Music and literature: what the Capital of Culture has to offer in March

From a choral musical with 1,500 singers to art events during Passiontide, from a literature festival to writing and dance workshops: In March, Chemnitz and the surrounding area will spread out further program items for the Capital of Culture year.

The "Leselust Goes Europe" series will be launched on March 7. It presents literature, music and film from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. There will be double readings by authors from these countries such as Jurij Andruchowytsch, Sabine Rennefanz, Lenka Elbe and Svetlana Lavochkina.

The interventions on the Passion, which started in 2023 as altar wrappings, will also be continued. Contemporary art will be shown in churches. According to the organizers, there are nine projects this year - not only in Chemnitz, but also in the surrounding areas such as Zwickau, Freiberg and Marienberg. A replica of the famous Zittau Lenten cloth will also be on display in Chemnitz' St. Joseph's Church.

Musical commemorates Martin Luther King

The "Purple Path" art and sculpture trail is also growing. On March 29, the sculpture "The Universe in a Pearl" by Rebecca Horn will be unveiled in the converted St. Georg Hospital Church in Lößnitz. She is one of the most important female artists of the 20th century, said curator Alexander Ochs.

At the end of the month, an impressive musical will also commemorate the American civil rights activist Martin Luther King and his non-violent fight for peace and equal rights for all. The exhibition hall will be transformed into a concert hall with a choir of 1,500 singers.

Chemnitz shares the title of European Capital of Culture this year with the Slovenian-Italian city duo Nova Gorica and Gorizia. Numerous exhibitions are already taking place in the city. In addition, many volunteers are involved in looking after guests, for example. The volunteer program has now cracked the 1,000 mark, according to those responsible.