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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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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-a-longs, 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!

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We may be on our summer break, but that hasn’t stopped us from getting together for some festive summer socials! On what felt like the hottest day of the year in late July, several of us (representing all 3 ensembles, no less!) gathered in the Augustiner Biergarten for the first time since pre-Covid days. As usual, we parked ourselves in the shade near the Spielplatz so that those with small children could attempt to converse for a minute or two in between chasing their active offspring around. Plenty of nice food was brought along – including excellent homemade Obatzda and Zwetschendatchi – and, of course, no shortage of refreshing  Augustiner beer was also consumed. We hope to make this an annual event again; it’s certainly been missed.

Our next chance to gather was a few weeks later, for the Munich Summer Sessions in Rindermarkt, where the Resident Alien Big Band pleased the enthusiastic crowd with a solid set, including a couple of beautiful solos from our own Caro Kelley, who is now pursuing a successful career as an award-winning singer-songwriter. Their encore, with Caro covering “Skyfall”, was particularly popular, and we couldn’t help but wonder if Adele, now in town for a series of concerts, caught a bit of it herself!

No doubt we will find time to gather again this summer, before starting up our rehearsals again in mid-September. Prost!

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An Evening to Remember:

Highlights from the “Hot Hot Hot” Summer Concert

By Özgür Selvi Tasdan (photo by Andi Zachow)

Our summer concert, “Hot Hot Hot,” was an extraordinary celebration of music, showcasing the diverse talents of the ESME Orchestra, the ESME Singers, and the Resident Alien Big Band. Held on a beautiful summer evening in Kulturzentrum Trudering, the event captivated the audience with its varied and dazzling performances.

The concert opened with the ESME Orchestra, setting a high standard with their exquisite presentations of classical pieces. They began with Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 39 in G minor, a piece that resonated deeply with its elegant structure and emotive power. Following this, the orchestra transported the audience to a world of enchantment with Joe Hisaishi’s Howl’s Moving Castle. This piece, known for its lyrical beauty, was a clear favorite among the crowd. Charismatic guest conductor Bob Ross led the orchestra, infusing the performance with his vibrant spirit and exceptional skill. His dynamic presence and the orchestra’s precision created a synergy throughout the hall.

The ESME Singers then joined the orchestra on stage for two magnificent collaborations. They performed “Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude” from Bach, a piece that highlighted their vocal cleaness. This was followed by Strauss’s “Ohne Sorgen!,” a lively and cheerful composition that brought smiles to the faces of the audience.

After this, the ESME Singers took the spotlight with a diverse set of nine songs, showcasing their versatility. They began with the powerful “Dies Irae,” and then moved on to the festive “Il Carnevale” and the mythical “Perseus.” Their rendition of Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes” was particularly touching, capturing the song’s poignant emotion. It may have caused tears in some of the audience. The energetic “I Can Tell the World” had the audience tapping their feet, while Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” brought a sense of timeless relevance to the performance. After the set was successfully completed, the modern and innovative “encore” song “Nyon Nyon” surprised the audience in the best way possible. Led by talented conductor Linda Oppermann, the ESME Choir created unforgettable memories and managed to impress the audience.

Following a brief intermission, the Resident Alien Big Band led by Davy Kazan since 2012, took the stage, delivering a stunning performance that kept the energy high. Their set was a journey through various genres, from funk and jazz to swing and Latin beats, each piece more captivating than the last. The standout moment was undoubtedly their rendition of “Son of a Preacher Man,” with Elaine Cole as vocalist, which had the audience enthralled with its soulful execution and dynamic rhythm. The band’s repertoire also included the smooth “No Moon at All,” the playful “I Spy,” and a heartwarming rendition of “The Rainbow Connection.” Gospel John” brought a spirited vibe to the evening. They also delivered a powerful version of “Feeling Good,” which electrified the crowd. The final song, “Don’t Stop Believing,” was an exciting conclusion that left the audience cheering for more.

The “Hot Hot Hot” concert was a resounding success, with each act contributing to a night filled with amazing music and entertainment. The audience’s enthusiastic response was a testament to the performers’ hard work and the evening’s overall excellence. It was a night to remember and we look forward to many more such evenings, where music brings us together.

Rehearsals start up again in mid-September, where we shall be preparing for our December 7 winter concert to be held at the Munich Künstlerhaus am Lenbachplatz. Details to follow!