Martin Suter & Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre

Lakecia Benjamin

Alles nur Pose? Mitnichten. Lakecia Benjamin kann zwar jede Menge optische Pluspunkte sammeln, weiß jedoch auch musikalisch zu überzeugen. Die Saxofonistin erlebt mit dem aktuellen Album »Phoenix« einen furiosen Karrieresprung, der sogar in einer Grammy-Nominierung mündet.Seit 2020 geht es rasant aufwärts: Mit ihrem Album »Pursuance«, eine Hommage an John und Alice Coltrane, sorgte Lakecia Benjamin international für Aufsehen. Aber nicht nur mit beeindruckender Livepräsenz, sondern auch als charismatische Integrationsfigur setzt die Altsaxofonistin Akzente. Als Arrangeurin vereint sie wie selbstverständlich verschiedene Musikergenerationen, Genres und Kulturen. Keine Frage, Lakecia Benjamin ist eine Persönlichkeit, die dem Jazz völlig neue Impulse geben kann.

Lakecia Benjamin

A winner of the German Jazz Prize 2023 is headed for the Elbphilharmonie, with saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin set to take to the stage. Born in New York in 1982, she is performing her politically motivated concept album »Phoenix«, which responds to a post-Covid America where racism and poverty are on the rise, as well as dealing with the self-confidence of black women. Just a cursory glance at the cover of »Phoenix« makes it clear where Lakecia Benjamin sees her roots. Resplendent in gold costume and white boots, she proudly shows off her instrument like a sceptre, referencing the fighting spirit of Black Power activist and singer Betty Davis, the Afrofuturism of Sun Ra and the importance of ancient African kingdoms. Benjamin grew up in New York’s Latino neighbourhood Washington Heights, playing in salsa and merengue bands there and establishing herself as a session musician after graduating from music school. She has performed with Stevie Wonder and Harry Belafonte, and has toured with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliot. After two funk-heavy albums, she turned her attention to the cosmic phase of Alice and John Coltrane. This influence can also be heard on »Phoenix«, in Benjamin’s furious yet lyrical intonation with the alto saxophone and through the dense interplay with her band – with Victor Gould on piano, Ivan Taylor on bass and the fabulous drummer E.J. Strickland. This is music serving as a spiritual, healing force!

Benjamin Kruithof

Kickstart your morning with music from some of the most influential composers of the late 19th and 20th centuries, performed by cellist Benjamin Kruithof.

Michael Martin

Photographer and author Michael Martin presents his live multivision show»Planet Desert«, a fascinating visual journey through the arid and icy deserts of the world. Michael Martin travels with his viewers from the North Pole to the South Pole, circumnavigating the globe four times – by motorbike, dogsled, camel, off-road vehicle, helicopter and on skis. The spectacular multivision show begins in the Arctic at the North Cape and leads via Spitsbergen and Siberia to Alaska, Canada and Greenland and finally to the North Pole. The second circumnavigation begins in the Arabian Rub al Khali and makes its way across the Asian and North American deserts to the Sahara. In the southern hemisphere, the Namib and Kalahari as well as the Australian and South American deserts take centre stage. The fourth circumnavigation of the globe takes Michael Martin around Antarctica and finally to the South Pole. Planet Desert combines photography, geography and adventure in a unique way as a lecture, illustrated book, TV film and exhibition. Please note: This event takes place in German.

Michael Martin

With his new multivision project »TERRA«, Michael Martin presents a unique portrait of Planet Earth. He travelled around the world with a camera for five years working on the project. The result: spectacular images from the Arctic, the Himalayas, the South Pacific, the savannahs of eastern Africa and a host of other unforgettable locations.

Michael Martin

Michael Martin has been travelling the world by motorbike for almost thirty years. After travelling to Morocco on a moped as a schoolboy in 1981, it was a decade before he rode through Africa on a motorbike for the first time. Since then, he has not only crossed the deserts of Africa, but also the deserts of Asia, Australia and America on his motorbike. Michael Martin has not only travelled through deserts, but has also conquered 5000-metre-high Himalayan passes on his GS and ventured into the Canadian Arctic in winter. In 2018 and 2019, he travelled with his bike in the East African Rift Valley, in the Andes and in Central Asia, and in subsequent years in Germany, the Alps and southern Europe.

Martin Kohlstedt

It goes without saying that The Concertgebouw and jazz & pop music make a perfect combination. The stages of both the Main Hall and the Recital Hall have borne witness to nearly the whole of jazz history. Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald have both performed here, as have Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. Famous pop stars and bands that have graced the stage of the Main Hall include Frank Zappa, the Doors and the Eagles, to name but a few. Legendary concerts, in the present as well as the past.

Martin Tingvall

The multi-award-winning, internationally successful pianist and composer Martin Tingvall presents his current solo programme for the album »When Light Returns« for the first time in Hamburg. The audience will be taken on a highly poetic, sometimes thought-provoking and then again upbeat journey in which Tingvall will present classics such as the pieces »Hope« and »Vägen« as well as tongue-in-cheek »inspirations« of classical models by Mozart and Bach – his music brings light and warmth into the dark season!

Martin Kohlstedt

Martin Kohlstedt is a prominent composer, pianist, and producer known for instrumental music and electronica. His albums and reworks have earned international acclaim, leading to world tours. His concerts blend cutting-edge electronica with classical piano, ambient sounds, field recordings, and score design. Kohlstedt's modular composing style incorporates improvisation and audience interaction. He has collaborated with renowned partners like GewandhausChor Leipzig and artists such as Douglas Dare and Sudan Archives. He also composes soundtracks and runs his own label, Edition Kohlstedt, alongside a reforestation project.

Martin Kohlstedt