Sophie Hunger / Metropole Orkest / Jochen Neuffer

Sophie Hunger / Metropole Orkest / Jochen Neuffer

»The result is astonishing, surprising, often absolutely stunning,« wrote the Süddeutsche Zeitung about concerts featuring Sophie Hunger and the orchestra from her home city of Bern. Now the Swiss singer-songwriter icon celebrates the start of her »Reflektor« festival at the Elbphilharmonie with symphonic arrangements of her best songs, this time accompanied by the Metropole Orkest, one of the best pop orchestras in the world. With this major concert event, Sophie Hunger joins the ranks of Shirley Bassey, Ella Fitzgerald, Laura Mvula, Snarky Puppy and many other musical greats. They all performed with the Metropole Orkest, which earned them 21 Grammy nominations and 4 Grammy awards. It is not only the large line-up with integrated big band that makes the Metropole Orkest from Hilversum unique, but also its decades of specialisation in large-scale popular music. The orchestra is conducted by Jochen Neuffer, who arranged Sophie Hunger’s songs for the symphonic line-up. Numerous projects of this kind have already seen him join forces with pop and jazz greats such as Gregory Porter, Lalah Hathaway, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Robbie Williams, Donny McCaslin, Jacob Collier and Mark Guiliana.

MEAU & Metropole Orkest

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.

MEAU & Metropole Orkest

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.

Avishai Cohen Metropole Orkest

Drummer Louis Cole cancelled his October 6, 2024, concert with the Metropole Orkest in Essen, along with the rest of the tour. Bassist Avishai Cohen will replace him on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Known for his unique style and technical perfection, Cohen is a leading bassist, captivating audiences with his compositions and virtuosity. He blends global styles in his music and has collaborated with Chick Corea, Bobby McFerrin, and Alicia Keys. The Metropole Orkest, under Jules Buckley, will join Cohen, performing new and existing works.

Richard Bona Metropole Orkest

Richard Bona and the Metropole Orkest reunite for a performance of orchestral arrangements of Bona's original music. Bona, a bassist, guitarist, and singer from Cameroon, blends jazz, world music, and pop. A special children's program is available during the first half of the concert.

Louis Cole, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley

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.

Sophie Hunger: Walzer für Niemand

»Walzer für Niemand« (Waltz for Nobody): that’s the name of a song by Sophie Hunger, released in 2008 on her debut album »Monday’s Ghost«. And it is also the name of her first novel, which will be published in spring 2025. The coming-of-age story, which is as unfathomable as it is poetic, tragicomic and sophisticated, tells of what we have to lose in order to become something. As part of her »Reflektor« festival at the Elbphilharmonie, Sophie Hunger will read from her book and sing some of her songs, accompanied only by herself on the guitar. The novel tells the story of a girl and her best friend Niemand. Their upbringing is characterised by constant changes of location. Carried by the rhythm of music, they experience the magic and shocks of childhood and adolescence. They are happiest when they lose themselves in their record collection or find the phrases in songs that have always lurked inside them. They hide in the music and are hidden by it, but they always have each other. But then the friendship cracks and a catastrophe is in the offing.

Cécile McLorin Salvant & Metropole Orkest & Darcy James Argue

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.

Sophie Straat – Punk & Plush

SOPHIE RENNERT & JOSEPH MIDDLETON

On the operatic stage, Austrian mezzo­soprano Sophie Rennert is acclaimed for her portrayals of Baroque heroines—including her celebrated debut as Galatea in the staged production of Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo in November 2023 at the Pierre Boulez Saal. Together with pianist Joseph Middleton, she now gives voice to her other great passion: the lied repertoire. In addition to a selection of works by Franz Schubert, the duo performs Mahler’s moving Rückert Songs.