Classical Concerts at

Funkhaus Wallrafplatz

Cyclic Journey - WDR Big Band feat. Marshall Gilkes + Livestream

Young Cats - feat. Simon Comté, Nils Kugelmann & Jakob Helling + Livestream

The WDR Big Band's "Young Cats" concerts showcase exceptional young jazz talents. This time, Belgian saxophonist Simon Comté and Bavarian double bassist Nils Kugelmann are featured. The concerts will be conducted by Jakob Helling.

WDR 3 Lunchkonzert

The WDR Funkhausorchester, in collaboration with emerging conducting talents, performs the most beautiful Romantic melodies from opera, operetta, film, and musicals.

Köln Concert: A Keith Jarrett Tribute + Livestream

Recorded in 1975 at the Cologne Opera, Keith Jarrett's "Köln Concert" remains one of the most influential albums in jazz history. For its 50th anniversary, the WDR Funkhausorchester and pianist Stephan Görg celebrate the genre-bender with a concert that takes the audience on a creative journey through Jarrett's world of ideas.

Barock bis Beatles: A Music History + Livestream

Tchaikovsky's Sugar Plum Fairy trades ballet shoes for swing with Uwaga! This crossover quartet grooves to baroque minuets and introduces Mahler and Mozart to disco. The WDR Funkhausorchester joins them for a wild, anarchic romp through music history.

Auf Orpheus' Spuren - mit Elke Heidenreich | lit.COLOGNE + Livestream

Few figures in literary history are as closely linked to music as Orpheus. His melodies tamed animals, moved gods, and softened the hearts of the dead. WDR Funkhausorchester, joined by author Elke Heidenreich, explores Orpheus's legacy, tracing his influence on writers and composers. Featuring music from Offenbach to Reinhard Mey, the evening blends literature, music, and poetic impulses.

Thank You For The Music: ABBA Symphonic

From "Mamma Mia" to "Dancing Queen": The stirring hits of the Swedish pop icons make hearts dance. The WDR Funkhausorchester brings back the glamor of the ABBA era and lets the band's biggest successes shine in a new symphonic light.

Thank You For The Music: ABBA Symphonic + Livestream

From 'Mamma Mia' to 'Dancing Queen,' the captivating hits of the Swedish pop icons get hearts dancing. The WDR Funkhausorchester revives the brilliance of the ABBA era, letting the band's greatest successes shine anew in symphonic light.

Kammerkonzert 4

Beethoven's Trio op. 11 was nicknamed the "Gassenhauer Trio" due to its popular variation theme. The program spans Bruch's clarinet trio pieces and Poulenc's Duo to saxophonist Daniel Schnyder's "Worlds Beyond", blending classical, avant-garde, and jazz. Four bassoons feature in Wynton Marsalis' composition, showcasing this rarely solo instrument.

Tiere suchen ein Orchester

Simone Sombecki and the WDR Funkhausorchester present an evening of animal-themed music, featuring favorites from "Cats" to "Dances with Wolves". A fun time is guaranteed!

Tanz mal mit der Maus

A wonderful concert for those who prefer dancing to sitting still.

Tanz mal mit der Maus

A wonderful concert for those who prefer dancing to sitting still.

Tanz mal mit der Maus

A wonderful concert for those who prefer dancing to sitting still.

Matinee der Akademie

After graduating from music school, learning doesn't stop. It starts over in a professional orchestra. The WDR Symphony Orchestra Academy gives young musicians experience. Mentored by professionals, they play, create chamber music, and learn traditions. This matinee features them.

Kammerkonzert 5

Before Dmitri Shostakovich became a composing critic of the Stalin dictatorship, the music world experienced him as a carefree, talented prodigy. His first piano trio, written at seventeen, is a testament to this. Also worth discovering is the piano quintet by the Polish romanticist Juliusz Zarębski, dedicated to his teacher Franz Liszt.