SPREEKLÄNGE
Music trail along the water
6/25/2026 – 6/27/2026

The music trail follows the river Spree for five kilometres through various urban areas of the Charlottenburg district. It passes through residential quarters, parks, allotments, industrial areas and the lock.

Eleven international composers were invited to compose new works for specific locations along Berlin’s largest waterway – as a response to the respective geographical site and urban environment, as well as to local and global knowledge of water and multi-species ecosystems. The “Spreeklänge” create immersive soundscapes whilst also addressing critical reflections such as questions regarding the spiritual significance of water in indigenous communities and the rights and dignity of rivers and non-human beings.

The performances take place around the river: along the riverside path, on boats on the water, or even on the opposite bank, under bridges or in open spaces. The individual compositions relate to the specific location, transforming it and thereby altering its perception. They are interventions in the everyday, normal use of public space.

Each work has its own specific format. Small concerts, musical-theatrical interventions and installations, often involving local communities and school groups, come together to form a multifaceted contemporary soundscape for a mobile audience, who can move from station to station with open senses and listen to the sounds, the river and the living creatures.

Route:

Rosengarten/Wintersteinstraße – Caprivibrücke – Schlossbrücke – Schlosspark Charlottenburg – S-Bahnbrücke Jungfernheide – Kleingartenkolonie – Wehr/Schleuse Charlottenburg – Rudolf-Wissell-Brücke A 100 – Alte Siemensbahn/Fürstenbrunner Graben – Allotment gardens – Industrial estate – Renaturalised old river arms – Rohrdammbrücke – Allotment gardens

End: Shuttle to Siemensdamm U-Bahn station

Peter Ablinger, Cathy van Eck, Em'kal Eyongakpa, Stephan Froleyks, Carlos Gutiérrez & Tatiana López, Susie Ibarra, Liza Lim, Kate Milligan, Trond Reinholdtsen, Annette Schmucki, Kristine Tjøgersen 

ELISION Ensemble, Die Maulwerker/Fernanda Farah, Karin Hellqvist/Jennifer Torrence, Christian Kesten, Jake Landau, Projekt „Selbstgebaute Musik“/pupils of the Berggruen-Gymnasium, Phusiris de los Andes Ensemble, Frauenchor der Künste Berlin, students of the UdK/FU Berlin et al.

Artistic direction: Julia Gerlach, Daniel Ott