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Jerusalem
21.1.– 25.1. 2026
Shalom! This Hebrew greeting is part of the name of the city that is the focus of this year's Mizmorim Chamber Music Festival: Jerusalem. Another word, an Arabic word, has the same root: Salam. It is also used as a greeting and means peace or health, much like the Hebrew Shalom.
These days, Jerusalem is a symbol of hope for an entire region – hope that, despite all cultural and religious differences, it is possible to live together in peace. 
The Mizmorim Chamber Music Festival 2026 is  dedicated to this hope.

Ticket sales from 17 November 2025

10 Weeks – 10 Episodes

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10 Weeks – 10 Episodes

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Programme

Jerusalem – al-Quds – Yerushalayim

Wednesday, 21 January | 17.30 h

Jüdisches Museum der Schweiz

Lecture

Jerusalem – al-Quds – Yerushalayim

Lukas Landmann, professor emeritus of anatomy and histology at the University of Basel, is an eminent expert on the city of Jerusalem. In his lecture, he sheds light on the city's eventful history over the centuries.

Visions of Tomorrow

Wednesday, 21 January | 19.30 h

Basler Stadthaus

Pre-Concert

Visions of Tomorrow

The clarinet is often regarded as the quintessential Klezmer instrument. Yet when David Krakauer — born in Manhattan in 1956 – brings his clarinet to life, musical boundaries dissolve.

Testimony

Thursday, 22 January | 12.15 h

Paul Sacher Stiftung

Guided Tour I

Testimony

The guided tour by Heidy Zimmermann, curator at the foundation, provides insights into the works and manuscripts of Morton Feldman, György Kurtág and Roman Haubenstock-Ramati – with a special focus on the Jerusalem-based music project “Testimonium" (1968–1983).

Testimony

Thursday, 22 January | 13.45 h

Paul Sacher Stiftung

EXTRA EVENT – Guided Tour I

Testimony

Due to the high demand, the tour will be offered a second time.

The guided tour by Heidy Zimmermann, curator at the foundation, provides insights into the works and manuscripts of Morton Feldman, György Kurtág and Roman Haubenstock-Ramati – with a special focus on the Jerusalem-based music project “Testimonium" (1968–1983).

The Ties that Bind Us

Thursday, 22 January | 19.30 h

Stadtcasino Basel – Hans Huber-Saal

Opening Concert

The Ties that Bind Us

David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg perform music by Syrian clarinettist Kinan Azmeh and a klezmer composition written jointly by Krakauer and Tagg.

Morton Feldman Centenary I

Friday, 23 January | 12.15 h

Zunftsaal im Schmiedenhof

Concert II

Morton Feldman Centenary I

The Gringolts Quartet and clarinettist Reto Bieri will perform Morton Feldmans clarinet quintet. The concert celebrating the composer's 100th birthday will be complemented by a solo work by Feldman and an introduction by Thomas Gerlich.

Yerushalayim shel zahav

Friday, 23 January | 19.30 h

SRF Studio Basel – Auditorium

Concert III

Yerushalayim shel zahav

Jerusalem has been a cultural melting pot for centuries. Mizmorim celebrates its diversity, combining folk songs about Jerusalem with chamber music by Johann Sebastian Bach and his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and a new work by Basel-based Argentine composer Marcelo Nisinman. 

Morton Feldman Centenary II

Friday, 23 January | 22.00 h

SRF Studio Basel – Auditorium

Late Night Concert I

Morton Feldman Centenary II

In 1978, Feldman gave his trio for flute, glockenspiel and piano the enigmatic title Why Patterns? Was he trying to distance himself from ‘minimalism’? Or was he inviting us to listen even more attentively?

Images of Jerusalem

Saturday, 24 January | 15.30 h

Jüdisches Museum der Schweiz

Guided Tour II

Images of Jerusalem

It is difficult to encapsulate a city in a museum. However, selected memorabilia can be well accommodated in a building such as the Jewish Museum of Switzerland in Basel. Historian Barbara Häne will guide you through the exhibition.

If I forget thee …

Saturday, 24 January | 18.00 h

khaus

Concert IV

If I forget thee …

The Basel-based vocal ensemble Voces Suaves sings music related to Jerusalem in a programme spanning ten centuries. Improvising on his oud, Taiseer Elias weaves a delicate tapestry of lute sounds between the vocal works.

In an Optimistic Mood

Saturday, 24 January | 20.00 h

khaus

Concert V

In an Optimistic Mood

A Memory for Forgetting

Saturday, 24 January | 22.00 h

khaus

Late Night Concert II

A Memory for Forgetting

Several works will be performed for the first time in Switzerland at this piano recital, including one by Palestinian-Israeli composer Samir Odeh-Tamimi.

Journey to Jerusalem

Sunday, 25 January | 10.00 h

Unternehmen Mitte – Safe

Concert VI – Mizmorim Kids

Journey to Jerusalem

Jerusalem is home to countless stories, many of which are thousands of years old. What if its gnarled olive trees and weathered walls suddenly began to tell their tales?
The Dagmar Horstmann Puppet Theatre invites children and adults on a magical journey where the impossible becomes possible.

Rough Surfaces

Sunday, 25 January | 10.30 h

Druckereihalle im Ackermannshof

Concert VII

Rough Surfaces

The Bern-based Arola Quartet presents works by Matan Porat, Felix Mendelssohn, and Victor Alexandru Colțea.

Journey to Jerusalem

Sunday, 25 January | 11.30 h

Unternehmen Mitte – Safe

EXTRA EVENT – Concert VI | Mizmorim Kids

Journey to Jerusalem

Due to the high demand, the concert will be offered a second time.

Jerusalem is home to countless stories, many of which are thousands of years old. What if its gnarled olive trees and weathered walls suddenly began to tell their tales?
The Dagmar Horstmann Puppet Theatre invites children and adults on a magical journey where the impossible becomes possible.

Homecoming or Nostalgia?

Sunday, 25 January | 14.30 h

Basler Stadthaus

Tea Time Concert

Homecoming or Nostalgia?

Three piano trios will be presented in this concert; two of them are being performed in Switzerland for the first time. The Trio Venere will be performing works by Ben-Haim, Kurtág und Udi Perlman.

Jerusalem Syndrome

Sunday, 25 January | 17.00 h

Druckereihalle im Ackermannshof

Konzert VII

Jerusalem Syndrome

The 15 musicians of the Mizmorim Festival Ensemble gather under the direction of Christian Dierstein for a concert centred on stories from Jerusalem.