Contact
Joseph Moog
Nominated for a Grammy in 2016 and awarded with major prizes such as the Gramophone Classical Music Award in 2015, the International Classical Music Award in 2014 as "Instrumentalist of the Year" and in 2012, Joseph Moog has the rare gift of combining exquisite virtuosity with expressive, profound and intelligent musicality. As a master of the common as well as the rare or forgotten repertoire, the young performer has made a name for himself worldwide, which also stands for his own compositions and transcriptions.
The 2019/2020 season will take Joseph Moog to the most important concert halls, festivals and orchestras, including his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Richard Strauss's 'Burleske' under Emmanuel Krivine, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, the Odense Symphony Orchestra, the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, as well as recitals at the Wigmore Hall London, Théâtre La Scala Paris, Salle Philharmonique de Liège, The 'Steinway International Series' Cardiff, Turner Sims Piano Series Southampton, Harrogate International Festival, Westminster Cathedral Hall and the 'Spring Festival' Kiev. A very special appearance will be his performance of Liszt's piano transcription of Beethoven's 9th Symphony to mark the 250th anniversary of the Bonn master at the Ruhr Piano Festival, with whom he has had a close collaboration since 2013.
The 2018/2019 season saw numerous highlights, including with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Matthias Pintscher, at the Philharmonie Luxembourg with Saint-Saens' 5th Piano Concerto, at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto, with the New Japan Philharmonic with Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto under Lawrence Foster in the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo, at 'Piano aux Jacobins' in Toulouse and at the Music Festival in Gdansk.
The 2019/2020 season will take Joseph Moog to the most important concert halls, festivals and orchestras, including his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Richard Strauss's 'Burleske' under Emmanuel Krivine, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, the Odense Symphony Orchestra, the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, as well as recitals at the Wigmore Hall London, Théâtre La Scala Paris, Salle Philharmonique de Liège, The 'Steinway International Series' Cardiff, Turner Sims Piano Series Southampton, Harrogate International Festival, Westminster Cathedral Hall and the 'Spring Festival' Kiev. A very special appearance will be his performance of Liszt's piano transcription of Beethoven's 9th Symphony to mark the 250th anniversary of the Bonn master at the Ruhr Piano Festival, with whom he has had a close collaboration since 2013.
The 2018/2019 season saw numerous highlights, including with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Matthias Pintscher, at the Philharmonie Luxembourg with Saint-Saens' 5th Piano Concerto, at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto, with the New Japan Philharmonic with Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto under Lawrence Foster in the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo, at 'Piano aux Jacobins' in Toulouse and at the Music Festival in Gdansk.
An important focus can be found in the young artist's extensive discography, for which he has received outstanding reviews from the international press as well as numerous awards. Together with the German Radio Philharmonic under the direction of Nicholas Milton, he produced Johannes Brahms's 2nd Piano Concerto and Richard Strauss's Burlesque in 2017. In November 2018, he recorded the complete etudes by Claude Debussy and 'Gaspard de la Nuit' by Maurice Ravel.
His long-awaited solo album 'Between Heaven and Hell' with the sonatas and legends of Franz Liszt was released in October 2019. Joseph Moog earned his reputation as a soloist through concerts in the legendary Master Pianists series at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the International House of Music Moscow, the New Ross Piano Festival and the Fetival La Roque d'Anthéron.
He has performed extensively in the USA: Frick Collection in New York City, Gilmore International Piano Series, Portland Piano International, Washington Performing Arts Society, Vancouver Recital Society and Miami International Piano Festival. Joseph Moog maintains an extensive concert repertoire that has brought him together with major orchestras around the world.
Joseph Moog, son of two orchestral musicians, is a winner of the 'Prix Groupe de Rothschild' and was appointed to the circle of Steinway Artists in 2009. He is a founding member and artistic director of the 'Konz Music Festival' near his current residence in Luxembourg and is actively involved in the cultural development of his home town of Neustadt/Weinstraße, as well as throughout Rhineland-Palatinate.
Alexander Hülshoff
Alexander Hülshoff, who grew up in the Palatinate, has made a name for himself both as a soloist and asChamber musician established himself on the concert stages worldwide. His great expressiveness and hisHis playing is characterized by a powerful, warm and nuanced tone. They are appreciated by the audience asequally appreciated by musical partners and are its outstanding features onthe concert stages of the world. As a soloist he is a guest with German and international orchestrassuch as the German Radio Philharmonic, the German State Philharmonic, State OrchestraRheinische Philharmonie, the Brno Philharmonic, the New Westphalia Philharmonic, the
Orquesta Sinfonica de Cordoba, the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, the OrquestaCiudad de Granada, Tel Aviv Soloist Ensemble, the Limburg Symphony Orchestra Maastricht,Georges Ensecu Philharmonic, Kymi Sinfonietta, Armenia Philharmonic Orchestra, Istanbul
Devlet Senfoni Orchestra, Rome Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony OrchestraBrasilia, Brazilian Symphony Orchestra (Rio de Janeiro), Mikkelin Kaupunginorkesteri, OrquestaSinfonica de la UANL and vam
His concert tours regularly take him to other European countries, near and farEast as well as to Russia and North and South America.Chamber music occupies a central place in his performances and recordings, asCellist of the Trio Bamberg and in collaboration with numerous colleagues such as PinchasZukerman, Martin Stadfeld, Fazil Say, Friedemann Eichhorn, Hagai Shaham, Vadim Gluzman, theFine Arts Quartet, Orion Quartet, Gil Sharon, Rainer Honeck. With them he performs infamous halls such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, De Doelen inRotterdam, the Wigmore Hall in London and the Prinzregententheater in Munich, KonzerthausBerlin and vam
Alexander Hülshoff is the initiator and artistic director of the Kloster Kamp Chamber Music Festivaland is artistic director of Villa Musica, a foundation of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.Numerous CDs document his musical range, including works byBrahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Shostakovich, Bloch, Servais and others.Recordings with Novalis, Naxos, Musicaphon, Brillant, VDM musical treasures and OehmsClassics.
In 1997 Alexander Hülshoff was appointed Professor for Violoncello at the Folkwang University ofArts. Since April 2014 he has been Artistic Director of the Orchestra Centre|NRW, aEstablishment of the four music colleges in North Rhine-Westphalia. He studied at theMusic Academy Karlsruhe and with Lynn Harrell at the University of Southern California, LosAngeles
Kai Adomeit
After having recorded a complete recording of theSergei Rachmaninoff’s piano concertos were published, followed by years of intensiveConcert activity including further CD recordings including the piano works andthe piano concerto by Antonin Dvorak, with works by Liszt, Chopin and FredericRzewski, as well as numerous recordings for radio, including thecomplete piano sonatas by Nikolai Medtner.
Completely unexpectedly, the non-conformist musician withdrew in search of newWays and goals for a longer period of time from the stage andmarked 2012 with the cycle of 55 piano sonatas by Joseph Haydn withhis stage comeback with great success. Special attention was also drawnhis series of performances in Mannheim, where he performed the complete piano works ofLudwig van Beethoven played on several evenings. He performed as a soloist with, among others, theGerman Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Saarbrucken/ Kaiserslautern, theState Philharmonic Orchestra of Rhineland-Palatinate and the Baden Philharmonic Orchestra of Pforzheimunder the conductors Valentin Uryupin and Markus Huber. He also gaveRecitals and master classes in Denmark, Norway, Japan and the USA.
With the 5th Piano Concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven in the Great Hall of theElbphilharmonie Hamburg followed his long-awaited return asSoloist with orchestra.
In addition to the continuation of the cycle of two- and four-hand piano works by FranzSchubert, he is currently preparing for the Beethoven Year2020 and the upcoming performances of the 32 piano sonatas and the entire
Chamber music work by the Bonn master.For many years he has formed a piano duo with Joseph Moog, whichalready thrilled audiences at the premiere of the Konz Music Festival in 2019. Just in time forSergei Rachmaninoff’s great anniversary in the 2022/2023 season, theThe eagerly awaited first joint album of the two exceptional pianists atBritish label Onyx Classics.
Ensemble PRESENCE
The contributorsThe Ensemble Presence brings together musicians who are primarily dedicated todedicated to contemporary music creation.
The Soprano Alexandra von der Weth
is a German opera and concert singerand voice coach. Numerous guest performances have taken her throughout her careerinternational stages, including the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Lyric Opera Chicago,
the Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera or the Glyndebourne Festival.For many years she was a member of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.In 2003, at the height of her career, her voice failed her. After a longAfter the first treatment phase, she was able to heal her vocal cords. In October 2010, she foundedShe founded the Institute for Voice Training at the Center for Outpatient Medicine in Wuppertal.In recent years she has devoted herself with particular devotion to contemporary music,such as Beat Furrer, John Cage, Sylvano Bussotti, George Crumb, Gerhard Stäbler and KunsuShims.
Ralf Zartmann
is a freelance, classically trained drummer, percussionist and percussion teacher. In addition to working as a soloist (including together with Dame Evelyn Glennie), he is a regular guest at major symphony orchestras, theater productions and festivals. For 16 years he worked in the drums/timpani area and as a soloist with the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra. Ralf Zartmann also leads the RZ PercussionGROUP (a special ensemble for percussion music). As part of his teaching work, school concerts with him take place every year in collaboration with cities in the Ruhr area and concert halls such as the Tonhalle Düsseldorf. Before the Corona pandemic, he was a soloist at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in the Opera Gold (line-up 1 soprano/1 percussionist) in the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons.
Andreas Müller
(*1977) studied cello with Reinhard Latzko at the Music Academy
Basel and with Clemens Hagen at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He attended
Master classes for cello and chamber music, among others with Arto Noras, Gabor Takács, Ferenc Rados
and Anner Bjilsma and has been awarded several times by the Open Chamber Music Festival in Prussia
Cove, Cornwall.
From 2003 to 2009 he was cellist of the Asasello Quartet. The quartet studied in
Cologne with the Alban Berg Quartet (chamber music) and David Smeyers (new music). In addition
The work was strongly influenced by Christophe Desjardins (Ensemble Intercontemporain,
Paris) and Chaim Taub (Tel Aviv). Since 2010, Andreas Müller has been working as a soloist and freelance
Cellist and plays regularly as a guest in various orchestras and ensembles
(WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Ensemble Resonanz Hamburg, musikFabrik Cologne,
Chamber Orchestra Cologne, among others).
As a sought-after chamber musician, he performs with various ensembles. He has been a lecturer since
For many years he has been active in numerous courses for chamber music, cello ensembles and orchestras (including the State Music Academy of North Rhine-Westphalia) and gives private cello and chamber music lessons in Cologne and Basel.
Ghenadie Rotari
was born in Moldova. Originally he wanted to be a pianist, but
Pragmatism led him to become an accordionist, a happy turn of events, he is
has become a celebrated master of the accordion. He began his studies at the
Conservatory in Trieste and at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and at the University
for music and theater in Munich.
His interest in contemporary music brought him into contact with prominent composers (such as
Rebecca Saunders, Chaya Czernowin, Mark Andre or Matthew Shlomowitz) and
Ensembles (such as the Ensemble PHACE, Oktopus and MusikFabrik or the Webern
Chamber Philharmonic and the Augsburg Philharmonic).
He is now celebrated as a true discovery as a master of the accordion and gives
Concerts in Europe, North America and Asia given in concert halls such as the Carnegie
Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, St. Martin in the Fields or the Vienna Concert Hall.
Ghenadie Rotari is currently teaching accordion at the Montafon Music School in Austria, at
Collegio del Mondo Unito dell'Adriatico in Italy, as well as in the Accordion Club Gögglingen in
Germany, where he also conducts the accordion orchestra.
Roland Techet
(*1967) began his studies with Prof. Norman Shetler at the
Würzburg University of Music. He then studied musicology in Tübingen. At the
University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart, he completed his Kapellmeister (KA)
and piano studies (diploma).
He worked as an opera choir répétiteur at the Württemberg State Theatre in Stuttgart,
was assistant to Prof. Gönnenwein and accompanist of his madrigal choir, had
Engagements in Kaiserslautern (Pfalztheater), Munich (Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz),
Düsseldorf (Deutsche Oper am Rhein) and Augsburg (Theater) each as Kapellmeister
and at the Theater Plauen-Zwickau as a guest conductor. He also founded the chamber choir
“anima mundi”, which focuses on the a capella literature of the Renaissance and
20th/21st century and which has hosted a whole series of concerts and festivals
(Schumann Festival, Cage Festival Düsseldorf, Opening Trier ...).
Roland Techet is now a freelance conductor and pianist.
Benjamin Schaefer
Benjamin Schäfer (* 1985 in Saarbrücken) is a young conductor and timpanist.
At the age of 22, he became principal timpanist/percussionist in the renowned orchestraPhilharmonique du Luxembourg. He also plays regularly as a guest in theBavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra,
the radio orchestras of NDR, SR, theDresden Philharmonic, the Gürzenisch Orchestra Cologne, and the State OrchestraSaarbrucken.
After graduating from high school, he studied at the Trossingen University of Music with Prof. Franz Lang (SWRSymphony Orchestra) and Guido Rückel (Munich Philharmonic) orchestral music.
During his studies he was a timpanist in renowned youth orchestras, such as theFederal Youth Orchestra, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, the European Union YouthOrchestra and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.
For several years now, he has devoted himself intensively to conducting. He is the director of the brass ensembleof the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and regularly takes part in competitions andMaster classes with Jukka-Pekka Sarastre, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sakari Oramo andJorma Panula took part.
In 2018 he was a semi-finalist at the “7th International Jorma Panula Conductors’ Competition” inFinland.
He is also a prizewinner of the 2nd International Conductors’ Competition in Bucharest,where he won the Audience Award and the Special Talent Award.
Andreas Becker | Horn
Andreas Becker was born in Saarbrücken in 1994 and received his doctorate at the age of 6years ago he took his first piano lesson.
He discovered the horn at the age of 11 and began his training withformer solo horn player of the Saarland State Theatre Reinhold Ernst, before he2013 in the horn class of Prof. Sibylle Mahni at the Saar University of Musicbegan his bachelor's studies.
Numerous master classes, including with Prof. Marie-Luise Neunecker, Prof. Jörg Brücknerand Sarah Willis, provided important musical impulses and already during hisDuring his studies he gained orchestral experience in the Junge DeutschePhilharmonie, the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, the Staatstheater Kassel and the
New Philharmonic Westphalia.
After temporary contracts with the German Radio Philharmonic Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern and the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra, he has been First Conductor since December 2018.Solo horn at the German State Philharmonic Orchestra Rhineland-Palatinate in Ludwigshafenpermanently employed.
Hanna Mangold | Float
Hanna Mangold comes from Aachen and studied flute with Andrea Lieberknechtat the music academies in Hanover and Munich. She was a scholarship holder of YehudiMenuhin Live Music Now, the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the GermanStiftung Musikleben. She has won several national and international competitionssuch as the Nicolet Competition in Beijing and the German Music Competition with prizesIn 2012/13 she was part of the national selection of Young Artists Concerts. She wasIntern at the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne and member of the Orchestra Academy of theSymphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio. Today she plays as deputySolo flutist in the German State Philharmonic Orchestra of Rhineland-Palatinate.
In addition to playing in an orchestra, her great passion is chamber music. With herEnsemble, the Acelga Quintet, she won the German Music Competition and theARD Music Competition and has since been a regular guest atConcert series and festivals throughout Germany and abroad.
Johannes Hund | Bassoon
Johannes Hund (*1995) received his first bassoon lessons inAge of five with Detlef Reikow. In 2011 JohannesHund as a young student at the HfM Detmold to Prof. TobiasPelkner, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in bassoon in 2013.Further musical inspiration came from
Master classes with Klaus Thunemann and Sergio Azzolini.He gained orchestral experience as a member of the
Federal Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.
With his wind quintet “qunst.quintett” Johannes Hundat the German Music Competition 2016 with a scholarshipand inclusion in the Federal Selection of Young MusiciansArtists. In 2017, the ensemblePrize winner at the 9th Osaka International Chamber MusicCompetition in Japan. During his studies he playedas a guest at the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn,the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie Herford and theGürzenich Orchestra Cologne. In the 2017/18 season he wasAcademician of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, since SeptemberIn 2018 he was principal bassoonist of the German State PhilharmonicRhineland-Palatinate
Julius Kircher | Clarinet
Julius Kircher was born in Heilbronn in 1981. He completed hisClarinet studies with Eduard Brunner at the Academy of Music inSaarbrucken.
After completing his concert diploma studies, he was admitted to the Academy ofBavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, thenIn 2008 he was appointed deputy principal clarinetist of the GermanState Philharmonic Orchestra of Rhineland-Palatinate in Ludwigshafen.
As clarinetist of the Acelga Quintet, he devotes himself particularly to theChamber music. The wind quintet is a prizewinner of the 63rd InternationalARD music competition.
In October 2019, Julius Kircher took up the professorship for clarinet at the Universityfor music in Karlsruhe.
Rainer Schick | Oboe
Rainer Schick, born in 1965, won numerous awards as a young man, including:at the competition “Jugend musiziert”, where he won the 3rd Federal Prize in 1981 and the 1st in 1983.Federal Prize in the field of oboe.
From 1984 he studied under Prof. Heinz Holliger in Freiburg and graduated withThis was followed by prizes at the German Music Competition in 1989 and
1991 and the inclusion in the national selection “Concerts of Young Artists 1990/1991". He wasScholarship holder of the Baden-Württemberg Art Foundation, member of the Federal Youth Orchestra and theYoung German Philharmonic.
Since 1989 he has been principal oboist of the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Rhineland-Palatinate, and is also a committed
Chamber musician and soloist in many concert series, with a special focus onengagement with contemporary music. In 2014, he led the GermanPremiere of the oboe concerto by Jörg Widmann with the German State PhilharmonicRhineland-Palatinate and recorded it as a live recording on CD.Tours as a soloist with the Tübingen Chamber Orchestra and other ensembles have taken him to
over 25 African and 10 Asian countries as well as in numerous European concert halls.
Charles Herrig
Charles Herrig lives and works near Koblenz on the Rhine. As a young man he was fascinated by jazz, firstPerformances as a pianist and singer will follow soon.
He owes his stage name "Charles" to an enthusiastic US Air Force colonel at Spangdahlem Air Base. HereHe plays the great standards of jazz in the officers' mess and discovers his love of composition.He studies at the "University of Music and Dance Cologne" majoring in piano with minors in saxophone and fluteand also acquires conducting and choir director diplomas.His musical work is very multifaceted: Charles Herrig can look back on many years of performance as a pianist,Bandleader and instrumentalist present, in addition to their own compositions from jazz to pop, orchestral and big band arrangementsNumerous of his recordings have been released on CD and digitally.The film and radio play music that he regularly creates for productions of "PuzzleCat Entertainment" always reachesthousands of subscribers and an audience of millions.
Charles Herrig is currently working with Koblenz jazz legend Django Heinrich Reinhardt on his newprogram "Back to SWING". Together, the two musicians are also involved in numerous foundations andsocial initiatives such as the "Fritz-Walter-Stiftung" of DFB and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, "Lotto Kinderglück" or the"Social Music School Koblenz". With his friend, "Oboe Doctor" Marc Schaeferdiek, Charles Herrig founded the duo in 2021"pianoreed", which will make its debut at the Konz Music Festival this year
Marc Schaeferdiek
Marc Schaeferdiek regularly gives master classes for oboe and reed making in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Korea, Sweden, Israel, Luxembourg, Austria, America, France, etc.
• Books: The Oboe Doctor, Foundations of Playing Oboe, oboenbasis,
bassoon basis, Oboe School Volume 1, Oboe School Volume 2, Method for Oboe Vol. 1,
Basics of oboe technique Volume 1 and 2
• Solo concerts at home and abroad
• since 2018 teacher for didactics and methodology at the University of Music Mainz (JohannesGutenberg University)
• 2011 - 2019 Teacher for oboe at the KMS Westerwald
• since 2010 lecturer for oboe at the Landesmusikgymnasium Rheinland-Pfalz in Montabaur
• since 2009 Hogeschool Zuyd Maastricht Academy of Music
• from 2001-2010 lecturer for oboe at the MHS Cologne/ Aachen location andWuppertal
• various orchestral activities including the WDR Radio Symphony Orchestra Cologne, theGürzenich Orchestra Cologne etc.
• Member of the Trio Belle Epoque and the Cellini Trio
• 1996 Opening of the repair company "Die Oboe"
• 1992 Cultural Prize of the City of Aachen
• 1991 Orchestra activities in the World Orchestra
• 1989-1992 Member of the European Chamber Orchestra
• Oboe studies with Prof. I. Goritzki, among others
• multiple prize winner at the national competition "Jugend musiziert"
The Twiolins
The siblings Marie-Luise and Christoph Dingler are specialists in the violin duo genre. Ingrew up in a musical environment – his grandfather was a bandmaster, his mother a cantorand harpsichordist – through their shared life and constant collaborationMusic-making achieves the highest level of interplay and a unique sound identity.
They not only perfect the existing repertoire, but also the tradition ofTranslating violin duos into the here and now is a special passion for both of them and theirmost important concern.That is why the Twiolins organized the first ProgressiveClassical Music Award to expand the repertoire for two violins and
In 2012, the Twiolins were awarded the Helene Hecht Prize by the city of MannheimThe award-winning works were used to create the CD VIRTUOSO in 2011, followed in 2014 bySUNFIRE. Her album SECRET PLACES was released in 2017 and the album EIGHT SEASONS in 2021EVOLUTION – both were awarded the silver medal at the Global Music Awardsbecame.
Training
Marie-Luise and Christoph started playing the violin at the age of 7 and took part in thelater participated as a violin duo in “Jugend musiziert”, where they won first prize six times in the following years.Federal Prize. Numerous other prizes followed during school and university*.Their talent was recognized early and so they were accepted as pre-students at the age of 14
with Prof. Nodel at the Mannheim Music Academy. After graduating from high school, they studiedwith Prof. Bratchkova, also in Mannheim, and completed their diploma in artistic trainingand soloist training with top marks.
Solo performances and media
They have performed as soloists with the German Radio Philharmonic, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic,the Brandenburg State Orchestra, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra, theOrquestra Simfònica del Vallès (Barcelona), the New Ideas Chamber Orchestra (Lithuania), theMannheim Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester and have performed several times in
national and international radio and television (SWR, SWR2, RBB, Center TV,Desh TV etc.).
Tours and references
They have performed internationally in New Zealand, China, India, Bangladesh, Türkiye,Tunisia, Spain, Italy, France, Lithuania, Austria and Switzerland, in national andinternational festivals and concert series (including Mozartfest Würzburg, Rudolf-Oetker-Halle,City Theatre Amberg, Black Forest Music Festival, Classic Summer Hamm, HohenloheCultural Summer, Weilburg Castle Concerts, Cultural Summer North Hesse, Villa Musica,Music Experience Munich, Kintai Music Festival Lithuania etc.). Joint concerts andartistic collaborations have been made with 'Spark – the classical band', Yuri Revich,Julian Rachlin and Aleksey Igudesman.Their violins are also siblings and come from the master studio of Martin Schleske.They recently acquired a viola from Gentges and Scheit, Berlin
Luxembourg Jazz Orchestra (LJO)directed by Ernie Hammes
In this classic big band formation, some of the best jazz musicians from Luxembourg come together with their colleagues from the greater region to regularly welcome international guest musicians. The Luxembourg Jazz Orchestra emerged from the "Tribute To Big Band Jazz" project, which Ernie HAMMES launched in 1993 on the occasion of the "Printemps musical" festival in Luxembourg. The big band consists of 5 saxophones, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones and a rhythm section. Its repertoire ranges from timeless jazz originals by Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie, to name just a few, to the most modern works and original compositions by its musicians.
In 2018, the Luxembourg Jazz Orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary and can proudly look back on concerts with the American saxophonists Bob Mintzer (2003 et 2010) and Don Braden (2009), the Belgian trombonist Phil Abraham and the Italian trumpeter Andrea Toffanelli (2004), the American trombonist Slide Hampton (2006), the pianist and singer Freddy Cole (2008), the American trumpeter Jon Faddis (2011), the Belgian singer David Linx (2011), the Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine (2012 & 2019), the New York Voices (2013), the Dominican pianist Michel Camilo (2014 & 2018), the Panamanian drummer Billy Cobham (2017) and the Canadian “jazz sisters” Christine Jensen (saxophone) and Ingrid Jensen (trumpet) (2018) look back.
The concerts took place in the auditoriums of the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Conservatory of the City of Luxembourg and the CAPE (City of Ettelbruck) as well as in many different cultural centers in Luxembourg and the Greater Region. The LJO has also been a guest at the Blues and Jazz Rally of the City of Luxembourg on several occasions.
The LJO's participation in the official ceremony for the awarding of the European jazz trophy "Euro Django 2007" is also worth mentioning. In 2008, the Jazz Requiem by (and in this case with) Nils Lindberg was performed in the Philharmonie together with the "Saint-Michel" choir. In 2015 and 2016, the orchestra was involved in the "Queen Swings" project by the Luxembourg singer Serge Schonkert. There was also great enthusiasm for the LJO in 2019 when it took part in the "Jazz for Kids" project in the Philharmonie in Luxembourg.Unfortunately, 2020 was a year of silence for the orchestra...and yet the Big Band is looking confidently into the near and distant future: In April 2022, the LJO will play the opening concert for the international competition for big bands in the theater of the city of Esch-sur-Alzette.
The Luxembourg Jazz Orchestra is supported by the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture.
Ernie Hammes - musical director of the LJO
A few words about the musical director of the LJO: Ernie Hammes is certainly one of the best known jazz musicians in Luxembourg. A professional musician in the Grand Ducal Military Orchestra, he is active in both classical and jazz music. His performances have taken him all over Europe, to the United States of America and Australia, with the most renowned bands, such as the Carla BLEY/Steve SWALLOW Big Band, the Duke ELLINGTON Orchestra, the Dizzy GILLESPIE All Star Big Band, as well as the musicians Diane SCHUUR, Chaka KHAN, The SUPREMES, Lew SOLOFF, Bob MINTZER, Claudio RODITI, Claude BOLLING, Paul ANKA, Amina FIGAROVA. He has toured the world with Maynard FERGUSON and his Big Bop Nouveau Band.
He can be heard on many recordings, his last CD « Evolution » was released in 2018. The highlight of his compositional work was the premiere of his work (commissioned by the Ministry of Culture) during the civil ceremony in the Philharmonie on the occasion of Luxembourg's national holiday in 2019.
German State Philharmonic Orchestra Rhineland-Palatinate
Since its foundation over a hundred years ago, the German State Philharmonic Orchestra of Rhineland-Palatinate hasthe music to the people. The orchestra never had its own concert hall, always andThe musicians are on the road all over the country. There is no question that the State Philharmonic is aMigratory bird. The movement towards the audience is what drives them. A perfect performance is like a
impressively synchronized flight maneuvers: Numerous individuals form a preciseorganized swarm that reacts quickly and sensitively to each other. Through concentratedObserving more distant flock members, migratory birds can begin
Guess changes in direction or formation – like the orchestra musicianspay attention to their colleagues while playing.
In the shadow of the First World War, committed citizens in Landau came together in September 1919to decide on the founding of a travelling national symphony orchestra. After theFounding concert on 15 February 1920, the orchestra set out on its first concert tour through thePalatinate and Saarland. This is how the history of the German State Philharmonic Orchestra beganRhineland-Palatinate, which can now look back on a 101-year tradition.Already in its first years, the orchestra attracted a great deal of attention under the direction of Richard Strauss andHermann Abendroth attracted national attention. Chief conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach andLeif Segerstam, today honorary conductor, helped the orchestra to gain international recognition.Michael Francis, who has been chief conductor of the German State Philharmonic Orchestra of Rhineland-Palatinate since the 19-20 season, will provide numerous new impulses and thus continue the orchestra's tradition.As an orchestra without a permanent venue, the symphonic supply of the state is still themost important task of the State Philharmonic Orchestra. With over 100 concerts per season, it brings music tothe people. Guest performances at home and abroad as well as cooperation with internationalImportant conductors and soloists testify to the high reputation that the orchestra enjoys.Mediation and family formats enrich the offer for young people. With rehearsal visitsand toddler concerts, even the youngest children are introduced to the world of classical music.Regular concert recordings by SWR and Deutschlandfunk Kultur as well as numerous CD productions round off the diverse range of activities of the State Philharmonic Orchestra.
The orchestra is not only characterized by its wanderlust and new beginnings in geographical terms.Staatsphilharmonie is also always on the move in a figurative sense. Music to theFor her, bringing people means not only being there, but also bringing peopleEven 101 years after its foundation, the orchestra is still an integral part ofof cultural life and more than ever a cultural beacon for the state of Rhineland-Palatinate andover and beyond
Michael Francis - Chief Conductor German State Philharmonic Orchestra Rhineland-Palatinate
Michael Francis has been chief conductor of the Staatsphilharmonie since the 2019-2020 season. He is in fifthseason Music Director of the Florida Orchestra and has been responsible since 2015 as musical andartistic director of the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego.He was invited back to the Cleveland Orchestra and to Tampere.
Concerts withthe MDR Symphony Orchestra, the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, the WürttembergischePhilharmonie Reutlingen as well as with the symphony orchestras in St. Louis, San Diego and Indianapolis.Previous engagements have taken him to orchestras in Europe such as the Radio Symphony OrchestraBerlin, the MDR Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, RoyalPhilharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France,Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.He has also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra several times. In addition to Valery Gergiev, he has been supportedalso Sir Colin Davis.
In Asia he conducted the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Japan PhilharmonicOrchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic. In North America the New YorkPhilharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra and the symphony orchestras in Pittsburgh, Houston, Atlantaor Cincinnati.
He has worked with soloists such as Lang Lang, Arcadi Volodos, Emanuel Ax, Itzhak Perlman, ChristianTetzlaff, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Håkan Hardenberger, Truls Mørk, Ian Bostridge, Sting and RufusWainwright worked together
