Collegium Musicum '23

In the artist's words:

Collegium Musicum '23 (CM23) is an early music ensemble founded in Leipzig in 2023. Founded jointly by baroque violinist Nadja Zwiener and St. Thomas organist Johannes Lang, it draws its inspiration from the main place of activity of J. S. Bach, who took up the post of cantor at St. Thomas Church in 1723.

The musicians who live in Leipzig form the core of the ensemble and are often joined by musicians from the international early music scene. The ensemble, whose repertoire ranges from the smallest chamber music to large Baroque orchestral works, remains open to inspiration from a wide variety of directions: collaborating with various choirs and vocal ensembles, with artists from other disciplines such as dance, performance, literature or the visual arts and also musicians from other musical genres.

However, the focus of their work is Leipzig's St. Thomas Church. The ensemble regularly performs on the Hoffmann instruments located there, which were commissioned under Bach's cantorship and restored according to historical criteria.

In the 2023/24 season, the Collegium Musicum '23 performed 13 church services with Bach cantatas at Leipzig's St. Thomas Church as part of Bach300.

The debut album "The Art of Fugue on Bach's Original Instruments" was released in 2025. Since 2025, CM23 has been curating its own early music series with institutions such as the Bach Archive Leipzig, St. Thomas Church and the City History Museum.