by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Projekt DIETRICH B. 80 des Ensemble Nobiles

Zum 80. Todestag von Dietrich Bonhoeffer hat das Ensemble Nobiles das Projekt DIETRICH B. 80 ins Leben gerufen.

2025 jährt sich der Todestag Dietrich Bonhoeffers zum 80. Mal. Der lutherische Theologe wurde als einer der letzten NS-Gegner am 09. April 1945 im Konzentrationslager Flossenbürg hingerichtet.

Die Strahlkraft der Glaubensgedanken ist es, die das Ensemble Nobiles inspirierte ein Projekt von internationalem Format zur Ehrung Dietrich Bonhoeffers zu konzipieren. Für einen großen gemischten Chor und Männervokalquintett sollen sechs Komponisten aus Amerika, England, Deutschland, Australien und Neuseeland mit der Vertonung einer Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Messe beauftragt werden. 

Mit der European Voices Association e. V. konnte ein gemeinnütziger Verein als Partner gefunden werden, der das Projekt DIETRICH B. 80 unterstützt durch das Einwerben und Weiterleiten von Spendengeldern.

Der Vorstand des gemeinnützigen Vereins European Voices Association e. V. war sofort begeistert von unserem Vorhaben und hat zwischenzeitlich einen Kooperationsvertrag mit dem Ensemble Nobiles geschlossen, um bei diesem Vorhaben zur Seite stehen zu können. 

Details zum Projekt und Möglichkeiten dieses durch eine Spende zu unterstützen finden sich auf der Homepage des Ensemble Nobiles unter:

www.ensemblenobiles.de/dietrichb

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Winner of the European Voices Award 2023

We are proud to announce, that this years European Voices Award goes to:

ONAIR
Since 2013, the Berlin a cappella ensemble: André Bachmann, Marta Helmin, Jennifer Kothe and Patrick Oliver, present vocal perfection, artistic arrangements, as well as innovative sound design and extensive stage performance.

The ensemble will perform at the Münster Vocal Festival 2024, on Saturday, September 28th.

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Acappella-online.de Now Hosted by EVA

We are very pleased to inform you that the European Voices Association (EVA) will take over the platform “acapella-online.de” on October 1st. We thank Volker Bauer – the founder and long-time operator of this site – very much for his confidence in us and assure him to give our best and to continue his work conscientiously. Volker Bauer writes the following about his decision:

Dear singers, groups, fans, enthusiasts of vocal music.

Alea iacta est – as the Latin says. The dice have been thrown, a decision has been made, one door is just beginning to close, while another, hopefully bigger one, is opening up and revealing a glimpse of the future of acappella-online.de.

As you may have read on the website and in other places during the last weeks and months, I was looking for successors – because for health reasons I could not do a project like acappella-online.de anymore, and certainly not alone. I was quite open whether this is an individual like me, who does it out of pure enthusiasm, an organisation that already deals with vocal music, or a group of people, who combine to rejuvenate acappella-online.de. There were a lot of conversations, discussions, considerations and procedural models.

Today I can announce the result of this work:

European Voices Association e. V. (EVA) takes over acappella-online.de, the platform for vocal music in German-speaking countries.

I am optimistic that the colleagues from EVA will manage to transform the website, the platform and the information into the here and now and that you, who use the website, will enjoy browsing on acappella-online.de again.

I would like to thank you all for your years of loyalty and support. You have always made sure that I have further developed, supported and expanded. Moreover, not to forget, you took care of the content. acappella-online.de is what you call “community driven” – I took care of the framework, you took care of the content. I thank you very much for that.

My thanks and fingers crossed to European Voices Association, who will now start to fulfil the expectations I and you set in them regarding the new, polished acappella-online.de.

All the best to you and lots of fun with music only made from vocal chords …

Volker
“acappellamaniac”

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Es klappert die Mühle am rauschenden Bach

A personal review of this year’s International A Cappella Competition in Graz by our Vice-Chairman Peter Martin Jacob

„Es klappert die Mühle am rauschenden Bach“, an Arrangement of this traditional German Folksong by German Vocal Group str8voices was considered to be the „most creative arrangement of the pop category“ at this year’s International A Cappella Competition Graz. The jury also praised the performance of the song. str8voices from Hannover also won the 2nd prize in the pop category. Some of you might know the eight singers from their little youtube-hit, an arrangement of the Star Wars Soundtrack of „The Force awakens“. If not, check it out here. I wish this extraordinary vocal group a continuing splendid career, as they already sing together since eight years. May the Force be with u!

Graz in summer is always worth going there. Where else can you experience around twenty vocal groups of all over the world in three days, not to mention the fabulous climate, the great food and the lovely tiny second largest city in Austria? It’s also very cool to meet so many folks of the a cappella family and have a chat or two.

Apart from str8voices, that surprised me as I have never seen them before, I especially was deeply impressed by the ensemble Georgian Six from … tataaa… Georgia, the European Eastern state at the south-end of the Caucasus. The two female and four male singers showed a highly remarkable performance, in the Jazz Category and particularly in the Classical Category. In both Categories they won the audience award, which is a great statement, I think. I’ve never heard such an amazing version of Khachaturian’s „Sabre Dance“ before, as well as I was very impressed by the own compositions of this perfectly singing group. Their music, as we learned by the adorable and really sweet tall black-haired female singer, is a mix of asian, arabian, georgian, slavic and european influences. A great worldmusic-mix. Highly recommended to everybody. Check out the Vokal Total youtube-channel. You will see and hear what I mean.

Another really striking appearance at this year‘s competition had the young German Vocal Group Quintense from Leipzig. The young two female and three male singers are music students, they founded the group one and a half years ago. Graz was about their fifth public gig, and they won the Jazz Category. Isn’t that amazing? In Pop, they managed to reach the third prize and the audience award. Congratulations! What an outcome! Oh, and they also received the magenta talent trophy, which is given since two years to a very talented ensemble.

In my opinion also worth to mention: Gretchens Antwort, four girls from Berlin. Really great singers. And I like the attitude! And their versions of „Männer“ from Herbert Grönemeyer and their arrangement of Cohen’s „Halleluja“. Upsweep from Rome/Italy. Check out this video. They can sing AND move. They also know how to dress on stage (Italians!), Their „Cry me a river“ thrilled me. And I really liked the grooving base.

In my opinion also worth to mention: Gretchens Antwort, four girls from Berlin. Really great singers. And I like the attitude! And their versions of „Männer“ from Herbert Grönemeyer and their arrangement of Cohen’s „Halleluja“. Upsweep from Rome/Italy. Check out this video. They can sing AND move. They also know how to dress on stage (Italians!), Their „Cry me a river“ thrilled me. And I really liked the grooving base.

Upsweep

Under this link you get an overview of all the prizes, diplomas and awards that were given this year to the participating groups.

Come to Graz in July next year and experience the outdoor opening ceremony called „Marktschreierei“ as well as the great „Dom im Berg“ and the pretty „Minoritensaal“ as the two venues of the competitions. Really extraordinary! Listen to the singing world, dance with the participants at the party, drink and have fun till four o clock in the morning (or later) or just be impressed of great voices.

Yours

Peter

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Feature: Kreativo Vocal Band (SI)

Natural, organic and fresh sounds as it was straight from a backyard passionately composed into rich and full-flavoured harmonies. 
Six vocal enthusiasts joined in the pursuit of a simple goal of capturing the natural warmth and harmony of human voices and translating them into a sensual experience for the enjoyment of the listeners. 
Music is a universal language – there is no instrument more primal than that of a human body and no rhythm more pure that the sound of a beating heart. 
In our musical ventures, we always strive to create a comprehensive harmony of sounds. As the six voices become one we suddenly become aware that the essence of beauty is not at all pretentious, but merely a simple and natural occurrence. With time and persistence such beauty can mature and bring out its genuine splendour and creativity. 

In 2013, the Kreativo Vocal Band began to invest more time to their song creation process with the desire to fulfill their common passion and calling to perform Jazz, Pop and Country music among other popular genres. All singers still continue to perfect their vocal techniques and have a long track record performing at small- and large-scale events world-wide. We give an appealing and playful twist to well known hits of the Slovenian and foreign songs, and in 2015 we have released our first album with arrangements of popular Slovenian songs. 

In addition to performing at various events we have already held numerous independents shows, among which is the traditional annual concert “Igramo na Glas” (Fierce and Loud), and in September 2014 we performed in the non-competitive part of the Slovenian Song Festival. We partake in different music festivals for vocal groups held in Slovenia and abroad, and we already pride ourselves with several more prominent achievements. In 2015, we performed at the International Vokal Total Festival in Austria and were awarded the Silver Award in the “Jazz” category, and also a special Bronze Ward Swingle Award. In May 2016, we attended the Slovenian A Cappella Festival called “Sredi Zvezd” (Among the Stars) held in Žalec and won first place. In July 2016, we appeared at the Total Vokal Festival again and won first place in the “Pop” category, and we were presented with a Gold Award and a Gold Ward Swingle Award. 

With the awards came numerous opportunities to work with famous people from the world of the a cappella music, including Peder Karlsson, Anders Jalkeus (The Real Group) and Andrea Figallo (Flying Pickets). All artists are former members of world-renowned vocal bands with the current mission to spread their rich knowledge and experience among other enthusiasts of vocal music. Working with these experts is key to our professional development; therefore, we hope these cooperations will be the source for our creative and artistic growth in the future.

KATJA KOVAČIČ
Soprano

Tranquil and hard-working girl born and bred in Ljubljana. A lawyer by profession, and a rocker by heart who swears by Japanese cars and sticks to Styrian men (Štajerska region).

JANA GAMSER
Alto

Hard-working, conscientious and uncompromisingly strict when it comes to music performance. Her velvety voice will leave you speechless.

ALEŠ MAJERIČ
Tenor

His sensitive humour and orderly old-fashioned upbringing always follow him around. Love for women, dedicated singing and passion for sports are what keeps him young at heart.

SAMO VOVK
Tenor / Vocal drums

The personification of music itself. Someone, who feels right at home between the lines and spaces of the staff. Relentless Jazz player with a perfect pitch for rhythm and intonation. Favourite waste of time – the electric guitar.

DOMINIK ŠTRUCELJ
Tenor / Vocal drums

The most friendly “drum machine” in the Universe and a matchless sound engineer, hacker and heartily White Carniolan (region of Bela Krajina)

LUKA ČERNE
Bass

A thrifty and resourceful bass singer from Upper Carniola (Gorenjska region) with strong managerial skills. Time is his worst enemy, but when it comes to music, everything can be put on hold.

http://www.kreativo.si/

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für It’s in our blood: An interview with Ensemble Nobiles

When tenors Paul Heller and Christian Pohlers, baritone Felix Hübner, and basses Lukas Lomtscher and Lucas Heller started Ensemble Nobiles, they already knew they wanted to be a professional a cappella group. The singers had met in St. Thomas Boys’ Choir in Leipzig, in which they had all sung for nine years or more and had learned musicianship and how to create a blended choral sound.

At first, they tried music in a number of different styles, including vocal jazz and arrangements by the popular German group The Wise Guys. However, it quickly became clear: pop a cappella isn’t in their blood.

So what is in the group’s blood? In a word, the choral tradition of Leipzig. In the St. Thomas’ Boys’ Choir, they grew up on the music of Bach and other liturgical and German composers. Once they began to focus on their strengths, the group began to experience much more success: they have sung new commissions by contemporary composers, have won several awards, and had 97 performances in 2015.

Unlike many a cappella groups, especially pop groups, Ensemble Nobiles doesn’t re-arrange songs. The two tenors, Paul Heller and Christian Pohlers, are both composers as well as singers, and the group has performed some of their original pieces. Otherwise, they stick to classical and contemporary choral repertoire written or arranged for four or five male voices. Their current repertoire includes some Weill, some Gershwin, some Hugo Distler, and the Leipzieger Liedertafel program: an evening of music by German Romantic composers with connections of some sort to Leipzig.

They do enjoy a somewhat wider range of music, however: Christian is currently studying opera and is a fan of Puccini; Lukas L. is partial to Poulenc, and Lucas H., Paul’s twin, likes Arthur Sullivan’s “The Long Day Closes.”  

To experience the music that flows through their veins, check out http://www.ensemblenobiles.de/new-events-1/ for information on their upcoming concerts.

A previous version of this article contained some innaccuracies, for which we apologize. –Ed.

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für EKTE «Vocal Music Connected to Earth»

Two male choir students Federico Trindade and Vemund Kjelstad at The Royal Academy of Music Aalborg, create fall 2015 the vocal group EKTE. A project-based group with the intention of cooperating with musicians and ensembles from all over the world. With music written by themselves, they want to share authentic stories about real life.

The Uruguayan and the Norwegian

It all begins spring 2015, when we discover the extraordinary chemistry we have together. We sing arrangements of Latin-American melodies, and everything fits. The harmonies create vibrations we can feel all the way out in our fingertips. The strong feelings in one of Piazzola´s tangoes, can with Federicos irascible, up-tempo melody and my aggressive, heavy bass, fill the whole room. We agree we need to share this, and the search for female singers begins.

The first project

Fall 2015 we gather three female singers from the conservatory for joining EKTE´s first project. The repertoire consists of self-written arrangements and compositions in the genre World Music. Since Federico and I met first time when we started our education at The Royal Academy of Music in Aalborg, both had a fascination of folk traditions around the world. Project 1 results in arrangements of a Brazilian samba, a folk-dance from Norway and a Syrian lullaby. Furthermore, we make three compositions that takes you on a journey including vibes of Africa, Middle East and Indigenous people. The projects danish singers(Anna Dyrvig, Marie Hahne og Anne Lindahl) are wildly enthusiastic about the music and enter the studio ready for creating something unique. After an intens week in the studio, it results in six tracks everybody enjoy a lot.

The ideas behind

The idea behind EKTE is to create authentic musically moments together with other musicians and ensembles. We want to write original music made for the ensemble we are cooperating with. It can be all kinds of constellations: a choir, a vocal group, a band etc. A liveshow together with a vocal group could for instance consist of the vocal groups own repertoar and our arrangements/compositions, written for the occasion. In addition, for those who would like it, we want to have passages were the music is being improvised in the moment. This, we think, will add a new dimension, and create these authentic moments we seek when making music. According to us, music should be trustworthy and authentic. It should express feelings and emotions about the real life. It can be compared with telling a story. A good story is often being told with great passion and conviction, which can make the listeners feel they are a part of it themselves. Likewise, we want to express and share our musical stories with passion and emotions from inside our hearts.

EKTE 2016

The new year will bring many exicting EKTE Projects. We are in touch with the awarded and famous beat boxers Indra and RoxorLoops. Together with a former Swingle, Tobias Hug, and the danish choir-proffesor and founder of VoxNorth, Jim Daus Hjernoe, we also got plans. Not to mention upcoming liveshows this Spring. In March, EKTE will participate in a concert administrated by Peder Karlsson consisting among others by the Music Academy choir of Aalborg, RAMA voices. In April, Project 1 will be performed live during the RAMA-festival, a yearly festival students of the conservatory present their own music.

We are so much looking forward, and can barely wait!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vocalekte/

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Don’t Miss the Bus—an Interview with Bliss

Lukas glanced at his watch as he hurried toward the bus stop. If the bus was just a few minutes late, he might still be able to catch it. As he rounded the corner, he saw his bus waiting at the stop, and he started to run, but it was too late. As he raced breathlessly towards the bus, it started to pull away. He waved frantically at the driver, trying to catch his attention, but the driver didn’t see him or just didn’t care.

Typical. He slowed to a walk, trying to catch his breath. And of course, there was nowhere to sit and wait. With a sigh, he resigned himself to waiting for the next one.

Little did he know that missed bus would change his life. 

Matthias, founding member and music director of the a cappella group Bliss and a friend of Lukas’ from university, was also running after a bus that day. And he couldn’t be late. When his bus left without him, he raced it to the next stop and managed to get on it anyway.

When Lukas’ bus finally came, he stepped on with a sigh of relief. Then he saw an empty seat…next to a familiar-looking face.

“Hey…Matthias?”

Matthias looked up. “Hey, Lukas, right? Didn’t we sing together in university?”

“Yeah!”

Bliss had just finished a round of auditions for a new tenor. But they weren’t really excited about anyone they had heard. Matthias remembered that Lukas was a better singer than all of them.


“Hey,” he asked, “What are you doing these days? Are you still singing? I’m in this group, and we need a new tenor…”

Lukas joined the group.

But he’s not the only one who became a member through happenstance. As Tom (baritone and group comedian) told me during our interview on Skype, “I’m not in this group at all. I’m the housekeeper for this hotel, and I just saw they were talking into the computer, so I came over here, and then they asked me to go on tour with them.”

Right.

So what is Bliss? A Bliss show is, of course, a cappella, but it’s also a musical theater show, with comedic dialogue, dramaturgy, staging, sets, props, lighting design, and even costume changes. In fact, it’s as much a visual experience as an auditory one. Viktor, the bass and newest member, says, “I always listen to a cappella, and I’ve never seen anything like it before!”

I asked each member for one word to describe Bliss. For Claudio, founding member and countertenor, Bliss is energy. For Matthias, the word is professional. Viktor sees it as an opportunity. Lukas describes the group as powerful.  And Tom’s word?

Wienerschnitzel.

So what is the true essence of Bliss—musical theater, a cappella, or wienerschnitzel? Catch them on tour and decide for yourself.

And the next time you’re running after public transportation, remember: maybe your future is on the next bus. 

Website: www.bliss.ch

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Artist spotlight: Ensemble Kumo from Finland

This time we have our artist spotlight on Finnish upcoming vocal group “KUMO”, who have just released this Christmas single https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N142oxLl7KM&feature=youtu.be

Hello all!

We are a vocal group called Kumo from Finland.

Our group has five singers. Four of us study music education at the Sibelius Academy (the University of the Arts Helsinki), and our bass singer is – naturally – a doctor. 😉 Also, we have a really important sixth member in our group: our sound engineer. Whatever we do on stage, he makes it even more awesome!

Kumo was founded in the beginning of 2012. First it was just for fun, but pretty soon we realized we might really have something here and our passion for a cappella kept growing all the time. By now we are already so hooked to this stuff we simply cannot stop! Probably every a cappella singer knows how rewarding it is when even the simplest harmony rings perfectly in tune. Sound wise the key to our blend is – besides hard work of course – the fact that all of us come from various musical backgrounds. Some of us had studied mostly classical singing before this project, whereas some have a stronger background in pop/jazz vocals. Also, not all of us had sung in a choir or vocal group before we started with Kumo, which we feel also brings in new and fresh ways to look at things.

One of our passions is also to always find new and unique ways to bring our music to our listeners. Three years ago we started a concept that hasn’t been done that much yet in the world. Our “Concerts in the dark” let the listeners completely concentrate on the music. Cutting off all the visual parts of a show gives the listeners a chance to experience our voices in a deeper way. One of our singers – Kirsi – came up with the idea when she was listening to a concert and realized that when people really want to concentrate on the music they tend to lean back and close their eyes. So why not create a concert based on that idea and cut the visuals off completely! We feel that people have been really interested about this concept. It is something we want to keep working with and take the idea even further.

This past year has been groundbreaking for us also music wise. We’ve been composing and arranging a lot of our own music lately. With only a few years behind us it feels that we have finally found the sound we’ve been aiming for and really keep working hard to develop it into something recognizable, something of our own. This fall we also published our first Christmas single “Tonttu” (The Christmas Elf), our arrangement of a famous finnish Christmas song. The next step now is to make our debut album, which we are planning on recording in the summer of 2016. That is something we have really been looking forward to for a long time now!

www.lauluyhtyekumo.fi

@kumoacappella

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Interview with new Austrian a cappella TV stars “Piccanto”

In the absence of “The Sing Off”, a choir and a cappella casting show called “Die grosse Chance der Chöre” took place in Austria and was won by all male a cappella group named Piccanto, earning them a deal with SONY and nationwide fame. We had a chance to interview the lads:

First of all, for the people who might not know you please tell us a little bit about your group and your musical backgrounds.

Piccanto is an accapella-boyband consisting of seven young men (aged 18-20). We were founded in 2010 in Salzburg’s BG3 musical school, where each of us recieved a profound musical education. We started off as a classical male choir, but soon we expanded our repertoire with modern jazz- and pop-literature. After finishing school, we managed to continue our work together although by now our members have taken up studies in Vienna, Linz and Amsterdam.

You recently won a music casting show with special focus on choirs and a cappella groups on national TV in Austria. Tell us about your journey during this time.

When we heard about this show being hosted, we were not really interested in participating. No one of us had any experience with TV performances, and we were a little bit scared of embarrassing ourselves. But when our Beatboxer Raphael Lipp just signed us up for the show (without even waiting for our agreement), we knew we would have to try our best and started practicing. Although we estimated our chances pretty low, we managed to get through the first three rounds and into the finals. Having noticed that those months of concentrated work brought us closer together and gave us new perspectives as a group gave us the will to continue that path and perform convincingly in the last performance.

Ever since winning the show, what has changed for you as a group and / or individuals?

Of course, every one of us is now investing much more time in our project than before. Right after winning the show, we went on to record our first album, „seven“, starring 12 cover versions of our favourite pop songs. The amount of gigs we perform has risen, as well as the rehearsal and preperation time. In those few months since our success, we have done everything to keep the ball rolling, and it has worked out pretty well.

What do you think will the future hold for Piccanto?

We are going to do our best to broaden our repertoire, enhance our vocal possibilities and do everything else to make our music more exciting and interesting. We want to sing as much as possible, and for as many people as possible. Our goal is to become a well-known and renowned acapella group that makes music for the people.

More about the group here: http://www.piccanto.at/