Consul General Dr. Fischer Hosts Ensemble Serenata:
An Evening of Classical Music in the Garden

Aug 2, 2013

More than 50 guests, including dignitaries and members of the German American community from the arts, business, culture and education, gathered at the residence of Consul General Dr. Bernd and Mrs. Jutta Fischer to enjoy a summer evening of classical music in the garden on Wednesday, July 31.

Under the leadership of the school’s musical director, Oliver Hasenzahl, the eleven talented young musicians performed a program of exquisite pieces of chamber music written for wind instruments by world renowned composers Johann Strauss, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joachim Raff.

To the great delight of the audience, each piece of music was introduced by students with a witty anecdote about the pieces's composer, and an interesting fact about the times he lived in, adding another dimension to their performance of amusement and education.

During the concert, Consul General Dr. Fischer noticed that the remarkable young performers had touched the hearts of every single member of the audience, thus they succeeded in building bridges of cultural exchange and understanding between Germany and the Southwestern United States. 

In his remarks, Consul General Dr. Bernd Fischer mentioned that already in the Bible, wind instruments had been used to make an impact. They had helped to bring down the walls of Jericho. He wanted to use this reference to remind everyone about an important event coming up in 2014. On November 9, Germany and other European countries will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and all the other occurrences in Europe, that lead to the happiest event in German history, he told the assembled guests.

He said, the important role the United States played in securing the freedom of West Germany, and setting the stage for the peaceful reunification of Germany and Europe, would also be highlighted in the many celebrations that would take place to mark the milestone anniversary. He looked forward to everyone celebrating with the Consulate General.

About:
The Ensemble Serenata from the Stuttgart Music School is a traditional wind octet (two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons) which, according to their current program, is augmented by additional wind players, strings or percussion. With a demanding repertoire including works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonin Dvorák and Richard Strauss, they perform regularly in the Stuttgart region and also tour internationally. The Ensemble Serenata is made up of outstanding students from the Stuttgart music school, many of them national prize winners and members of the college preparatory course of the Stuttgart music school. Oliver Hasenzahl has been directing the ensemble since 2011.

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