Spandau macht Alte Musik - Germany

SPAM – Spandau macht Alte Musik is a Berlin-based early music festival founded in 2020 by Heidi Gröger, Johannes Weiss and Britta Richter, with the aim of creating a new platform for historically informed performance in the city. Conceived to highlight both the many early-music ensembles based in Berlin and international artists from across Europe, the festival takes place in the historic district of Spandau, notably the Zitadelle and St Nikolai Church.

Originally planned for May 2020, the first edition had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The team used this period to redesign the festival’s concept, joined by Bernhard Schrammek, and inaugurated the first full edition in February 2023 under the motto Passion Carnival. Supported by the Berlin Senate, the festival achieved an 85% ticket sales rate across 16 concerts. A second edition followed in 2025, funded by the Lotto Foundation, and set new audience records under the motto Update 25.

SPAM is designed as a festival rooted in Berlin with strong international reach. Its programmes have featured major local ensembles such as the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Lautten Compagney Berlin, the Capella de la Torre, the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Phantasm and Ensemble Continuum, alongside invited soloists and groups from across Europe, including the Ricercar Consort, Capricornus Consort Basel, Hirundo Maris, Ala Aurea, Ton Koopman, Lina Tur Bonet and others.

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Supporting emerging artists is a central aspect of the festival’s mission. Both editions have offered significant visibility to young performers from Berlin’s rich educational landscape. The 2023 edition hosted the Institute for Early Music of the Universität der Künste, while the 2025 festival expanded this focus through the programme Early Music for the Very Young, featuring the children’s choir Cantores minores, winners of “Jugend musiziert”, the youth ensemble JAM, groups from the Spandau Music School, and university students.

SPAM seeks to contribute to making early music a permanent, visible and celebrated part of Berlin’s cultural landscape.