The TU Ilmenau invites all music lovers to start the new year light and lively with the New Year's Concert 2026 on Wednesday, January 21, at 7:30 pm. Under the musical direction of Pamela R. Mayorga from Mexico, works by Johann Strauss, Mel Bonis and Franz Schubert will be performed in the Auditorium maximum, all of which have one thing in common: their cheerful lightness. Traditionally, the TU Ilmenau's New Year's Concert is combined with the University President's review of the past year and his outlook for the new year. Admission is free.
The musical prelude to the New Year's Concert is classical: the Emperor Waltz by Johann Strauss (son) begins majestically and then impresses with its solemn, cheerful Viennese music. Composed at the turn of the 20th century, the Suite en forme de Valses by French composer Mel Bonis was intended to be "light music". The lightness here is tinged with a contemplative atmosphere. Also known for its cheerful lightness: the enchanting Symphony No. 5 by Austrian composer Franz Schubert, an early masterpiece from his youth, with which the TU Ilmenau's New Year's Concert ends.
The Academic Orchestra of the TU Ilmenau, founded in 1967 as the chamber orchestra of the TU Ilmenau, the forerunner of today's Technical University, has been performing with a large symphonic orchestra since 2001. The musicians are students and employees of the university as well as amateur musicians from the region. For large concerts such as the New Year's Concert, the orchestra is supported by professional musicians.
New Year's Concert 2026 of the TU Ilmenau:
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Humboldtbau, Audimax, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Platz 1, 98693 Ilmenau
Program
Johann Strauss (son) (1825-1899)
Emperor Waltz, Op. 437
Mel Bonis (1858-1937)
Suite en forme de Valses, Op. 35
- Intermission -
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D485
Contact
Peggy Swora
Head of Marketing and Communication
+49 3677 69-1761
peggy.swora@tu-ilmenau.de
