Concert Wind Bands and Brass Bands

Currently I play the Euphonium (in German: 1st Tenor Horn) in the Wind Orchestra of the City of Langenhagen.

Since 2024, the orchestra has been conducted by José Pascual García Llopis, who brings a wonderfully diverse repertoire. We perform concert band music including film score arrangements, original compositions, and pop and rock songs, alongside traditional pieces like polkas, waltzes, and marches. What makes it particularly special are the pasodobles from José’s Spanish homeland, such as "Moros y Christianos" from Alicante. This broad musical variety – spanning modern sounds, traditional wind music, and Spanish rhythms – is what I love most about playing in this orchestra.

You can follow the orchestra on Facebook and Instagram.

On a temporary basis I help out at the Posaunenchor "Jakobi Brass" of the St. Jakobi Church in Hannover-Kirchrode.

The Posaunenchor regularly performs at church services and special events such as the Christmas market opening on the first Sunday of Advent. I particularly appreciate performing Bach chorales during services – the four-part arrangements come to life beautifully in a brass choir setting.

My connection to Posaunenchöre goes back to my musical roots: I learned to play the trombone in Posaunenchor Stadthagen. This tradition of church brass ensembles holds a special place in my musical journey.

Between 2012 and 2016 I played the 2nd Trombone at Modern Sound[s] Orchestra (MSO) Seelze. One of the highlights during my time with MSO was performing a solo piece in the satirical performance "Dear Frog" at the 2015 New Year’s concerts. The concerts were well-received, drawing an audience of approximately 850 people across both performances.

Until 2012 I played the 2nd B♭-Tuba at St. Martini Brass Band Stadthagen.

A brass band is a distinctly British ensemble formation consisting exclusively of brass instruments – but only those with conical bore, plus percussion. This creates the characteristic warm sound that differs notably from symphonic wind orchestras. In Germany, brass bands are quite rare, as the tradition here leans more toward Posaunenchöre (lit. »trombone choirs«) and symphonic wind orchestras.

The St. Martini Brass Band Stadthagen is one of those rare exceptions, having emerged from the trombone choir of St. Martini Church. The instrumentation follows the English model: cornets, flugelhorns, alto horns, euphoniums, and four B♭ tubas. Yes, four tubas – and no, this is definitely not a marching band! The deep registers provide an impressive richness of sound that’s quite uncommon in other ensemble types.

In the 2012 photo, I’m visible on the far right – one of the four tuba players. The brass band was and continues to be closely connected to St. Martini Church, where it has its musical home.

Our repertoire included works by contemporary composers such as Paul Lovatt-Cooper (including "The Dark Side of the Moon") alongside classic brass band literature from Peter Graham ("Windows of the World") and Goff Richards ("A Disney Fantasy", "Calling Cornwall"). We also performed arrangements of well-known pieces like "The Snowman / Walking in the Air" (Howard Blake), "Second Suite in F" (Gustav Holst), "Floral Dance" (Katie Moss), and "As the Deer" (Martin Nystrom). This diverse mix of challenging original compositions and audience-friendly arrangements made our concerts memorable musical experiences.

Between 2004 and 2010 I played the 1st Tenor Horn in the Wind Orchestra of the Fire Brigade Rinteln (FeuBoRi). The orchestra brings together members of the volunteer fire brigade Rinteln and external musicians to perform concert wind music at a high level.

During this time, I had the opportunity to participate in a CD recording with the orchestra, which documents the ensemble’s musical work. FeuBoRi is known for its commitment to developing young musicians and collaborating with talented youth from the region.

During my mandatory military service from January to June 2006, I had the distinctive opportunity to serve as a baritonist in the Heeresmusikkorps 1 (Army Music Corps 1) in Hannover. The six months with the military orchestra provided a formative musical experience and enabled intensive work at a professional level.

Until 2012 I played Tuba, Euphonium and Trombone at Sinfonischen Blasorchester (SBO) Schaumburg.

Until 2012 I was a member of Posaunenchor Stadthagen.