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!

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!

 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!

Text by Rona Murray, photographs by Aurelien Godenir

Whether you were at the showcase or unfortunately missed it, don’t forget the ESME Summer Concert on the 13th of July at 18:00 in the Kulturzentrum, Trudering. It’s going to be Hot, Hot, Hot!

How do you describe the audience noise pre ESME Spring Showcase? A hubbub, a chattering, even a coo-ing of voices?  Whatever springs to your mind, there was anticipation in the air on that last Sunday in April in Halle 1 at Einstein Kultur for the ESME Spring Showcase.

The concert opened, courtesy of the fabulous lighting from the equally fabulous Hans, as if in a purple, velveteen music box.  In the dark, the box sprung open with the choir’s opening blast of fresh Spring air: a ‘Cantate Domino’ (a capella), strong, clear and bell- like through all the different layers of voices. As a surprise,  the stylus hit a new groove straight away with ‘Elijah Rock’, with its gospel rhythmic bursts and tight, quiet choral humming. 

So, early then, it was a proper variety (chocolate) box of traditional and modern treats.    The classical note reappeared with Elaine Cole and Caro Kelley and divine  ‘Blessed Spirits’.  It’s Spring, so what lover does not try their best to find a mate? Try either ‘Mon Coeur se Recommande a Vous’ or ‘Matona Mia Cara’: In the hands of the quartet “The False Relations” – Linda Oppermann, Thomas Padel, Stefano Ceolin and Bryony Preynat – – it turned into a beautiful, four-part harmony.  The cellist trio of Victor Galea, Clara Müller and Richard Bromham then struck an elegiac note with ‘Requiem’, moving us from a minor to a major key.  Rebirth beckons! 

If Spring means new life, then several pieces celebrated this by reimagining older songs, breathing fresh energy through them.  Jorge Cristobal and Linus Heckemann found a dynamic stillness in Bob Dylan’s ‘Make you Feel my Love’ retold as a quiet song of unrequited love. By contrast, Jana Huß and Linus tripped up Franz Ferdinand’s punk posturing, turning it into a song  – ‘Take Me Out’ –  ‘a deux’ for all of us who have watched the party from the sidelines.  The jazz ensemble grew before our eyes with Davy Kazan, Elaine Cole, Rebecca Sadler and Theo Kazan who reinvented ‘The Way you Look Tonight’ to get even us wallflowers moving! 

The Spring Showcase, then, was definitely all about the romance.  But if the audience was now coo-ing comfortably in their perches, they needed to be more alert!  Enter three wise women – Annie Janssen, Emily Burnell Petrou, and Eva Netzhammer – to sing of the magpie, symbol of love and romance (Eastern cultures) versus symbol of evil (Western).  They incanted, with measured harmony, that ‘devil, devil, we defy thee’.  We were in safe hands with them and, therefore – possibly – in a friendly relationship with our feathered friends. 

Or maybe not, when birds gathered again for a fateful rendezvous on Julie Chalfin’s balcony. She followed up with a bright, upbeat invitation on a date to ‘poison pigeons in the park.’

The last ensemble performed a blistering rendition of Billy Joel’s ‘Root Beer Rag’, with  Linda Oppermann, Frances Hughes and Mark Hammond, who were joined half way through by Bryony Preynat, Ryanne Leong and Brian Eve on trombone who added a delightful, comedic touch.

The choir then returned and, by the looks of things, a few of them had had a drink (and it wasn’t root beer) at the bar in the interval as they wondered what to do with a ‘Drunken Sailor’. After a lot of rollicking (or rowlocking), stamping of feet and mysterious nautical terms, no conclusion was reached, so they moved on the grand finale – continuing the aquatic theme with an emotional yet energetic ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’.

Less coo-ing, then, but this offer – as with all the other ensembles – was irresistible.  Grand or intimate, bold or soothing – the musical harmonies weaved around us making for a lovely atmosphere, sing to each of us and all of us together as to a loved one:  “and so it goes, and so it goes” and “you’re the only one who knows.”

We hope to see you all on the 13th of July!