MEMENTO ODESA

(Music by Sebastian Studnitzky)

Sebastian Studnitzky: (piano & trumpet)
Odesa Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Volodymyr Dikiy

and
Andrii Pokaz (piano), Paul Kleber (bass), Tim Sarhan (drums) & Bodek Janke (percussion)

Sebastian Studnitzky's project "Memento Odesa" is a poignant modern-classical homage to the city of Odesa and its inhabitants in the midst of the Russian war of aggression.

Recorded in July 2023 in the Odesa Philharmonic Hall with the Odesa Symphonic Orchestra under the direction of Volodymyr Dikiy, the music reflects the indomitable spirit of a people under siege in an extreme state, capturing the memories of a distant past and the uncertainty of the future.

In March 2024, the Odesa Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra was successfully brought on tour to Germany. However, the tour opened in the sold-out Philharmonic Hall in Odesa, at a time when Russian drone attacks on Odesa were causing fear, devastation and suffering almost every night.

The following tour in Germany culminated in a concert in the completely sold-out Memorial Church in Berlin. This concert was recorded and will be released as a recording alongside the tour.

Sebastian Studnitzky is the initiator of this project and the composer and orchestrator of the music. He is not only an ECHO-Jazz and OPUS-Klassik prizewinner (even on two different instruments), but also the founder and director of the Berlin XJAZZ Festival. He also teaches as a professor of jazz trumpet at the Musikhoschschule in Dresden. His musical and organizational work is driven by the vision of overcoming musical boundaries and bringing new audiences together.