HIGHLIGHTS FROM 12 YEARS

FIRST CONCERT IN 2010

The idea for our orchestra came to Adrian Werum after his engagement as musical director of the television show "Musical Show-Star 2008" on ZDF, moderated by Thomas Gottschalk. Unlike the TV show, his vision was that the orchestra should be the star.

The igniting spark came after he moved to Stuttgart's Rosensteinviertel near the Nordbahnhof, which is sometimes also called the "Bronx of Stuttgart". Characterized by immigration and niches of cultural and social life such as life in the wagons and the carriage halls, there is also a pronounced immigrant cultural life here, which at that time was at least completely isolated from the subsidized cultural life of the representative state capital.

His idea was to bring both together. The first musicians came together in a variety of ways. On the one hand, Adrian Werum followed indications of musicians and bands with ethnic instruments, visited them in their rehearsal rooms and tried to win them over for the orchestra.

There was also a regular casting in the youth center in Mitte with a prominent jury made up of Gotthilf Fischer, Lilo Scrimali (Fanta 4, DSDS, Joy Delanane, Max Herre) & Klaus Wagenleiter (SWR Big Band). The third part of the orchestra consisted of musicians whom Adrian Werum knew from the classical orchestras in Stuttgart and the musical theaters in the SI-Centrum.

The first concert was moderated by Marc Marshall.

Stuttgart News:

Exotic and classic instruments combine to create rousing grooves. The range of instruments is sensational, from the alphorn to the sitar, everything is included.

Stuttgart weekly newspaper:

The most diverse music group far and wide. One highlight followed the other. The listeners were never safe from surprises. Instruments that had never been heard inspired one another, made something completely new out of the familiar and led across the continents. Each individual is masterful on his instrument.

Stuttgart newspaper:

Musicians from all over the world perform unique world landscapes in the Kulturhaus Arena. The orchestra is unique. Werum playfully uses the sound characteristics of classical and exotic instruments for the compositions. The mix of different sounds makes the orchestra unique.

March 26, 2010 at Kulturhaus Arena/ Stuttgart

RECORDINGS KAISERSLAUTERN

August 2010

Emerich-Smola Studios of SWR

When recording our first pieces in Kaiserslautern, where we set about giving a new intercultural touch to such famous southwest German folk songs as "Ein Jäger aus Kurpfalz", "In Mainz am Schönen Rhein" & "Du, Du liest mir im Herzen".

To be heard on our CD Tour Südwest

LINDENMUSEUM

June 2011

For the anniversary of the Linden Museum of Ethnology in Stuttgart, we gave a concert in the festival hall of the museum. Our instrumentalists also presented the special instruments for young and old as soloists.

With guest artist overtone singer Anna-Maria Hefele.

THEATERHAUS ANNUAL CONCERTS

From 2011 to 2013 we performed our annual concerts in the Theaterhaus Stuttgart in autumn. Many guest singers supported us:

2011 Etta Scollo and Fatima El-Shibli

2012 Olvido Ruiz, Ufuk Gazipa, Michaela Kovar, Anna-Maria Hefele & Charles Simmons

2013 additionally Alexandra Seefisch & Aris Sas.

Here, for the first time, we performed an excerpt from Adrian Werum's new musical opera "Narziss & Goldmund".

MASS OF CULTURES

May 2012

City Church Bad Cannstatt

The mass of cultures in cooperation with the Bach Choir Stuttgart under the direction of Jörg-Hannes Hahn was an ambitious composition by Adrian Werum based on Bach chorales, Jewish and Islamic texts.

RUTESHEIM CELLO ACADEMY

June 2012

For our concert at the Rutesheim Cello Academy, we had several world premieres in our luggage: Adrian Werum's "Rockoko Variations" with Laszlo Fenyö as the soloist and several pieces by the jazz cellist Stephan Braun.

100 YEARS SIXT SE

May 2012

State Fair Munich

For the 100th anniversary of SIXT SE, we premiered Adrian Werum's SIXT SYMPHONY No.1.

RECORDINGS WAGENHALLEN

July 2012

Series of recordings with songs for the Arab Spring, interrupted by wild hailstorms, in the truck hall of the Stuttgart Wagenhallen.

RECORDINGS LAMA TENZIN

May 2015

With Lama Tenzin Sangpo we recorded Tibetan mantras in orchestral arrangements. This resulted in the CD "Sacred Chants"

ELLWANGEN

Winter Open-Air 2015

Barracks at Ellwangen

We played open-air at Christmas for the refugees from the Ellwangen emergency shelter.

( sic !! brrrh ! )

RECORDINGS RHIMOY BEIJING

May 2016

Bauer-Studios Ludwigsburg

For the Chinese record company Rhimoy from Beijing we recorded Chinese folk songs in new arrangements by Adrian Werum for the wonderful guitarist Daniel Stelter.This resulted in the CD "A Crescent Moon illuminates the World"

OPERETTENALBUM "THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL"

May 2016

Villa Berg SWR Stuttgart

With Marlis Petersen as guest soloist, we recorded Jay Alexander's album "Schön ist die Welt" in the SWR Villa Berg in Stuttgart with the most beautiful operetta melodies. Arrangements by Richard Whilds and Adrian Werum. Listen to the Album

ON THE TOP OF THE CLASSIC CHARTS WITH JAY ALEXANDER

We recorded the CDs "A star is rising" and "You, my soul, sing" in the Peter & Paul Church in Reutlingen Gönningen. The albums reached positions 1-4 in the German Classic Charts.All albums were recorded by the Kleine Audiowelt team in Heidelberg: Dennist Kopacz, Markus Born and the first two albums with the recently deceased Günten Appenheimer.

More info about Jay Alexander here.

SYMPHONY OF CULTURES

July 2016

Römerkastell Stuttgart

With the Solitude Choir Stuttgart, we premiered Adrian Werum's "Symphony of Cultures" with contemporary Arabic texts and settings by Hermann Hesse & Goethe in the Phoenix Hall of the Römerkastell Stuttgart.

Musical direction of the choir: Klaus Breuninger

SYMPHONY OF OUR LIVES

The symphony of our lives 2016 was a project of the Sindelfingen community foundation with the support of the cultural office and Daimler AG.

For a year Debora Vilchez and Adrian Werum rehearsed with refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq and their families, listened to their stories, got to know their culture, connected the refugees with other immigrants in Sindelfingen, the schools and kindergartens and founded a project choir for this our first musical.

In the end, everything came on the stage of the Stadthalle Sindelfingen in two days of rehearsals.Not only were the performances always sold out, the composition of the audience was also a great pleasure: people from all ages and social classes, all skin colors and cultures were represented.

From the press:

The brilliant Orchestra of Cultures, with classical-symphonic and exotic instruments under the direction of musical composer Adrian Werum, immediately gives a foretaste of its unusual sound design in the introduction. A bass foundation coming from the deepest roots seems to want to quote Strauss' Zarathustra, but it gives birth to a muezzin-like singing call.A delicate bell motif later – the sound originates more from the Christian Occident – ​​the curtain rises. The dark stage is bathed in blue. The choir can be seen in rank and file in the background. Only when something starts to stir in the foreground does it become clear that there is a large pile of people lying on the ground who are slowly getting up.Children, women, men, dressed in oriental, African and European clothes, wake up from their sleep, the symbolic blue of the sea gives way to a red sunrise and the chorus begins the piece "Freiheit, die ich meine Meine". Not immediately, only later it becomes clear: the stage is a boat deck. The motley crew is on a ship that is floating on the sea.Almost 90 minutes later, a look from Frank Heinkel through his didgeridoo initiates the musical finale. He sees land. Starting signal for the 17th and last musical movement "For my new fatherland". The curtain closes and three quarters of the audience spontaneously rise to applause.

Stadthalle Sindelfingen 2016

SPIRIT OF ONE

2017

Martin Church Stuttgart

Our interreligious series in the Martinskirche in Stuttgart tried to revitalize and merge the mystical traditions of the major religions. We were also able to inspire the composer Christian Mejia for this project.More about it here:

SWR CHRISTMAS CONCERT TRIER

2017

Konstantin Basilica

The Christmas concert by SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz in the Konstantin Basilica in Trier. Guest Artist: Yaqueline Castellanos Moderation: Lothar Ackva

MYTHS & FAIRY TALES FESTIVAL

2018

Theatre of the city of Chur

The final concert of the days of legends and fairy tales in Chur «THE ROSE OF PARACELSUS»

The great evening of theater during the «Legends and Fairy Tales Days Chur»An evening that tells the fascinating journey of alchemy - in exciting texts, surprising fairy tales and touching music. From her hour of birth in Egypt, her unstoppable path along the Nile, across Greek philosophy, to Spain and Italy to Paracelsus, Faust, Isaac Newton and today's quest for creation.

Through fairy tales and legends, facts and music, through countries and epochs, a picture of alchemy emerges as a culturally and historically significant work of art and human work. We find them again in many stories because, like alchemy, they also tell us the ancient story of belief in and longing for an ideal world of prosperity and peace. Alchemy is also historically linked to myths and legends and has thus become a myth itself that has been retold over and over again for two thousand years.

Visually and eloquently - the knowledge entertainment of the special class.Accompanied by accordion virtuoso Goran Kovacevic and the Graubünden Chamber Philharmonic together with the Orchestra of Cultures, conducted by Adrian Werum.

With Andrea Zogg, Röbi Koller, Caroline Capiaghi, Heike Vigl, the “saga hiker” Andreas Sommer, Jürg Steigmeier, Goran Kovacevic, the Graubünden Chamber Philharmonic and the Orchestra of Cultures.

Moderator: Röbi KollerMusical direction: Adrian WerumLive illustrations: Chrigel FarnerScientific advice and text concept: Prof. Dr. Claus PriesnerScenic editing/text editing: Alexandra Furler-Seefisch

Das Abschlußkonzert der Sagen- & Märchentage Chur «DIE ROSE DES PARACELSUS»

MISA LATINA

2018

Open-Air at the Monastery Lake, Sindelfingen

The Ecuadorian composer Christian Mejia wrote his "Misa Latina" for the world premiere in Sindelfingen for orchestra, large choir, Latin American percussion and several soloists, including Yaqueline Castellanos and Cornelia Lanz.

The Sindelfingen Martinskantorei under their conductor Daniel Tepper performed the challenging Latin American with verve and precision.From the local newspaper:Sindelfingen water music at the Klostersee: Large project choir and the orchestra of cultures presented the "Misa Latina".The Sindelfingen water music on Saturday exuded Mediterranean flair. On this wonderful summer evening, an estimated 3,000 visitors flocked to the Klostersee to experience a world premiere on the water stage. Around 100 singers and a colorful orchestra presented opulent world music.

Since the city's anniversary in 2013, the Stuttgart composer and conductor Adrian Werum has been part of the Sindelfingen cultural scene. He played a leading role in various major projects and musical projects. Now he has composed "Misa Latina" together with the Ecuadorian musician Christian Mejia and conducted the premiere on Saturday on the floating stage at Klostersee.The 100-strong choir alone, made up of members of the Choir of Cultures, the Sindelfingen Children's and Youth Choir, the Cappella Nuova and the church pop voices of Exsample, was already visually impressive.

The Orchestra of Cultures - founded and directed by Adrian Werum - has a complete string section, some classical wind instruments and the rhythm section as well as instruments from the oriental region such as the long-necked saz lute.In the "Misa Latina" the composers want to unite different cultures. The eleven-part work thrives on Latin American rhythms and sounds, which are enriched with classical, jazzy and pop elements. Different solo singers keep appearing: the Syrian Mohammad Habbal, the Peruvian Debora Vilchez, the Cuban Jaqueline Castellanos and the German Cornelia Lanz bring singing styles from all over the world.

Which sounds particularly exciting when they break with the orchestral sound. For example in the piece "Viracocha", when Lanz's operatic voice meets the Cuban sounds of the instrumentalists.Even if the joint preparation time of the choir and orchestra was certainly not particularly extensive, the cooperation worked perfectly - a great credit to the conductors Adrian Werum and Daniel Tepper. Above all, the Sindelfingen cantor was in great demand, as he stood between the ensembles and had his back to Werum. Tepper kept peeking over his shoulder to catch his colleague's movements.

In "Großer Gott" in triple time, the choral voices lie soothingly over the fluttering rhythm, in "Ave Werum" (actually "Ave verum") the choir, orchestra and soloists complement each other almost perfectly. And this harmonious togetherness fits the intention of the composers of this multicultural work. "We believe that in these difficult times the world needs a new spirituality that builds on all cultures," announces Adrian Werum before the closing "Spirit of one" song.

SIXT SE KONGRESS

2019

Grand Westin Munich

Concert for the International Congress of SIXT SE in the Grand Westin Munich with Oksana Voytovich & Franciso Araiza