Sound LAB

Winter holidays music lab ‘Pzzktz’

This year's winter holiday music lab ‘Pzzktz’ is dedicated entirely to rhythm, and it does so in a variety of ways: in one lab, the whole body becomes an instrument; another lab introduces children to rhythm with language and the mouth; and in the third lab, the children explore our Tischlerei venue to see what can be done with rhythm. The labs will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day from 3 to 8 February. On 8 February at 4 p.m., the young rhythm researchers will present the results of their lab work at the Tischlerei. The following labs are available: If your child wants to register for this year's winter holiday music lab, please indicate two desired labs. Depending on availability, we will then form the groups and assign the participants to one of the selected labs. Lab 1: Let's groove – rhythm in motion In this workshop, our whole body becomes an instrument. We will clap, snap our fingers, stamp, hop, whistle and sing. You will get to know rhythm games and we will invent a few rhythms together. If you want to move and make music without having to pick up an instrument, this is the right place for you. The workshop is led by Myriam Brigmann. Workshop 2: Master of the Ceremony – Rap and Beatboxing In this workshop, you will learn how to beatbox and rap really well yourself. We have been on the road a lot in recent years with our art and now we want to show you what it takes to put on a great show on stage. Learn with us how to write interesting texts and perform complex beats using only your mouth. We will also make recordings and develop a performance for the final day. We look forward to seeing you! The lab is led by Damion and Kays. Laboratory 3: Spatial Sound In this workshop, we will explore how a room can sound: we will play on walls, doors, banisters and even the floor of the carpentry workshop and find out how something sounds differently depending on whether you tap, strike or pound it, caress, wipe or scratch it. If you want to make sounds with ...

"Der Sandmann"

Composer Günter Steinke found E.T.A. Hoffmann's "The Sandman" ideal for a musical psychodrama. The piece focuses on Nathanael, who recounts his father's alchemical experiments with Coppelius and his infatuation with the automaton Olympia. The 2021 premiere team, Ensemble Ascolta and Gerhard Mohr, will perform Steinke's "Sandmann" for the NOW! Festival's Halloween opening.

"Wenn Du mich hörst ..."

The Studio Musikfabrik was an ideal ensemble for composer Peter Eötvös. It guides young, pre-college musicians in performing contemporary music. The program includes a commissioned work by Ioannis Mitsialis, Orestis Papaioannou's "dream\breathe" quartet (referencing Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream"), Zeynep Toraman's energetic "Epokhe," and Zeynep Gedizlioglu's mini-drama "Wenn Du mich hörst, klopf zweimal" for soprano and string quartet.

WDR Sinfonie­orchester "mein Fleisch"

Nicolaus A. Huber will celebrate his 85th birthday on December 15, 2024. The NOW! Festival sends him birthday greetings in advance. Huber, a native of Lower Bavaria, left a huge mark on Essen as a composition professor at the Folkwang University from 1974 to 2004. His former student, Gordon Kampe, composed a commissioned work for two voices and orchestra. Johannes Maria Staud's new percussion concerto and two Huber classics will be performed. In 2017, he composed "...der arabischen 4", and with "laissez vibrer", he composed the first solo for 18 tubular bells, reminiscent of his childhood.

"Mes Adieux"

Since the 18th century, the string trio has long been overshadowed by the string quartet. However, this genre has flourished among significant composers again from the beginning of the 20th century. This includes Arnold Schönberg (150th birthday), whose technically demanding piece was written in 1946. The Freiburg Trio Recherche emphasizes its exceptional status with three other string trios. The English post-avant-gardist Brian Ferneyhough composed a piece in 1995. Half a century lies between the two string trios by Helmut Lachenmann.

"drawing a straight line in a curved universe"

In the 1960s, choreographer Merce Cunningham dreamed of electronically notating dance. Composer Roman Pfeifer, inspired by this vision, created the transdisciplinary piece "drawing a straight line in a curved universe." He applied computer-generated dance technologies to music, presenting new possibilities and challenges for the Kammerelektronik ensemble, which Pfeifer founded to connect sound, instrumental gesture, light, space, and dance.

FAMILY CONCERT Fascination orchestra sound

FAMILY CONCERT: THE SOUND OF CLIMATE

FAMILY CONCERTSfor children and young people from 8 years

FAMILY CONCERT: THE SOUND OF CLIMATE

FAMILY CONCERTSfor children and young people from 8 years