Ensemble

In spring 2010 Johanna Engel joined quintessence: after singing in choirs for several years she was excited to try it with a small ensemble – and since then she adds the highest voice to the quintet.

Her second love besides pure vocal music is medieval music: you can see her regularly on stage singing and playing the harp with her medieval ensemble.

Singing the highest voice in the ensemble she enlightens the songs of the group with the unique clarity of her voice – whether in classical pieces, pop or jazz!

After singing in several jazz ensembles – and she's still active – Jutta Birkigt started a-cappella-singing in 1994. As the driving power for the jazzy part of the repertoire she always stays curious about new musical ideas.

Her expressive alto voice adds the emotional intensity to ballads of quintessence that goes under the skin and straight to the heart.

And so her interpretation of Carole King's "You've got a Friend" will be that song where the audience will have tears in their eyes (not only the audience!) for years and years. Time and time again people whisper a throaty "Thanks" afterwards.

Vintage 1958, Australia, southern slope. Influences from domestic music (Oldenburg), south-african Xhosa chants, Yiddish songs, choral theater, Jazz – German, English, Spanish – and always in ensembles: with this huge variety of musical experience the confessing romantic introduced his voice to quintessence in 1996.

Shortly after joining the quintet it turned out that Lutz can't help declaiming verses he found on his way – always serious, but with a twinkle in his eyes. It's not his fault – he claims ....

Daniel Berg is the group’s frontman and musical leader. Acoustics define his entire body of work (even at night, he paces restlessly in bed, unable to sleep as he works on sonic refinements). His passion for vocal music was sparked by an a cappella concert at the 1992 Oldenburg Kultursommer. Over the years, quintessence has thus developed into a high-quality ensemble.

Many of the – sometimes winking – arrangements are written by him – orchestral music adapted for five voices, pop songs or jazz: quintessence will never fail to surprise the audience!

Ralph Baumann, born in 1976, formerly from Teutoburg, joined quintessence in 1998 as "basso continuo". After successful audition by telephone he started building the sonorous sound layer – as he used to do it in Osnabrück before.

Even if he's a real teaser, with his charming way he always has the audience by the short hairs.

Sometimes he gives away some family secrets singing about former flirts or even about one of his numerous pre-existences!