January 2026

MUSIC: Lucy de Butts, Alex Potter, Matthew Brook: Ode on St. Cecilia, 31 January in Ludwigsburg, 1 February in Stuttgart

British singers Lucy de Butts, Alex Potter and Matthew Brook join Gaechinger Cantorey and conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann for a celebration of 350 years of English vocal music in honour of St Cecilia. The programme features works by Purcell, Britten and leading contemporary composer James MacMillan. Tickets here and here.

MUSIC: Marmen Quartet, 18 January in Erbach, 22 February in Bad Tölz

The Marmen Quartet is fast establishing itself as one of the most impressive and engaging talents in chamber music, demonstrated by recent first prizes at the prestigious Bordeaux and Banff International String Quartet Competitions. The quartet brings its energy and intelligence to an impressive range of repertoire, ranging from Haydn to music of today.

MUSIC: Sir Donald Runnicles: 'Gurrelieder' at Berliner Philharmonie, 10 February

British artists Sir Donald Runnicles, Jeremy Bines and David Butt Philip join forces at the Berliner Philharmonie for Schoenberg’s monumental Gurrelieder, a late-Romantic epic that marked a turning point toward the composer’s atonal period. The performance also forms part of the farewell season of Sir Donald Runnicles, concluding nearly 20 years as General Music Director of Deutsche Oper Berlin.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Martin Parr exhibition at Neues Museum Nürnberg, until 22 February 2026

Neues Museum Nürnberg presents the first major photobook retrospective of British photographer Martin Parr. Designed as an immersive hotel experience, the exhibition showcases over 200 photobooks exploring the humour, excess and everyday absurdities of global consumer culture. More info here.

VISUAL ARTS: Mark Leckey at Julia Stoschek Foundation, Berlin, until 3 May 2026

The Julia Stoschek Foundation presents one of the most extensive solo exhibitions by British artist Mark Leckey to date. “Enter Thru Medieval Wounds” traces the intersections between pop and youth culture, social class, and the evolution of technology from the 1970s to the present. More info here.

EXHIBITION: PURPLE PATH art and sculpture trail, Chemnitz 2025

Chemnitz is European Capital of Culture in 2025. Part of its cultural programme is PURPLE PATH, an art and sculpture trail that will showcase works by renowned international, national and Saxon artists. The result is an exhibition in public space which includes pieces from Tony Cragg, Richard Long and Sean Scully.

FILM: Berlinale Talents 2025

16 exceptional emerging filmmakers came to Berlin to take part in this year’s Berlinale Talents in February. Berlinale Talents is the talent development programme run by the Berlinale, Berlin’s international film festival, with 200 filmmakers selected from all over the world. This year’s theme was Listen Courageously: Cinematic Narratives in Times of Dissonance. We have conducted interviews with Berlinale Talents from the UK. Explore them here.

a woman looking at a painting in a museum

VARIOUS: British Council Arts Newsletters (online, free)

If you want to stay up-to-date with the latest from the UK arts scene, make sure to sign up to our newsletters giving you an overview or following the different sectors: Music, Visual Arts and Architecture, Design and Fashion. Find all newsletters here.