Pure Goosebumps
From March 8th to 10th, 2024, music lovers, professional musicians, beginners, and anyone who simply wanted to experience
and enjoy something extraordinary were 100% satisfied in Nuremberg.
Those who missed it missed out on the world!
There were 100 concerts on 4 stages, 218 exhibitors from 19 different countries, and the NCC Ost 2024
was one of the most wonderful places imaginable for music lovers for all 3 days, as demonstrated by the
10,300 visitors.
Opening
The akustika 2024 in Nuremberg was opened by Mayor Marcus König – Nuremberg, Yvonne Magwas Vice President
of the German Bundestag, Christian Sendelbeck Vice President of the Chamber of Crafts Middle Franconia,
Gerhard A. Meinl Chairman of the Association of German Musical Instrument Manufacturers, Christoph Endres Federal Guild Master,
Prof. Martin Maria Krüger, President of the German Music Council, Herbert Lindörfer Deputy President of the District Council,
Commissioner for Culture and Heritage.
The opening speech was delivered by Nuremberg
When asked by the moderator if there was music in the König household, Mr. König charmingly replied,
“Well, we let music play, we have a CD player and radio and…” And before he could continue, the audience burst into laughter,
and Mr. König delivered a great speech.
Of course, Yvonne Magwas, Vice President of the German Bundestag, Christian Sendelbeck, Vice President of the Chamber of Crafts Middle Franconia, Gerhard A. Meinl, Chairman of the Association of German Musical Instrument Manufacturers, Christoph Endres,
Federal Guild Master, and Prof. Martin Maria Krüger, President of the German Music Council, also spoke, and fantastic musicians
like Jochen Leitner & Andreas Kraus were awarded the German Musical Instrument Prize.
To create a forward-thinking network, closer cooperation with vocational schools, music, and instrument making was agreed upon.
Many public figures such as Sascha Müller, Member of the German Bundestag, artists, individuals from industry and crafts,
etc., attended the opening of akustika 2024 in Nuremberg. On the first evening, 7 pianists played on 7 pianos with 3 conductors
on the 2nd floor of the NCC Nuremberg.
was played. This piece starts slowly and gradually builds in intensity. The good acoustics and atmosphere were as beautiful as the NCC itself.
At such an event, the building takes on a different aspect, as its inner beauty is not necessarily perceived during normal trade operations.
What great art was presented there. The respective artists then played their solos individually, and the guests listened attentively and visibly enjoyed the performance.
Musicians, manufacturers of musical instruments and accessories, suppliers, craftsmen repairing instruments on-site, materials related
to instrument making, tools, accessory manufacturers, music publishers, music schools, wholesalers, and the musical Bundeswehr
were present.
Craftsmanship in string, brass, and woodwind instrument making as well as keyboard instruments enjoyed great demand.
The handcrafted instruments were very interesting for visitors, whether hobbyists, professional musicians,
or simply music enthusiasts. The concerts were so well attended that the audience sometimes stood up to the entrance area to
listen to the unique sounds and be as close as possible.
The akustika 2024 in Nuremberg was a complete success. Registrations for next year were already submitted to AFAG before the end
of the event.
The event planning and execution were perfect, utilizing the various spaces on all levels, which proved excellent for both exhibitors
and the public alike. Visitors were well served on all levels, from consultation to repair and instrument
sales. Here, instruments could be viewed and tested, and many musicians and music enthusiasts took advantage of this opportunity,
with many beautiful pieces being heard from visitors on the instruments. Visitors brought their own mouthpieces to maintain hygiene
and try out different wind instruments.
On the Day of Crafts, 140 students from 3 high schools had the wonderful opportunity to gain some experience.
WiBraPhon is the orchestra conducted by
The musicians, along with their conductor Prof. Johann Mösenbichler, delivered a true spectacle on both days of akustika in Nuremberg.
With small anecdotes from the music scene, Mr. Mösenbichler entertained the audience between the pieces played and explained
the backgrounds of the musical pieces in a very sympathetic manner. For example, he talked about the annual convention
“MidWest Band Clinic” in Chicago, where the wind music scene from around the world gathers. It’s a huge event with 20,000 –
30,000 visitors daily, and there, an Irish pub named
“Kitty O ‘Shea’s”
plays an important role. It’s where people meet after work
and hatch projects that never materialize. 🙂 🙂
Everyone has probably experienced being in a pub, discussing and “planning” some “project” in a tipsy state, only for it to never
come to fruition. In “Kitty O Seh’s,” two Irish musicians play, Guinness and whiskey flow, and sometimes it gets bright,
not because of the indoor lighting, but because the sun is rising.”
An Irish, very empathetic piece follows.
The audience is involved, clapping along to the beat set by Mr. Mösenbichler. It’s groovy, it’s fun, and the orchestra transports
the audience to another world while the sun shines into the hall and people stand in the entrance area of the NCC East
to be part of the wonderful music and the fun.
WiBraPhon also treats the audience to Caribbean sounds. The fun and the wildly good atmosphere continue in the hall
with Caribbean rhythms, and it’s fantastic to see so many smiling faces and shining eyes.
The piece
cannot be missed. “Anyone who wants to sing along is welcome to do so, but please do it quietly
so we don’t hear it,” Mr. Mösenbichler says with his very sympathetic laugh to the audience, and everyone laughs and feels
visibly comfortable.
With the musical gem by
the orchestra gently paints the delicate sounds of this piece into the souls of the audience.
This piece called
was composed with the awareness that life has a “start and end date, and we should use
and honor each day accordingly and find the beauty in it.
” This is how Prof. Johann Mösenbichlercharmingly explains it. And WiBraPhon plays this wonderful piece just as beautifully.
It’s obvious how much fun and joy the orchestra has during their performance and how well they and Prof. Johann Mösenbichler
harmonize with each other. What a wonderful experience.
Captain Jürgen Albrecht from the Center for Military Music of the Bundeswehr in Bonn is here with me for an interview.
Captain Jürgen Albrecht and his colleagues are here to inform about career and training opportunities in the Bundeswehr
and their events in the professional music sector of the Bundeswehr. There are 15 orchestras in the Bundeswehr,
spread across the entire country. From Brandenburg to Koblenz, Kiel to Garmisch. “We have music choirs with very specific
tasks, such as the Staff Music Choir in Berlin, the Protocol Orchestra, which stands by the red carpet of the Federal Government
and Ministry every day to welcome the state guests of the Federal Republic of Germany,” Captain Jürgen Albrecht tells me.
The Music Orchestra Siegburg and the Concert Orchestra Bonn give concerts nationally and internationally on the international
concert stages of the world. The Bundeswehr Big Band, known for decades as a show and entertainment orchestra, performs
at major events indoors and outdoors. The Military and Training Orchestra of the Music Academy in Hilden and Düsseldorf
offers young and talented musicians a music degree. This means that the Bundeswehr offers its own training for orchestra
musicians or conductors and/or bandmasters in cooperation with the
in Düsseldorf.
This successful collaboration has been going on for 45 years. Anyone who can play a classical wind instrument or percussion
or a symphonic wind orchestra instrument has the opportunity to get one of the nearly 800 orchestra positions that the
Bundeswehr has to offer.
Everyone has to pass a military aptitude test. “Although we are military musicians, we are still soldiers.”
We are soldiers and musicians in uniform in equal parts and undergo a three-month basic training – this is integrated
into the medical service in the military home. There are orchestra rehearsals, concert tours, and preparation
for the entrance examination to a music university. The entrance examination takes place 1 year after hiring at the
Robert Schumann University in Düsseldorf.
It is then possible to obtain
and after this total of 5 years of training as an orchestra musician,
musicians and soldiers are transferred to a music choir. Three wishes for the choice of the stationing location
can be expressed.
The central personnel planning of the music checks whether the wish can be implemented and where there
is still a corresponding position available. The total service time is initially 13 years. The five-year training is
already integrated,
but of course, there is the possibility afterwards to be
appointed as a civil servant. This means that this profession can be exercised for a lifetime until retirement.
Most people naturally want that because anyone who wants to become a professional musician wants to remain one for life.
2/3 of the people become professional musicians. There is always a bit of fluctuation, and those who do not want or cannot
become civil servants have the opportunity as a professional soldier within the framework of career development to pursue
another profession or undergo retraining. This profession is very diverse; we have a total of 2000 deployments per year
with the 15 orchestras.
From the funeral of a comrade to the big orchestra, for example, playing for 2 weeks in Halifax, Canada. It is a very varied
musical profession, ranging from the parade ground to the concert stage, the touring arena, and chamber music in the barn.
Orchestras give concerts, charity concerts, perform at the Chancellery or Bellevue Palace, and are regular representatives
at German embassies abroad as the business card of the Federal Republic of Germany. For example, participating in Totos,
concerts, etc. For soldiers abroad, at schools, mission countries, if security permits, or religious services, etc.
Traveling orchestras, it is diverse and fun.
From crossover to rock, film music, cover music, pop music, classical, and marching music, everything is included.
Being a military musician is a great profession for men and women alike.
They experience a lot but also have to do a lot and know a lot about music.
Many soldiers master several instruments and can be used in a very versatile way.
Because in the Bundeswehr, it’s like in any other band, if someone is unavailable and can’t play, a “substitute player” is needed.
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All images and texts Copyright by Susanne Panhans.