workshops
SATURDAY · SUNDAY
Tickets for masterclasses and workshops will be available from 14 February 2026 via the links below and, while stocks last, also on site at the festival.
SATURDAY 30/05/2026
Jazz Workshop Berlin – guided morning session with Tal Yadin
10:00–12:00 @Maschinenhaus
tickets
Tal Yadin from Jazz Workshop Berlin will conduct an ensemble workshop for anyone who wants to experience what it’s like to play in a jazz band. We’ll learn the basics of the jazz artform, and practice soloing, accompanying and listening to each other while learning simple repertoire from the American Songbook.
All instruments are welcome!
Tal Yadin is a Berlin-based guitarist, composer and producer known for his distinctive guitar tone, strong melodic voice and immersive musical storytelling.
Ever played the jaw harp? – workshop with Sören Birke
10:00–11:30 @PANDA room
tickets
With only one reed, the jaw harp is the simplest instrument in the family of instruments with striking reeds. Sören Birke, musical director of our festival and versatile musician, is fascinated by the timbre of the instrument and regularly performs on stage with the jaw harp.
In this workshop, he will show you how to play this approximately 3,000-year-old instrument. You can bring your own instruments or purchase them on site. By the way: in Italian, the jaw harp is called “scacciapensieri” – the thought dispeller. What more could you want?
Refresh your Blues Improvisation – Workshop Bertram Becher
11:45-13:15 @ Maschinenhaus
tickets
You like the Blues but have no idea how to improvise freely, or you’ve been playing for a while and think you’re constantly repeating yourself? This workshop will give you valuable tips and tricks on how to make your solos livelier and more surprising!
Who set the tone before Seydel and Hohner ..? – a leture with Thorald Meisel
12:30–14:30 @Maschinenhaus
tickets
Thorald Meisel from the Harmonica Museumin Zwota, Saxony, about the beginning of German harmonica production. The title reveals that although Klingenthal is home to Germany’s oldest harmonica factory still in production, there were harmonica pioneers even before the two major manufacturers Seydel (Saxony) and Hohner (Baden-Württemberg). The history of the harmonica is also economic history: in the 1920s, the harmonica was the world’s best-selling musical instrument, and the two German manufacturers are still market leaders. But who were the pioneers of this success story?
This lecture is in German.
Conscious breathing with harmonica – workshop with Quim Roca
13:30–15:30 @Maschinenhaus
tickets
How is playing harmonica related to practices like yoga or tai-chi? Are there similarities between pranayama and harmonica rhythms? In this workshop we will explore the way we breathe when we play harmonica, we will look into the importance of our diaphragm in order to improve the control of our breathing. We will compare Kapalabhati breathing with DeFord Bailey’s fox chase and train imitations, and we will finally see how circular breathing and the path to learn this technique can bring more consciousness into our playing.
Participants should bring a harmonica in the key of G to the workshop. However, non-players are also welcome.
SUNDAY 31/05/2025
The 4T’s of Music – Tone, Timing, Theory, and Technique
Workshop mit Steven Troch
13:30–15:00 @Panda platforma
tickets
The 4T’s are the core pillars for every musician. Tone refers to sound quality and pitch, Timing to rhythm and pulse, Theory to the musical rules, and Technique to the physical and mental application of skills, such as mastering specific techniques for expression and fluency. All four are interconnected and important. Record and evaluate yourself using the 4T’s: Tone, Timing, Technique, and Theory.
This workshop is suitable for beginner and intermediate players. What you need: a diatonic harmonica in C and A.
Mobilising the tongue when playing the harmonica – workshop with Olaf Böhme
11:45–13:15 @Maschinenhaus
tickets
Discover how much rhythm and expression your tongue can produce! In this workshop, Olaf shows you how to use tongue slaps, splits, flutters and bends to make your sound lively and varied. Whether blues, folk or country – rhythmic playing with tongue technique is the focus. Olaf impressively demonstrates octave and fifth splits, tongue flutters and reveals the secret of his ‘asymmetrical split bends’.
