Protestant services have only been held in the beautiful church on St. Stephen's Hill since 1808. Its founding by Empress Kunigunde over 1000 years ago, the multiple Baroque renovations, and finally the secularization and transfer of the building to the Protestant Church in 1807 are important milestones in the building's long history.
The tradition of church music at St. Stephen's dates back to the mid-19th century. A choir has existed since 1859, and in 1946, city cantor Günther Schubert founded the St. Stephen's Choir, which exists today. Under the subsequent directorships of Werner Krahnert, Ingrid Kasper, and the current deanery cantor, Michael Goos, it has developed into an oratorio choir of supra-regional importance. The choir performs several oratorios annually. Members of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra regularly accompany the choir's performances. As the parish choir, the cantorei also enriches the services at St. Stephan's with music on numerous occasions.
Two children's choirs – the Stephansspatzen and the children's choir – inspire even the youngest members of the congregation with choral singing and enrich the musical life of the parish.
The St. Stephan's trombone choir, under the direction of Walter Forchert, is the visible and audible expression of the distinctive character of the Protestant church. The "CrossOver" choir, under the direction of Marco Schneider, ventures beyond the usual musical horizons.
Since 2008, the Mühleisen organ in St. Stephan's has been one of the church's most photographed highlights. Behind its baroque facade lies a powerful, modern concert instrument, on which Deanery Cantor Michael Goos regularly performs in countless melodies and enhances the services.
Furthermore, the Stephanshof offers wonderful rehearsal opportunities for the parish groups of St. Stephan and beyond – with the “Musica Canterey Bamberg e.V.” and the “musica-viva-chor bamberg”, both old and new music are represented and shape the lively musical life around St. Stephan.
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