by Emily Burnell Petrou
We’ve had a nice relaxing summer break (despite some rather non-summery weather after a record-breaking heatwave in June!) and all three of our ESME ensembles (Orchestra, Singers and the Resident Alien Big Band) are ready to get back together for our weekly rehearsals. The RABB, under the leadership of the dynamic duo of Davy (conductor) and Elaine (manager) Kazan, have already started rehearsing together at Kreativ Garage, preparing for their exciting Big Band Karaoke event at Kulturzentrum Neue Ziegelei, on Friday 17 October, starting at 19:30, with doors open at 19:00 (for more information to register and check out the growing song list, look here). The Singers, conducted by Julia Chalfin and managed by Finley Klee, and Orchestra, conducted by Orhan Ahiskal and managed by Maia Schmidt, kick off their rehearsals from 19:00 – 21:00 on Wednesday, 10 September and Monday, 15 September, respectively, at the usual location of Einstein Kultur. And this season we’ll be debuting a new concert administrator with a member from our Singers, Elli Wieser. We are so grateful to our many volunteers for stepping up and putting in their hard work for ESME when they are already juggling busy and productive lives, so thank you to all of you!
We are always on the lookout for new musicians in all three ensembles, so please check this page for openings and we’ll get back to you! The Orchestra is open for all instruments, the Singers need more tenors (and basses) and the RABB is on the lookout for (2nd) bass trombone and (2nd) 3rd trombone, a guitarist (comfortable with extended jazz chords/solos), and a solo jazz trumpet player comfortable in improv.
We’ll also be working (and playing) hard at our semi-annual ESME Weekend Away from 21 – 23 November at the Humboldt Institute at Bad Schüssenried. We have been having these retreats at this location (as well as others) since the very first one held in April 2012 by the Orchestra (then the “TT Orchestra”; ESME’s origins are due to the Toytown Munich expat website way back in 2008!), so it holds a special place in our hearts.
Our winter concert will be at the beautiful and historic Künstlerhaus am Lenbachplatz on Saturday, 13 December, with a time to be announced. Be sure to watch this space, as well as our Facebook and Instagram for further updates. We will be featuring our usual wide variety of musical genres, everything from pop to jazz to classical, including pieces from “Wicked” (just in time for the release of the film “Wicked: For Good”, the second half of the opus), as well as from Händel’s Messiah and other festive holiday favorites.
We can’t wait to prepare yet another concert for you to all enjoy!