Konzert: Low Key Orchestra | Café NUN Karlsruhe

Sönke Torpus carries the North within him: raised as a North Frisian, deeply rooted in Hamburg’s folk scene with his band Torpus & the Art Directors, and always in search of the perfect sound—not only on stage, but also as a sound engineer in his own studio. With his solo project, Low Key Orchestra, he showcases a new, quiet yet haunting facet of his artistry. On December 4, we’re hosting him at NUN, and we warmly invite you to join us:

Low Key Orchestra

WHEN IS IT, THEN?
Friday, December 4, 2026, 8:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7:00 p.m.)

WHERE IS IT?
Café NUN, Gottesauer Straße 35, Karlsruhe

Tickets: Advance: €13.00 | B.O.: €15.00 | Tickets available at the NUN ticket shop

More about Low Key Orchestra: Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Qobuz |

Low Key Orchestra. You can’t get much more understated than that for a band name. Sönke Torpus came up with this truly most inappropriate—and thus most fitting—name for something that, without wanting to exaggerate, holds something truly magnificent musically.

But first, let’s start at the beginning. Low Key Orchestra is the new band project of the aforementioned artist. All the indie-folk connoisseurs among us will be familiar with—or have fond memories of—his former band, Torpus & the Art Directors, and the joy will be written all over their faces now that new music is on the horizon for their favorite songs. “maybe words” was the first of several low key orchestra songs to be released this year, and it’s simply a wonderful song. Sönke has created a little anthem for all those who need a helping hand or a listening ear. It’s as if he thought to himself: “If I can’t be near you, then at least you’ll get a chorus that offers more comfort than 1,000 hugs.”

Maybe words can help you / Maybe lines that care
I can sense your trouble / And I feel you there

Every line speaks of sincere compassion. Together with producer Helgi Helgasson, Sönke has managed to translate these poignant lyrics into warm and multifaceted music. Sonically, the low key orchestra—especially here in Germany—floats in a very unique world of sound and emotion, one shaped by bands like Bright Eyes, Whitney, and the Flaming Lips. In terms of songwriting, however, parallels can be drawn to early albums by Coldplay or Keane. Sönke says of himself that he had lost touch with music for a long time. Fortunately for us, he has rediscovered it—or perhaps it has rediscovered him.