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Our Annual December Concert

Tis the season for… Cosying up by a crackling fire with hot chocolate and a good book; the scent of Plätzchen wafting through the house; or listening to the dulcet tones of English-Speaking Music Ensembles e.V. in their dazzling Winter Concert – which makes winter the glorious season that it is!

Join the ESME Orchestra and Singers in Schloß Nymphenburg for an afternoon of beautiful musical frivolity and a programme which includes Handel, Rutter, Bach, Sullivan, Mika and more. There is something for everyone.

Winter Concert tickets are now on sale!

Don’t miss out! Add this Concert to your Calendar.

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The Perfect Blend of Music and Fun

This season, the ESME orchestra has been working hard for the upcoming winter concert at Schloss Nymphenburg. Under the direction of award-winning conductor, Johanna Malangré, the orchestra will be performing an exciting program including, among other pieces, Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony (Symphony No. 5) and Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33. The orchestra has flourished under Johanna’s inspiring and entertaining conducting style, and her rehearsals are always filled with great music and great fun. On a recent all-day orchestra rehearsal, members brought along unique potluck dishes so that in-between making music, they shared in some food and fellowship. The day proved successful in providing not only a focused, productive time for rehearsing, but also a time for members to enjoy each other’s company!

Epic ESME Weekend Away

For this year’s ESME Fall Weekend Away, Haus Sudetenland in Walkreiburg was filled with smooth harmonies and good vibes, punctuated by stretches of raucous revelry. Over the weekend, Linda’s infectious laughter, positivity and clear guidance propelled the Singers through over 12 lively hours of rehearsals. Meanwhile, Lea, Chris and Niels were hard at work in their mini-strings sectional.

As so often happens at the ESME Weekends Away, the fun carried on in all the in-between moments and into the wee hours of the night! Led by inspired game master, Dang, teams collaborated to showcase their choreography, beat-boxing, lyricism and even an impressive Russian rendition of “Bear Necessities” from the Jungle Book. The creative team skits had everyone rolling with laughter and singing until they found their beds.

Big Band to Play 2019 Munich Winter Ball for Amnesty International

https://www.facebook.com/ESMEeVmusic/videos/793396241113243/

On 23rd November our Resident Alien Big Band will be providing the musical entertainment at the annual Irish Business Network Charity Ball (in aid of Amnesty International). Hurry, there are only a few tickets left!
For further details including a link to ticket sales: Winter BALL for Amnesty International 2019.

Entity e.V. announces “The Seagull”

€18 (€12 concessions)
Reserve online: the_seagull.eventbrite.com

This winter, our friends at Entity Theatre e.V. present Anton Chekhov’s great 19th century classic, The Seagull, a heart-wrenching and darkly funny story about love, art and ill-fated ambition. “It is life itself onstage with all its tragic alliances, eloquent thoughtlessness and silent sufferings the sort of everyday life that is accessible to everyone and understood in its cruel internal irony by almost no one” (Anatoly Koni). Adapted by Tom Stoppard, Directed by Bogdan Tabacaru and Produced by Katrin Fegert.

ESME Singers join ENTITY for Live Radio Broadcast Production!

Tickets for the Matinee are still available: https://www.eventbrite.com/

Performing as live carollers, members of ESME e.V. have joined this special Entity e.V. production to add a winter dusting of holiday spirit! It will be a night of Christmas carols and live sound effects as the cast brings to life the 1940s story of idealistic George Bailey, who spent his entire life giving up his dreams for the good of his town. This 1940s live radio broadcast is an adaptation by Tony Palermo of Frank Capra’s beloved American holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Audiences worldwide can TUNE IN digitally from the Entity IWL website HERE!

Upcoming Concerts and Events

Newsletter

This post is our newsletter — subscribe to have a version with a ticket link for each concert sent to you as soon as we have it!  More regular news, posts and updates go out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. All our social media channels are linked at the bottom of each page. 

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Fly away on ESME e.V. airlines!

Don’t miss our annual Summer Concert!

Take a whistle stop world tour in the company of the ESME Orchestra, Singers and Resident Alien Big Band! Fly with us from the misty Scottish highlands, to Southern Italy for a touch of Sicilian romance. Brazilian rhythms at a Copacabana beach party,  spectacular views of Kilimanjaro rising above the Serengeti and a walk in Memphis are only some of the many experiences on offer. Book your seat and don’t forget to pack your dancing shoes….

Program excerpt:
Hebrides Overture – Felix Mendelssohn
Bohemian Rhapsody – Freddy Mercury
City of Stars (from La La Land) – Justin Hurwitz
Violin Concerto in E minor opus 64 – Felix Mendelssohn 1st movement
solo violin: Stefano Menna from the Munich Symphony Orchestra


Summer Concert tickets are now on sale!

TICKETS

Add this concert to your calendar so you don’t miss out

CALENDAR

The second half of our Summer Concert will keep you traveling right across the dance floor to the groovy beats and heavenly harmonies of the Resident Alien Big Band! Here’s a preview from the recent wedding of one of our own.

Click the ticket link above to secure your seats for:

  • Full Concert -Orchestra, Choir & Party with RABB Adults €18, Students €10 and Children <12 €7
  • Concert Party with RABB only Adults €12, Students €8

Resident Alien Big Band return to Munich’s Stadtgründungsfest 15.06

Get a live taster of our Summer Concert afterparty when the ESME Big Band play the 2019 Stadtgründungsfest, Saturday 15 June in Marienplatz. Bring out your friends and family to soak up the tunes, tap your toes and sip some of Bavaria’s finest brew! (We’ll play approx. 1pm)

Spring Showcase

All photographs by: Alexandra Coman

Our annual Spring Showcase at the Einstein Kulturzentrum was nothing short of sublime. It featured a diverse range of crowd-pleasing performances including a cello duet, charming french chanson, toe-tapping jazz, impassioned opera, a unique ukulele love ballad and a sampling of choral harmonies. Special thanks to our concert management team, Alyssa Filardo and Carina Little, Singers’ conductor Linda Oppermann and to all the performers and helpers who made this such a fun event!

When the conductor’s away, the orchestra will play

Recently the orchestra had a real treat. As their conductor could not make a rehearsal, none other than Bob Ross stepped in. Over two fantastic and hilariously amusing hours the musicians learned a lot, including how to “attack” the music so it won’t “defend itself”. Thank you, Bob – we surely haven’t laughed so much during a rehearsal before! Come see all we’ve learned at our upcoming Summer Concert!

For a taste of Bob’s humour, read his most recent book, Dirigenten und andere Katastrophen. (Use this Amazon link and Amazon.de will donate part of their profit to ESME!)

Another memorable ESME weekend away

All photographs by Daniel Plappert

There was no shortage of smiles, laughter and energizing music at this year’s annual Spring Weekend Away in Bad Schussenried. Some of the highlights included our first joint Orchestra-Singers’ rehearsals led by conductors Johanna Malangré and Linda Oppermann, impromptu orchestra yoga, delicious meals by the friendly Humboldt Institute kitchen staff, lovely llama walks and of course piano sing-alongs lasting into the wee hours of the morning. Come out for our Summer Concert and share in the energy and fun that makes us ESME e.V. Huge thanks goes to Mark Hammond for his organization of this fantastic weekend!

Upcoming Concerts

Newsletter

This post is our newsletter — subscribe to have a version with a ticket link for each concert sent to you as soon as we have it!  More regular news, posts and updates go out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. All our social media channels are linked at the bottom of each page. 

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Announcing the Spring Showcase

You’re in for a treat at this year’s annual Spring Showcase, Sunday 19th May, 16:00 at Einstein-Kulturzentrum.   Let us melt your weekly worries away with an array of classical, pop and folk music performed by various small ensembles from our Singers, Orchestra and Resident Alien Big Band.  From choral pop classics and classical cello to folk and ukulele, there’s something for everyone–families welcome!

Tickets for our “Spring Showcase” are now on sale.
Add the event to your calendar, so you won’t forget.
 

Congratulations to our New Board

Back – Manuela Osinski (Treasurer), Annika Brockhaus (Secretary), Elaine Cole (Co-Chair),  Davy Kazan (Auditor), Alyssa Filardo (Concert Management – Artistic Director), Michael Von Glasow (IT); Front – Mette Holmark (Orchestra Manager), Sam Gelletly (Co-Chair) and Carina Little (Concert Management – Administrator); Not pictured – Sabine Gaumert (Auditor)

Greetings from the newly restructured board! Our goal with this new structure is to make the day to day running of our organization more sustainable and to better accommodate a group of our 160 plus member size. By bringing ensemble and concert teams to the board, and creating teams within each ensemble, we hope to spread the responsibilities and make contributing to our special musical club easier and more attractive.

We’re working on getting the changes,  which were voted in with a large majority at this year’s AGM, fully implemented, and very soon we will be putting workgroups together to help define processes both for the new board positions and for fair member treatment.

We look forward to making music with our members in the concerts and gigs to come in 2019 and especially to seeing our loyal newsletter readers and supporters in the audience!

Fresh Faces in the Lead

The ESME Orchestra and the ESME Singers both began the season with new conductors. Johanna Malangré has taken over the baton for the ESME orchestra, and Linda Oppermann is conducting the Singers for the Spring/Summer season 2019. Welcome to ESME!

ESME Spring Weekend Away May 9-11 2019

We are all looking forward to bringing the ensembles together for another music and fun-filled weekend at the Humboldt Institute in Bad Schussenried.  Along with our first joint rehearsals for the Summer Concert, the weekend is guaranteed to include impromptu jam sessions, laughter and llamas.

Resident Alien Big Band play Munich Unplugged

ESME’s Resident Alien Big Band are back at the Munich Unplugged Festival! Join them on May 24th from 8 to 10 PM at Platzl (near Hofbräuhaus). Bring your dancing shoes and smooth moves!

Open Positions in the Orchestra

At the moment the ESME orchestra are working on a broader orchestral sound. Therefore we are actively looking for some more string players. This season, the Orchestra rehearsals are at Einsteinkultur – the venue of the Spring Showcase. You’re interested in joining? Contact us via the introduction form.

Our Resident Aliens also need more support in the trumpet section. Can you jazz solo? Or perhaps you are not the jazz soloist/ jazz trained, but are a confident sight-reader with the ability to hit the high notes? Or do you have someone in mind who might fit one of those profiles? Then get in touch with the Band Leader, Davy Kazan via bigband@esme-ev.de

Entity is proud to host the FEATS 

Entity Theatre e.V. is proud to host the Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies (FEATS) on 30 May-2 June 2019 in Ottobrunn.  4 Days, 12 Plays. Find more information HERE.

2019 Concerts for your calendar

Newsletter

This post is our newsletter — subscribe to have a version with a ticket link for each concert sent to you as soon as we have it!  More regular news, posts and updates go out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. All our social media channels are linked at the bottom of each page. 

https://esme-ev.de/newsletter_subscribe

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New for Spring Summer 2019

The orchestra had their first rehearsal at a new location and with a new conductor on Monday, 4th Feburary. After a lot of searching, the Einstein Kulturzentrum in Haidhausen were able to offer us a fabulous rehearsal space for our Monday evening rehearsals. Johanna Malangré, our new conductor, put the musicians through their paces with the Hebrides Overture, Gli Aranci Olezzano from Cavallaria Rusticana, and Gershwin’s Summertime, which they will perform together with the Singers and some of the Big Band musicians.

The Singers met up a week earlier and were introduced to Linda Oppermann, their new conductor for the Spring Summer season. Having had to leave our former rehearsal venue, the Singers join the Big Band at the KreativGarage, Ackermannbogen, where they are slightly squished in – but at least they have a space to rehearse (and get to know each other better!). The local pizza parlour proved a popular after-rehearsal location and we are sure will be well frequented this season!

The Big Band already started rehearsing in January, the only ensemble this year with no change in rehearsal location and still with their former-member conductor, Davy Kazan. With further jazz vocal ensemble pieces being added to their repertoire, the Big Band are preparing for performances at many venues throughout the Summer – we will keep you posted!

ESME Spring Weekend Away 10th-12th May 2019

Once again, the Singers and Orchestra will be headed off to Bad Schüssenried to have a weekend of rehearsing and socializing.

2019 Concerts for your calendar

Sunday, May 19, Einstein Kultur – our annual Showcase highlighting smaller ensembles

Saturday, June 29, Kulturzentrum Trudering – our annual Summer Concert, our first time in this venue

 

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The English-Speaking Music Ensembles’ Winter Concert is coming to town…

Take time out from the pre-Christmas bustle on Sunday 9th Dec, 16:00 at Carl-Orff-Saal, Gasteig. Unwind and groove with Verdi, Vince Guaraldi, and Dvorak performed by our three ESME ensembles: The Resident Alien Big Band, the Orchestra, and the Singers. We’ll have at least one waltzing flower, one Tannenbaum, a bit of Charlie Brown and English Christmas carols.

Tickets for our “Tales of Christmas” Concert are now on sale on München Ticket.
Add the event to your calendar, so you won’t forget.

Farewell

This concert is going to be a farewell and welcome at the same time: sadly the orchestra is saying goodbye to their conductor Benedikt Holnaicher. He’s leaving ESME to start a Meister-course in Nuremberg. We are very sorry to see him leave us after so many years, but wish him all the best and hope to see him in the audience of one or two of our future concerts.

And welcome

The Singers, on the other hand, are introducing their new conductor, Andrew Morris.  We asked him a few questions:

1. Full name?
Andrew Morris
2. Voice/ instruments?
Violin, Viola, Piano, Bass Voice
3. Favorite piece of music/composer – why?
Bach – D minor Chaconne for Solo Violin
Why:  Because I once upon a time worked really hard on this for an exam.
4. I like the ESME Singers, because….?
They seem to find my jokes amusing.
5. I’m looking forward to… with them.
Performing with them (of course!)
A little more bit about you:

I originally studied music, specialising in performance on the violin, but like quite a few musicians became a computer programmer instead.  Somehow writing Bach fugues and coding have a lot in common.  After some exciting adventures working with data and quite a few trips around the Far East I ended up in Munich in 2001 when my girlfriend (now my wife) was offered a job here.  When our two children came I knew we were going to stay and that’s when I started studying singing, it being easier to sing with a baby on your lap than to play the violin.  The singing led to running courses in English and singing in schools and kindergartens and a certificate in choir conducting.  I also became conductor of the Munich Ladies Choir who very generously let me develop my conducting technique over six years.  When not making music I enjoy being in the mountains; skiing or walking according to the season.

Welcome Andrew — we look forward to more laughing with you!

 

ESME Autumn Weekend Away Nov. 9-11 2018

We are looking forward to a weekend full of Christmas spirit at the beautiful and well-equipped Bayerische Musikakademie at Schloss Alteglofsheim. There will be plenty of rehearsing, but also lots of fun while preparing for our winter concert.  Pictured below are some folks enjoying the spring weather with a walk in the countryside during our Spring EWA — our Autumn EWA typically also involves country walks, but with heavier jackets!

The ESME Singers – Extra Performances

In addition to preparing for a festive concert, the Singers are also planning a few extras this winter: on Oct. 31 several passionate singers are going to Berlin to sing in a mass performance of the Armed Man: A Mass for Peace on Nov. 2, for the 100th anniversary of the end of WWII.  The composer Sir Karl Jenkins will himself be conducting the piece.  Livestream the event within Germany at 20:00 from the link below!
One Christmas-themed concert is not enough: the Singers have also been invited to sing carols and other wintery tunes from the City Hall balcony at Marienplatz as part of the city’s Advent celebrations, above the largest Christmas market in town.  The Singers applied for this privilege years ago and have finally been accepted – we have arrived in the Munich cultural scene!  Come along and listen with Glühwein or Feuerzangenbowle!

The Resident Alien Big Band Additional Gigs

In mid-October, The Resident Alien Big Band was booked into the Grüner Saal of Zum Augustiner for ESME founder Mark Davey’s round birthday (and celebration of his and Belinda Grützun’s wedding).  Congratulations again! The event was opened to the public once the band started up, and they played on until the wee hours of the morning.  The Aliens have been booked for other private functions as well, but of course we can’t show you pictures of those — Datenschutz!  We did get permission to post a very large video file of a very German ritual (thanks Peter Stiff!): the tapping of a wooden keg, just like at Oktoberfest!

Our friends at Entity Theatre e.V. present: “Lend Me A Tenor” by Ken Ludwig

A surefire screwball comedy with loads of laughs! “Lend Me A Tenor” by Ken Ludwig performed by our friends from the Entity Theatre e.V. will whisk you away to the wild and crazy world of opera.  Jump into the United States of the 1930s and experience an evening of glamor, entertainment and music. You will join the protagonist on his journey from zero to hero, careening all the way from one disaster to the next. “Lend Me A Tenor” is charming and full of quick, sharp dialog and jazzy music.

Opening night is November 1, 2018, at Pepper Theater Neuperlach. Members and friends of ESME are welcome to come along particularly on Nov. 3: meet ESME’s new Social Coordinator Irina Popescu (who has promised to wear a red sweater) at 19:30 at the bar downstairs to get seats together for showtime at 20:00. Other ESME members are also already going on Nov. 1 and Nov. 8, so you’re sure to find someone you know if you go on any of those dates!  ESME and Entity have several members in common, too — see if you can spot them in action!

2019 Concerts for your calendar

Sunday, May 19, Einstein Kultur – our annual Showcase highlighting smaller ensembles

Saturday, June 29, Kulturzentrum Trudering – our annual Summer Concert, our first time in this venue

Newsletter

This post is actually our newsletter — subscribe to have a version with a ticket link for each concert sent to you as soon as we have it!  More regular news and posts go out over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., all of which accounts are linked at the bottom of each page – but the newsletter will get to you no matter how those algorithms get changed.

https://esme-ev.de/newsletter_subscribe