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 ESME Singers and Rheinland-Pfalz International Choir Perform Together Again

By Emily Burnell Petrou

In what we hope will become an annual event, the ESME Singers and the Rheinland-Pfalz International Choir performed together in their second joint concert on Saturday, May 11, 2024 in the light-filled Lutherkirche in Kaiserslautern. Last April, the RPIC came to Munich, and this year we returned the favor; our entire choir was not able to participate, but 22 of us managed to make it up north for the adventure. The RPIC is led by ESME’s former longtime choir conductor, Eric Weddle, and he, along with their highly efficient choral manager and soprano Gosia Schulze, and ESME’s own organizer extraordinaire and alto Annie Janssen, have worked hard to make these concerts happen. Thank you, Eric, Gosia and Annie!

The concert opened at 18:30 on the dot with both choirs enthusiastically taking on Rossini’s popular opera chorus, “Il Carnevale di Venezia”, setting the mood for a cheerful evening of choral entertainment. The audience was delighted and ready for more!

Then it was time for ESME to take the stage on their own, led by our multi-tasking pianist Léa Vernisse taking on the conducting role (as well as accompaniment on several concert pieces). Our set featured three a cappella selections recently performed in our Spring Showcase: Monteverdi’s crisp “Cantate Domino”, Billy Joel’s soulful “And So It Goes”, and a rousing traditional spiritual, “I Can Tell the World.” This was then followed by the Rheinland-Pfalz International Choir presenting the lilting and precise “Se Ben Vedi O Vita Mia” by Giovanni Gastoldi, another lovely “Cantate Domino” (this time by Karl Jenkins), Frank Ticheli’s ethereal “Earth Song”, a talented ensemble (including Eric Weddle) performing an Eagles song, “Seven Bridges Road”, and finally, perfect for the gorgeous spring weather outside, the whole RPIC choir was back to thrill us with Beatles classic “Here Comes the Sun”.

Another ensemble of two trios then formed a sextet of “wise women”; one from ESME (who also performed this in our recent Spring Showcase) and the other from RPIC, bewitching the audience with the mysterious tale of “The Magpie”. Following that, the two choirs gathered together once again for more joint pieces under Eric Weddle’s steady hand: the rollicking sea shanty “What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor”, the well known spiritual “Elijah Rock”, and finally, the grand finale: a stirring version of the beloved Simon and Garfunkel hit, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. An encore capped off the evening with a personal favorite of both choirs, the lively South African “second national anthem”, “Tshotsholoza”, always a crowd pleaser (and mighty fun to sing as well!). 

The two choirs then happily headed out to dinner to celebrate another successful concert, mixing and mingling at the tables, making new friends, and – of course – serenading the restaurant with a spirited reprise of “Tshotsholoza” (a long-standing after-party tradition).

Plans are already underway for a joint weekend away next Spring in our usual venue at the Humboldt-Institut in Bad Schüssenried. This will give us all a chance to have more rehearsal time with both conductors together, something we have yet to experience with our joint concerts, as Eric was unable to attend last year’s, and the same went for ESME’s conductor Linda Oppermann this time around. Watch this space for more information on our two choirs collaborating together to make a joyful noise!

And don’t forget to keep your eyes out for our “Hot Hot Hot” summer concert, with all three ESME ensembles (Orchestra, Singers, and Resident Alien Big Band) at 6 PM on Saturday, July 13, 2024 at the Trudering Kulturzentrum.

Tickets are already available, so book now at https://esme-ev.de/tickets/

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On the fairly mild evening of December 17, 2024, our ESME Singers, conducted by Julia Chalfin, returned for our third appearance on the Munich Rathausbalkon (town hall balcony) to entertain the enthusiastic Glühwein-sipping audience gathered below at the Marienplatz Christkindlmarkt. We performed well-known carols, from “Joy to the World”, to “Deck the Hall” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, as well as a few songs from our recent winter concert: the toe-tapping “Pan-a-Pan”, (once again accompanied by the Resident Alien Big Band’s Elaine Cole on flute and Thomas Eingartner on snare drum), the whimsical “Fum Fum Fantasy”, and the rousing choral version of Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run” (accompanied by our Singers unique percussionist Annie Janssen, keeping us on the beat with a box of Tic Tac mints lent to her by fellow alto Carly Russell!). We also shared the stage with a native Munich singer-songwriter, Ela Marion, whose unique numbers provided a nice contrast to our sound. A fine time was had by all, and we were so honoured to once again make the cut in a such prestigious and beloved Munich Advent tradition. Special thanks go to the Singers hard working soprano Eva Netzhammer for organizing this noteworthy event, a perfect way to cap off both a successful season and year for ESME! We wish you all – our members and our fans – the happiest of holidays, and look forward to a well-deserved break before launching back into rehearsals in January 2025.

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By Özgür Selvi Tasdan (photos by Andreas Zachow)

On a crisp and rainy night in December, the magnificent Künstlerhaus am Lenbachplatz was ready and waiting for our guests who wanted to escape from the burden of everyday life, be enchanted by music, have fun and embrace the Christmas spirit at the 2024 Winter Concert “Underneath the Stars”. Blessed by its particular historical ceiling, the night sparkled with talent, joy, and community. After the audience settled in, as per tradition in all such performances, the anticipation for an harmonious mix of Singers, Orchestra, and Big Band, was immediately apparent. 

The concert opened with the Singers, who established a serene and magical flavor with their first numbers – Fum Fum Fantasy, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Underneath the Stars, and Pat-A-Pan. Underneath the Stars by Kate Rusby showcased the Singers’ accomplishment in both the emotional depth and the technical complexity of the piece.

Under Julia Chalfin’s skilled direction, the Singers captivated the audience and drew them into the evening’s magical ambiance.

Right after the Singers, Resident Alien Big Band, under the charming Davy Kazan, had an added flavor to the concert when it comes to jazz. With pieces like A Big Band Christmas and Nothing from Nothing, the band had the audience tapping their feet and swaying to the beat. Kazan’s love for jazz shone through and was a complete performance testament to their commitment and excellence. An interplay of instruments and active arrangements creates the physical liveliness to the classical evening, making it different.

At the beginning of the second part of the concert, the Singers presented more songs including Howard Blake’s Walking in the Air and Carly Simon’s Let the River Run.The hall was filled with energy with the combination of voices and the accompanying instruments. In Bogoroditse Devo by Rachmaninov, Chalfin’s well-groomed stamp was evident in every note. The second half continued with Vivaldi’s Gloria in Excelsis Deo, performed by orchestra and singers. The piece already had the promise of melodies and harmonies calling for the audience, reminding that destiny was still to be explored musically. After Gloria, another feast awaited the audience who were already captivated by the magic of the music. Under the baton of Prof. Dr. M. Orhan Ahiskal, the Orchestra played with impressive precision and passion. It played every piece that distinguished the lively Pizzicato Polka by Johann Strauss Jr. and the evocative L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2, by Georges Bizet, in graceful and dynamic measures. The concert concluded as the orchestra delivered a great rendition of Music from Frozen. The beloved melodies resonated so deeply that many in the audience couldn’t resist singing along, their voices blending softly with the orchestra.

What made Underneath the Stars unique was that it made all of us feel like we belonged. ESME has taken a new turn into the offering of multiculturalism and the collaboration of over 30 countries into its diverse ensemble of musicians. So what happens next? We will continue to announce ESME’s future performances. The Spring Showcase on 10 May 2025 will definitely bring some excitement to our loyal audience, those who may have missed the performances, and everyone who loves music.

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We are so excited to be able to bring you yet another one of our popular winter concerts – on 7 December at the beautiful Munich Künstlerhaus am Lenbachplatz, at the family friendly time of 6 pm. All 3 of our ensembles – the Orchestra, Singers, and Resident Alien Big Band, have been working hard to get you into the holiday spirit, with classic carols, pieces from “Frozen”, Vivaldi, Strauss and the usual swinging jazz and Latin beats. Book your tickets now, because this one sells out FAST!

https://esme-ev.de/tickets/

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For the first time since 2018, we were pleased to once again spend our autumn ESME Weekend Away at the beautiful and historic Musikakademie Alteglofsheim, near Regensburg. Instead of a chartered bus (which we use for our Spring EWAs to Bad Schüssenried in Baden Württemberg), we all arrived via trains or carpooling.

After a light meal in the dining hall, rehearsals for both the Orchestra and the Singers got off to a start on Friday evening. Afterwards we met up in the ‘party room’ to for the usual mingling, sing-alongs, and board games to unwind. A special treat was singing “Happy Birthday” at midnight to our long-time alto Annie Janssen, who has rung in three birthdays during the autumn EWA.

Saturday is always the most rehearsal-intense day of the weekend, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 9 p.m., with small various breaks throughout, including lunch, Kaffee und Kuchen, and dinner. The Singers covered their full repertoire, including an unusual song from “Frozen” (the orchestra is also doing a medley from that beloved animated movie), festive arrangements of a couple of well known carols (“Fum Fum Fantasy” and “Pat-a-Pan”), a rousing Carly Simon reprise from our 2016 concert, “Let The River Run”, and much more. A true highlight was an a cappella run-through of Rachmaninoff’s “Bogoroditse Devo” in the picturesque small chapel on the grounds, which provided perfect acoustics for this somber and gorgeous piece. The Orchestra worked on their jolly Strauss polkas and the “Farandole” movement from Bizet’s L’Arlesiénne suite, among others. The usual Saturday night revelry was then kicked off, with some staying up later than others!

Sunday mornings are usually fairly subdued, for obvious reasons, but after separate rehearsals for the Orchestra and the Singers, we were able to finally end the weekend with our joint rehearsal of Vivaldi’s “Gloria” – our mutual hard work paid off, as it sounded terrific! ESME’s viola player, John Fitzgerald, did a great job taking the maestro’s baton all weekend, as our new conductor, Orhan Ahiskal, was occupied with other professional duties at the time. Sebastian Salvaterra also filled in as the Singers’ pianist, as our double-duty Léa Vernisse had to rehearse with the Orchestra as a violinist. To cap off of the weekend, we were treated to the ESME Orchestra accompanying our Singers conductor Julia Chalfin’s whimsical and hilarious Strauss number, the Annen-Polka, which brought down the house! There is no shortage of talent amongst our ESME members.

Some of us also managed to visit the landmark one thousand year old oak tree nearby on our way out. This is often a destination for some of us hikers during the weekend breaks. Many photos were snapped for posterity.

A very special thanks go out to Rodrigo Queiro from the Singers and Ponno Jonatan from the Orchestra, for organizing this entire weekend, not an easy task by any means! We are so grateful to have industrious and sharp volunteers like this who put so much effort into ESME, while also juggling a busy and productive life outside of our sphere.

We are looking forward to putting all of this effort into our upcoming winter concert, “Underneath the Stars”, at the Munich Künstlerhaus am Lenbachplatz at 6 pm on Saturday, 7 December. Watch this space and all of our social media outlets for ticket links next month!

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Prof. Dr. M. ORHAN AHISKAL

String Performer of the Year in Turkey at the 6th annual Donizetti Awards in 2016, violinist Orhan Ahıskal’s performance career covers a wide array of styles and periods from Baroque, performed on period instruments, to avant-garde works of the 21st century. In addition to his wide repertoire, Ahıskal’s warm stage persona, informative stage talks, and exciting performances have won him great receptions by a variety of audiences. He has been hailed as a “violinist and musician of the highest caliber”, “a first-class soloist”, “a most satisfying combination of exciting passion and subtle sensitivity”.

Ahıskal has performed extensively as a soloist in England, U.S.A., Azerbaijan, and Turkey with the Turkish Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Antalya, Bursa, Eskisehir State Symphony, Anadolu Symphony Orchestras, Sheffield Festival Orchestra, the Hartt Symphony, Mersin Academic, Akdeniz, Yaşar University Chamber Orchestras, Orchestra Academic Başkent, Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and the Baku Philharmonic State Chamber Orchestra performing concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Korngold, Lou Harrison, Mozart, Paul Patterson, Piazzolla, Schnittke, Shostakovich, and Vivaldi. As a chamber musician he has performed in over 400 violin and chamber music recitals in Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ahıskal premiered two violin concertos composed and dedicated to him.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Ahıskal launched the project “Düştüm Yola” (I Hit the Road) in 2014 to promote rarely or never performed works for solo violin by Turkish composers, commissioning and premiering new works. Ahıskal has so far premiered seven new works by Turkish composers and performed and lectured in over a hundred locations for HitTheRoad. Educational aspects of HitTheRoad Cultural Journeys include lecture-recitals, masterclass and workshops; and most recently documentary videos, “Open Windows” podcast and music and history-themed city tours in Munich, Augsburg and Salzburg (HitTheRoad.World). Ahıskal, aside from his solo performances, is the concertmaster of the Freies Landestheater Bayern. ESME is honoured to have this esteemed and accomplished musician as part of our organization!