University Music Center: Applause for seven ensembles
2026-01-29 From Coldplay to jazz to fairy-tale classical music: this year's end-of-semester concert by the Leuphana music ensembles delighted audiences with its varied program.
“Today, for the first time, we have seven ensembles on stage,” emphasized Rebecca Lang, director of the Leuphana University Music Center. Visibly excited, she pointed to the approximately 200 student musicians, all dressed in black, who had gathered behind her, on and next to the stage.
The Leuphana Big Band, conducted by Hartmut Singer, kicked things off with Frank Foster's “Shiny Stockings.” Looking around the well-filled Libeskind Auditorium, it was hard to find a foot or head that wasn't tapping to the beat.
From the other side of the large stage, the orchestra, conducted by Rebecca Lang, fills the hall with the fairy-tale sounds of Emilie Mayer's “Piano Concerto in B flat major, 1st movement.” Just as throughout the evening, the Leuphana Sinfonietta and the Camerata, conducted by Quinn Frazee, leave behind an astonished, almost reverent silence after the last note has faded away, followed without exception by long-lasting, enthusiastic applause. “The musical standard is very high,” says listener Maya after the concert. For the Leuphana student, one thing is clear: “You can tell that the ensembles are well prepared and enjoy the music, which was conveyed to the audience. The program was a good mix; there was something for everyone.” The classical pieces, including works by Franz Joseph Haydn and Emilie Mayer, brought calm to the evening, while the big band and the large choir spread energy and liveliness.
The liveliness seemed to come mainly from the musicians' enjoyment of the pieces, but atmospheric, upbeat melodies and lyrics such as “Smile,” sung by the six-member Cantorum under the direction of Oliver Mathes, or “I Will Survive” by the large choir under the direction of Anna Bertram, also brought smiles to the faces of the packed auditorium.
Under the direction of Rebecca Lang, Mathis stood with the chamber choir in a semicircle in the middle of the stage and, with pieces such as “Fix You” by Coldplay and impressive harmonies, ensured dreamy looks and amazement in the hall. “The final concert was particularly enjoyable for me this semester because I felt the community spirit among all the musicians. The feeling of singing in front of so many people and feeling their tremendous support was indescribable,” sums up Mathis Schräder, a member of the Leuphana Chamber Choir, who sang in the end-of-semester concert for the third time.