Christmas Concerts
Heavenly Sounds and Songs of Praise
The Christmas concerts at the Fraumünster have been a cherished tradition in the Zurich Chamber Orchestra’s concert program for many years. Together with the Zurich Concert Choir and under the direction of André Fischer, festive music fills the air during the pre-Christmas season, culminating in a communal singing of traditional Christmas carols at the end of the concert.
One of the highlights of this year's program is the Magnificat in C major by Johann Kuhnau, a prominent composer of the Baroque era. Born in 1660 as the son of a carpenter from the Eastern Ore Mountains, he rose to become a respected Leipzig composer and Baroque polymath. In 1701, he was appointed Thomaskantor, making him the immediate predecessor of Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition to some 90 cantatas, 14 masses, and many other vocal works, he composed numerous piano pieces that were already very well received during his lifetime. The Magnificat in C major is considered one of his most ambitious and best-known works, transporting listeners to heavenly realms with its angelic sounds.
Photo: Christmas Concerts © Michel Bumann
Date and time
18/12/2026 19:30
Address
Fraumünster Zurich
Organizer
Zurich Chamber Orchestra
Works
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck: *Hodie Christus natus est*; Cristòfer Taltabull: *Ecce panis angelorum*; Jan Dismas Zelenka: *Hipocondrie*, ZWV 187; Jan Dismas Zelenka: *Ecce nunc benedicite*, ZWV 99; Johann Kuhnau: Magnificat in C major; César Franck: III. Credo, V. Panis angelicus, and VI. Agnus Dei, from: Messe solennelle in A major, Op. 12; Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Heilig, Wq. 217
Management
André Fischer (Management)
Soloists
Mirjam Wernli (soprano); Anne Heffner (mezzo-soprano); Andrés Montilla Acurero (tenor); Markus Volpert (bass-baritone)
Admission price
CHF 95 / 85 / 65 / 40 / 25
Contact us
Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Phone: +41 (0)44 552 59 00, Email: tickets@zko.ch