Future house

Is it a monument or a think tank? What can be achieved by combining tradition with new beginnings, the familiar with the unknown, and listening with helping to shape the future? Although the Alte Oper's name refers to times gone by, its focus is clearly on the future.
The occasion is that we are heading towards a major anniversary: in 2031, exactly five years from now, the concert hall will celebrate its 50^(th) anniversary. This is a good reason for us to look ahead today and consider the challenges that a concert hall of the future must address: How must, and how can, concert programming continue to evolve? How can we organise concerts that are bold, contemporary and artistically ambitious, while also inspiring people with music and providing fresh impetus? We have already set a number of initiatives in motion, such as developing new formats and focusing on new themes. We have even put our own practices regarding sustainability and diversity awareness under the microscope. We have also sought out strong partners who support us financially and ideologically on our journey.

You can find a brief overview of what we have already set in motion here. But this is just the beginning – we have lots more ideas and plans before we celebrate our big anniversary!

Welcome to Zukunftshaus Alte Oper!

It's perfectly fine to question traditions from time to time! We experiment with unconventional concert formats to create new listening experiences and bring music into dialogue with other art forms. In doing so, we reflect the vibrancy and diversity of our city.

Throughout the season, we venture off the beaten track to create special festival experiences. This gives us the opportunity to explore themes in more depth, as well as experimenting with new ideas. The Fratopia Festival has long been a hallmark of this approach, offering five days of a packed programme with music throughout the building, all with free admission. The 2026/27 season will also feature Alte Oper Nights: three evenings of discovery in collaboration with the Met Museum in New York, as well as a festival centred on artificial intelligence. In this way, we create spaces where the concept of a concert can be reimagined entirely.

Save the date: the next Fratopia Festival will take place from 23 to 27 September 2026. You can find the full programme at alteoper.de/fratopia-app.

The ‘Alte Oper House of the Future’ is not an aloof temple of music. Rather, all the people of the city, with their different biographies, opportunities and preferences, should find themselves reflected in the programme of our house. Even, and perhaps even more so, those who have only known the Alte Oper from the outside. Come and join us: as a concert newcomer, as a musician, during your lunch break or in the evening.

Frankfurt is a diverse and international city that is constantly on the move, and this is exactly what you can experience at the Alte Oper. We embrace the city's new ideas and trends, developing programmes that reflect the vibrant diversity of Frankfurt. We engage with the city’s various musical cultures, for example through the ‘Bühne der Vielfalt’, and we have new initiatives for the many people from different countries who live and work in Frankfurt, such as ‘Behind the Scenes’. We also offer programmes in collaboration with Frankfurt’s cultural institutions, such as ‘Musik Plus’. Through initiatives such as 'Alte Oper "InsideOut"' and 'Eine Straße geht ins Konzert', we step outside our usual surroundings and engage with the community.

Who embodies the future better than the next generation? We have a comprehensive programme dedicated to young people. By 'young', we mean that we are already starting with events for the youngest, such as our new baby concerts in the 2026/27 season! We also want to involve young people in our regular concert programme and, to this end, we are offering them an attractive deal with the 'Zehner bis 25' scheme.

Last but not least, we want to bring young people onto the stage. What motivates young musicians, and how can we support them? 

With 'Podium Zukunft', we have launched a new youth orchestra festival. The first edition in April 2026 was a resounding success, providing us with lots of fresh inspiration from Frankfurt, Berlin, the Netherlands, South Africa and Brazil.