International voices unite for Mendelssohn choral spectacular in Cape Town

Cape Town audiences are in for a treat this October, as the Philharmonia Choir of Cape Town joins forces with two acclaimed international ensembles for Mendelssohn: A Choral Odyssey, a concert celebrating two of the German composer's most beloved sacred works.

Taking place on Saturday, 24 October at Cape Town City Hall, the performance brings together the Philharmonia Choir, Stellenbosch University's Schola Cantorum, and Germany's Herrenstimmen der Essener Domsingknaben – the adult male voices of the Essen Cathedral Choir – under the direction of German conductor Martin Berger, formerly Domkapellmeister at Würzburg Cathedral.

The combined forces will tackle Mendelssohn's Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), a symphony-cantata written in 1840 to mark the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg's printing press, and his Psalm 42, a setting composed three years earlier that Robert Schumann is said to have described as the finest church music of its time. 

Where Lobgesang moves from three purely orchestral movements into a triumphant choral and solo finale celebrating human enlightenment, Psalm 42 is a more intimate work, weaving yearning solo lines through dense choral counterpoint.

The pairing of a large local choir with two distinguished guest ensembles is billed as forming a festival-scale choir capable of matching the grandeur Mendelssohn wrote into both scores.

MENDELSSOHN: A Choral Odessey

Date: Saturday, 24 October 2026, 19:30

Venue: Cape Town City Hall, Darling Street, Cape Town

Conductor: Martin Berger

Performers: The Philharmonia Choir of Cape Town, Schola Cantorum, Herrenstimmen der Essener Domsingknaben

Tickets: Available via Quicket (http://quicket.co.za ); early booking advised.