Alman Oda Orkestrası. Les essences is a chamber orchestra consisting of outstanding musicians who are also members of top-class chamber music ensembles and orchestras in North Rhine-Westphalia. Les essences’ goal is to make music with a critical yet courageous approach to the traditional performance practices of all periods of classical music. Playing without a conductor expands communication within the ensemble and enables the members to transfer the ultimate interaction to the group as a whole. Les essences enables performances of chamber music as a chamber orchestra and does not hesitate if the larger symphonic works are to be rearranged for a smaller chamber ensemble. The ensemble’s repertoire ranges from the baroque period to commissioned compositions by renowned composers of contemporary music. The core of the ensemble is Quart.essence, a string quartet that provides a thorough preliminary musical approach and then expands it to the whole ensemble. Quart.essence dates back to 2009, their debut concert. Through concerts with various guests, the quartet gradually developed and became the chamber ensemble which we now call “Les essences”. Based in the Essen, the heart of the Ruhr Metropole, Les essences is granted for the 3-year-ensemble-funding of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia between 2021-2024.