass band music to life and revitalise the community.

Everyone is aware that the new format needs to develop. “This won’t be a sprint, but a marathon. But we hope it will gradually take root.” The aim is to bring brass band music to life and revitalise the community.

Orchestra 2026 – Sounds from eight nations

Thirteen bands from eight countries are taking part in the 33rd European Brass Band Festival in Aue-Bad Schlema. They are bringing their brass band traditions, musical styles and stories to the Ore Mountains.

The following orchestras will be taking part in 2026:

• Bergmannsblasorchester Aue-Bad Schlema (Germany)
• Blaskapelle der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr Carlsfeld (Germany)
• Musikverein Stadtkapelle Herrenberg (Germany)
• Musikverein Lichtenstein/Sachsen (Germany)
• Jugendblasorchester Grimma (Germany)
• The Jazztronauts of Bergmannsblasorchester (Germany)
• Bürgermeister Musikkapelle – Die Markbrothers (Austria)
• Harmonie Volketswil (Switzerland)
• Orchestr VŠB-Technické univerzity Ostrava (Czech Republic)
• Acceler8 Band (United Kingdom)
• Blaaskapel Freunde Echo (Netherlands)
• Pihalni orkester Krško (Slovenia)
• Koninklijke Fanfare „Vermaak na Arbeid“ Rijkevorsel (Belgium)

The line-up thus covers a wide range: from the Ore Mountains through Saxony and Baden-Württemberg to Austria and Switzerland, and from the British brass scene via the Netherlands and Belgium to ensembles from Slovenia and the Czech Republic.

A sense of community that lingers

The European Brass Band Festival is organised and hosted by the Bergmannsblasorchester Aue-Bad Schlema e.V., which preserves the mining tradition of the Erzgebirge UNESCO World Heritage region through music.

With the new joint concert on Sunday, the festival is placing even greater emphasis on the idea that ‘making music brings people together’. When orchestras from eight nations take to the stage alongside musicians from the region, a soundscape is created in which borders no longer matter – all that remains is the shared joy of brass music.

Aue-Bad Schlema thus becomes a meeting place for brass musicians, fans and curious visitors who want to experience non-stop brass music for a whole weekend and, at the end, have the chance to immerse themselves in that festival atmosphere.

Dear ladies and gentlemen, dear friends of brass music, dear guests of the city and dear participants,

For more than three decades, the Bad Schlema district has been transformed into a stronghold of brass band music in September. What began in 1992 as a small club festival to mark the 25th anniversary of the Aue-Bad Schlema Miners’ Brass Orchestra has developed into one of the largest brass music festivals in Europe. The music association can rightly be proud of this achievement.

This festival thrives on great commitment, passion and impressive voluntary work. All of this cannot be praised highly enough. It deserves all our utmost respect and a big compliment!

Over three festival days, visitors can expect 46 concerts on two stages in a heated marquee with around 3,000 seats, two colorful parades with around 1,000 participants. In addition to first-class entertainment and musical variety, the festival also ensures encounters and helps to turn strangers into friends. It fulfills an important role as an ambassador for international understanding and enriches social life far beyond the Ore Mountains.

The program spans a wide range: from swing and big band sounds to traditional folk music and modern rock and pop arrangements. The festival thus represents the entire diversity of brass music and brings together people from different backgrounds, generations and cultures. Because music connects!

I wish you, dear guests, three eventful festival days full of music, joy and unforgettable impressions here in the heart of the spa town of Bad Schlema!

A hearty Glück Auf!

Franz Heinrich Kohl
Lord Mayor of the large district town of Aue-Bad Schlema

If you don’t want to buy tickets online, you can now also buy them at the two advance booking offices at the lower advance booking price (plus advance booking fee). Tickets are no longer available at our office. We from the Bergmannsblasorchester Aue-Bad Schlema are organising the brass band festival on a voluntary basis. That’s why we need the time in the first three weeks of September for many other things that still need to be organised, even though the audience is very important to us. We are all the more pleased that we have the support of the guest information centre and the travel agency.

Without the Aue-Bad Schlema Miners’ Brass Orchestra, the European Brass Music Festival would not exist today. It all began with the 25th anniversary of the orchestra, which at the time was still called the Aue Town Wind Orchestra. To mark this anniversary, the Musikverein organised the ‘1st Festival of Brass Music’ in 1992. Since then, the festival has become international thanks to the commitment of the many volunteers in the Musikverein. To date, the hosts have invited more than 180 orchestras from 33 nations to the beautiful Ore Mountains.

The wind orchestra has had a new musical director since 2021, after conductor Sven Schremmer left the Musikverein after almost two decades. Manuel Ullmann is now also the managing director of the Musikverein and has given the orchestra a new lease of life. He is also passionate about the life of the association, which includes above all the cohesion of the musicians, who also get on well in their private lives. The hosts want to blow this breath of fresh air from the stage again this time and make the marquee shake together with the audience.

The music association hosting the festival can look back on over 50 years of history: founded in 1967 as the ‘Vereinigtes Blasorchester Wismut Aue’, the instruments from the company orchestra were taken over by the newly founded association ‘Blasorchester der Stadt Aue’ in 1990.

During the reorganisation, the musicians received support from the Herrenberg town band, with whom they still have close contact 35 years later. In 1993, the orchestra returned to its tradition and found a new home in Schlema. Since then it has been known as the Kurbad Schlema Miners’ Wind Orchestra.

Following the merger of Aue and Bad Schlema, the orchestra is now back where it originated: It is the wind orchestra for the large district town of Aue-Bad Schlema, the largest town in the Ore Mountains, and proudly bears the new town name in its name and the new town coat of arms in its logo.

Website of the orchestra
Facebooksite of the orchestra
YouTube-Channel of the orchestra

For the first time, we welcome the Klingenthal town orchestra from the Vogtland music district. It has been in existence for 158 years and was founded in 1866 as the ‘Musikvereinschor Klingenthal’. In an often contradictory, yet continuous development up to the beginning of the 20th century, both a powerful wind orchestra and an equally sophisticated symphony orchestra emerged from this.

In 1911, the young and deserving music teacher Ernst Uebel was appointed conductor of the orchestra. As conductor, composer and arranger, he led the symphony orchestra and wind band to outstanding artistic quality. In recognition of its importance for the musical town of Klingenthal, the ‘Music society choir’ was given the name ‘Town music choir Klingenthal’ in 1921, and at the same time the conductor Ernst Uebel was awarded the title ‘City music director’.

The Second World War also brought Klingenthal’s entire musical life to the brink of the abyss. After the end of the war, responsible musicians, musical instrument makers and local politicians immediately began to rebuild the orchestra with great effort and energy, and in November 1946 the ‘1st Music Days in Klingenthal’ were held to mark the 80th anniversary of the orchestra’s founding. However, under the conditions of the time, the orchestra was no longer allowed to bear the name ‘town orchestra’. It was called the ‘Klingenthal District Orchestra’ because the sounding valleys were generally referred to as the ‘Klingenthal District’ at the time. At that time, this orchestral community included various ensembles, but above all the symphony orchestra and the wind orchestra, both of which were recognised as being of a high artistic standard. This high standard was characterised by outstanding musicians from Klingenthal.

Unfortunately, despite all efforts, the dissolution of the valuable symphony orchestra around 1968 could not be halted as a result of the musicians’ dissatisfaction with some of the cultural policies of the time. However, the wind orchestra successfully survived these serious problems. Not only was it able to maintain its high standard, but it even continued to improve over the years. Hundreds of performances at home and abroad in front of enthusiastic audiences bear witness to this. They were also the basis for the ‘Stadtorchester Klingenthal’, which has officially borne this name again since 1991 as a registered non-profit organisation by decision of the town council, being awarded the ‘Pro musica plaque’ by the German Federal President Roman Herzog in 1995.

Under the direction of town music director Rico Schneider, the Klingenthal town orchestra, with its own special sound and an almost inexhaustible repertoire of classical and modern brass music, proves itself to be an orchestra in a class of its own thanks to the orchestra’s own arrangements and as a worthy representative of the music town of Klingenthal and the entire Vogtland music scene.

Website of the orchestra

For the first time, we welcome the Musikverein, which combines the tradition of coal mining in the Ore Mountains with modern entertainment music.

The orchestra originated from the orchestra of the former ‘Kaiserin-Augusta-Shaft’, later the ‘Karl-Liebknecht-Shaft’ in Oelsnitz. The orchestra from the Lugau-Oelsnitz coal region has always accompanied festivals and celebrations in the region, which is characterised by mining and its subsequent industries.

After the political change, the ‘Oelsnitzer Blasmusikanten e.V.’ association was founded in 1991 – as the first registered brass band association in the former district of Stollberg. With just 17 members, conductor Tilo Nüßler began to steer the fortunes of the music association. The chairman of the association, who is still active today, was successful with his artistic and organisational work. His concept of cultivating mining traditions and enriching them with light music has paid off and brought in more musicians. The addition of singers further expands the repertoire and possible uses. As a result, the orchestra can delight audiences with formats ranging from morning pints to festive concerts and dance music.

The work of the orchestra was particularly honoured in 2001: the Saxon State Association of Miners‘, Metallurgical and Miners’ Associations awarded the music association the title of ‘Mining Music Corps’.

In 1991, the Oelsnitzer Blasmusikanten created the Heimatfest – one of the many events that have stood the test of time. The coronavirus pandemic made the orchestra inventive and it developed a new format, the ‘Glückaufleuchten’. A multimedia outdoor project as a journey through mining history that combines music, light shows, laser shows, fireworks with historical images on a large LED screen and catering.

Website of the orchestra Facebooksite of the orchestra

The brass band Freunde Echo consists of an energetic, young and dynamic group of 16 musicians. Their fondness for Czech brass music ensures that the brass band from Overloon plays with feeling from the heart and presents itself sonorously.

At the end of the 1960s, Ernst Mosch and his Egerländer musicians were also very popular in the Netherlands. In the summer of 1969, passionate musicians founded the brass band Freunde Echo. At first they played without clarinets, but the saxophonists soon switched to clarinets. After being encouraged by a jury member at a competition, the self-study is supplemented by lessons at the music school.

Competitions were an important part of the band’s programme in the early years. Gradually, the number of competitions decreased, as did the enthusiasm to take part in them. 1989 was the last year in which the band took part in a competition.

From the 1990s onwards, the repertoire gradually changed from Bohemian to predominantly Moravian music. The repertoire is supplemented by well-known hits. Vlado Kumpan or bands such as Moravanka, Tufaranka or Mistrinanka are now the role models. Freunde Echo has been playing in its current line-up for more than 15 years. Some of the musicians are still members of the fanfare association.

The bandleader Joost Broekman is also a musician on the 1st flugelhorn and trumpet. The Freunde Echo brass band is becoming increasingly well known both nationally and internationally. It performs in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and of course a lot in the Netherlands – including at many festivities in its home village of Overloon. This is still the case today. Years with almost 70 performances are no exception.

At every performance, the Freunde Echo brass band endeavours to create a celebration for the audience and the musicians – with soul and feeling, with love and quality. Czech polkas, waltzes and solo numbers are played in turn. The Freunde Echo brass band has a vocal trio. Therefore, songs with Czech and German vocals are played.

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The Deutschnofen music band experiences the extraordinary atmosphere at our festival for the first time. It was founded in 1868 with 30 music-loving men. Today, the association has 66 active members, including six marching bands and an ensign.

34 male and 25 female musicians share the stage and try to get the best out of every concert. In the beginning it was the older generation that was in charge, but in recent years the band has enjoyed the great popularity of many young musicians, who bring new vigour and ensure the future existence of the band. The oldest member is Johann Fäckl at the age of 79, of which he has been an active member of the association for 67 years and is still full of vigour.

The Deutschnofen band has always taken part in various competitions and has always been successful. At the last marching music evaluation in 2016, 86.88 out of a possible 100 points were achieved. Concerts abroad are played time and again, e.g. in Burghausen, Vienna, Bled (SLO), Dachau and Munich, and now the band will be taking part in the European Brass Music Festival in Aue-Bad Schlema.

In the first decades until 1894, the musicians wore the local peasant costume. This was a uniform peasant costume in terms of fabric, colour and cut. After that, brown hats with capercaillie feathers and ‘mountain plums’ were added and in 1898 grey hats with cock feathers, capercaillie tufts and red ‘Dauernelken’.

In 1909, the band dressed in fire brigade uniform. In 1932, the fascist uniform was imposed on the band, which was worn until the 1939 option. The band then performed in civilian clothes until 1944.

After the war in 1946, a uniform solution was again sought and brown hats with a green ribbon were chosen. A year later, brown shooting caps and brown trousers were added. At Corpus Christi in 1952, the musicians appeared in red bodices, green braces, a red scarf and a yellow hat with a red carnation. This costume is ultimately the basis for the current costume of the Deutschnofen music band.

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The youth brass band from the village of Kaski in Poland is part of the volunteer fire brigade (OSP) and is a proud example of the long tradition of brass music in Poland. The orchestra was founded in 1985 to give young people the opportunity to develop their musical talents and form a strong community at the same time.

50 young people dedicate themselves to music with great commitment. Under the direction of experienced conductors, the young musicians learn to play various wind instruments and perform together as an orchestra. The repertoire includes traditional Polish marching music as well as modern pieces that are performed at festivals, parades and concerts.

The orchestra has successfully participated in numerous national and international competitions and has been recognised for its high level of musicianship and discipline.

Instagram-Channel of the orchestra Facebooksite of the orchestra

The orchestra was founded in 1979 and is based at the Primary School of Arts (ZUŠ) in Chlumec nad Cidlinou. The band is made up of talented young musicians who are dedicated to brass music and develop their skills in a creative and supportive environment.

The orchestra has built up an excellent reputation by regularly taking part in various competitions and festivals. The musicians present a broad repertoire ranging from classical brass band pieces to modern arrangements. This enables them to appeal to a diverse audience and share the joy of music.

An important aspect of the ‘Dechový orchestr ZUŠ Chlumec nad Cidlinou’ is the promotion of musical education and the development of teamwork and discipline among its members. The rehearsals and performances offer the young musicians not only the opportunity to improve their technical skills, but also to gain valuable experience in working with others.

The band’s repertoire includes music from the Renaissance to the present day, from classical Czech brass music to jazz and pop music, as well as songs, marches and classical concert music.

The orchestra plays an important role in the local community and contributes to cultural diversity in the region. Through concerts and public performances, it brings people together and promotes interest in brass music. Overall, the orchestra is an inspiring example of the importance of music education and community involvement in the Czech Republic.

Website of the orchestra
Facebooksite of the orchestra