Musik für 11 Spieler*innen

It is only through the interplay of 11 players and their individual skills that soccer functions as a team sport—that creates its unique magic and that makes it so beloved by fans. Tactical formations, passing and positioning, assists, and shots on goal. The collective is stronger than the individual; the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. The team wins.

Inspired by Steve Reich’s “Music for 18 Musicians,”  a hypnotic work of sound art in which the individual musicians merge into a single, greater whole, “Music for 11 Musicians” brings to life the way in which collectives are stronger than the individual, and the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. Why the ensemble wins.

Eleven musicians are arranged on a soccer field in a basic tactical formation. The musicians must maintain eye contact and communicate with one another to synchronize their performance. 

The combination of the soccer field, lighting design, and composition creates a three-dimensional space in which the power of cooperation, ensemble playing, and the collective can be seen, heard, and felt.

Concept: Tobias Thomas

Artistic Director: Gregor Schwellenbach

Sat, September 12, 2026
Doors open at 8:00 p.m., show starts at 9:00 p.m. 

Olympiahalle
Werkstattstraße 38b 
50733 Cologne

Supported by the City of Cologne – Department of Culture, the State Ministry of Sports and Volunteer Work, and the DFB Cultural Foundation.