Orchestra in the Dark

A radical new program for strings and subversion at Halle am Berghain.

Berlin’s sacred temple of techno, Berghain, is no stranger to seismic shifts in sound. But this spring, the former power plant’s brutalist walls will resonate with a different kind of electricity: a new orchestra series, launching an unprecedented dialogue between classical instrumentation and radical space. The inaugural event takes place on May 16th, conducted by Berlin-based conductor and composer Avi Caspi, grab your tickets!

Halle am Berghain, once a quieter limb of Berghain’s feral body, has evolved into a cavernous venue for sonic exploration. Now, it becomes home to a new orchestra—where orchestral music is stripped bare and reimagined for a new generation—beginning with a monumental opening: 24 string musicians, curated from Berlin’s underground and academic scenes, converging for a night that promises to tear down centuries of tradition.

Each evening unfolds without the pomp or hierarchy usually attached to classical music. No grand stage, no velvet seats, no standing ovations. Only raw architecture, pure sound, and an audience invited to experience orchestral music up close. The program is as intense and unpredictable as the venue itself—imagine Giacinto Scelsi’s spectral music alongside commissioned works from Berlin-based noise artists, or ancient polyphonies weaving into contemporary orchestrations.

No grand stage, no velvet seats, no standing ovations. Only raw architecture, pure sound, and an audience invited to experience orchestral music up close. The program is as intense and unpredictable as the venue itself—imagine Giacinto Scelsi’s spectral music alongside commissioned works from Berlin-based noise artists, or ancient polyphonies weaving into contemporary orchestrations.

Copyright by Stefan Lucks

The curation emphasizes intensity over perfection and presence over spectacle. It’s about music as a living, breathing organism: sometimes beautiful, sometimes savage, always honest. In a city already saturated with music, this new series at Berghain offers a necessary rupture—a space where classical tradition isn’t abandoned but reshaped and reanimated. It doesn’t cater to purists. It’s a call to those willing to be moved, shaken, undone.

The inaugural event takes place on May 16th, conducted by Berlin-based conductor and composer Avi Caspi, with the hall pitch black during the show. Orchestra members: Gregoire Simon, Shasta Ellenbogen, Elspieta, Davis West, Phoebe White, Joachim Baumerder, Camille Garin, Johanna Tüscher, Frances Patterson, Megan Jowett, Nikolaus Schlierf, Yodfat Miron, Miguel Erlich, Lillia Keyes, Isabelle Klemt, Annette Jakovcic, Christoph Croisé, Kornelia Jamborowicz, Tadashi Forck, James Banner, Hans Graeve, Franzi Aller, Saara Larisa, Armando Yague.

Copyright by Stefan Lucks

Orchestra in the Dark / Halle am Berghain

Credits:

Composer: Avi Caspi / @avi__caspi
Words: Laura Vogel

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