Social Symphony #participation #elbphilharmonie 03.07.2026
© Pauline Schlüter
In a world characterised by ever-increasing pace, alienation and polarisation, this concert offers HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE. What do you dream of? What does the future sound like? What makes our hearts beat? The 3rd Social Symphony – the spectacular highlight of the TONALi-Festivals 2026 at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie – is dedicated to these and other questions about the future. MUT ZUR UTOPIE also refers to the award we received last year.
The five-movement symphony, which we are currently developing together with the TONALi Academy students and partner schools, responds with a sense of security, surprise and plenty of imagination: musicians and audience come together in a participatory experience that brings music, space and all those involved into resonance.
What comes to life on stage begins weeks earlier in the city: The whole of Hamburg comes together in small one-to-one encounters in a ‘slow dating’ format – from ‘me’ to ‘you’ to ‘we’! Curated by our artistic directors Franziska Ritter and Christian Siegmund, the TONALi Academy students, together with asambura ensemble school pupils and other artists, explore how many intimate moments can give rise to a great shared sense of togetherness.
Auf dem Weg zur sozialen Symphonie. Im Oktober 2025 fand der erste Workshop mit den Akademist:nnen statt.
Die Workshop-Stimmung: auf dem Weg zur Utopie darf der Humor nicht fehlen.
A participatory and co-creative process
Over a period of nine months, three intensive working phases with the TONALi Academy participants will see the creation of sketches for artistic interventions, short scenes, soundscapes and performative gestures, all of which are to be incorporated into the Social Symphony by July. The workshops serve as both a space for reflection and a rehearsal venue: here, ideas are intensively tested, discarded, reimagined and shared with laughter. Around 70 young people from the TONALi Audience Academy are taking part in this participatory process. As part of the workshops, they research the theme of utopia, conduct interviews in the neighbourhood, record sounds and voices, and develop their own visions of a ‘young’ utopia. All these experiences and ideas feed into the collaborative, co-creative work leading up to the Social Symphony.
Cast and crew
TONALi Students
Ipek Atila
Violin
Ipek Atila (born in Turkey in 1997) is a violinist who studied in The Hague and Freiburg on a full scholarship and is now completing her second master’s degree at the Dresden University of Music. She was an apprentice with the Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock and is currently an apprentice with the Dresdner Philharmonie; she has performed at events including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and has been awarded several scholarships.
Antonia Brinkers
Soprano
Antonia Brinkers (born in Hamburg in 2000) is a singer and has been studying at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre since 2021. Having been shaped by her experience in choirs and a comprehensive musical education, she is particularly committed to raising the profile of female composers, for example as a co-founder of the Feminale Festival and the initiator of the exhibition “Standing Ovation – Female Composers in the Spotlight!”.
Daniel Calvo Valcárcel
Saxophon
Chiara Ducomble
mezzo-soprano
Chiara Ducomble is a Belgian mezzo-soprano who specialises in musical theatre, art song and new concert formats. Having performed in Braunschweig, Bielefeld and at the HMTM Hannover, she is currently appearing in Berlin and Bielefeld, amongst other places, and will sing the role of Prince Orlofsky in Weikersheim in 2025.
Henrike Henoch
Soprano
Lara Jakobi
Violoncello
Lara Jakobi is a cellist and music teacher specialising in contemporary music, free improvisation and performance. She studied at the conservatoires in Frankfurt and Freiburg, as well as sociology and art history, and works on projects with ensembles such as Musikfabrik Köln and operationderkünste Berlin. She is also involved in educational work and in socio-cultural contexts, for example with the association zeug und quer e.V. and in voluntary initiatives.
Viviane Ruof
Violin
Viviane Ruof is a violinist, singer and performer with a passion for interdisciplinary music and theatre projects. She studied violin and expanded theatre at the Bern University of the Arts, performs internationally in a variety of formats, and combines music education, dance theatre and unusual venues – from glaciers to theatre in a lift – in her work.
asambura ensemble
We are delighted that musicians from the asambura ensemble are part of our Social Symphony. The ensemble brings together different cultural perspectives and, through its music, gives a voice to new stories and voices. This creates a shared soundscape that invites people to listen, engage and come together.
Other musicians and artistic team:
Sia Liebermann
Kulning
Sia is a voice and movement artist who specialises in improvisation and ‘instant composition’. Having started out studying jazz (vocals), she now has a broad, international background in both artistic and therapeutic training as a singer and (partner) dancer. As a licensed somatic movement educator (BMC©), she works with the body as her primary medium, both artistically on stage and in educational and therapeutic settings.
Rose Hunt
1:1 Team
Rose is a music manager and currently managing director of the Kammerphilharmonie Frankfurt as well as project coordinator for various ensembles. She was assistant to the orchestra director at Theater Osnabrück for three seasons and previously worked in the independent scene in Berlin.
rose.hunt@1to1concerts.de
Hamburg Pupils of Berthold-Brecht-Schule, Nelson-Mandela-Schule, STS Helmuth Hübener, STS Ida-Ehre-Schule, Reformschule Winterhude, STS Blankenese
CURATORS
Franziska and Christian are the initiators and artistic directors of 1:1 CONCERTS and have been organising the Berlin concerts since 2020. You can reach us at :
+49 (0)30-31484031
team@1to1concerts.de
PARTNER
