Resonances of Female Sound Art

The Le Beau Ensemble, with a line-up of voice, piano and string trio, consists of sisters Liese and Trude Meszar who grew up in Herxheim, Henrike von Heimburg, Nadia Steinhardt and Ruth Gierten-Hollingshaus. They received the ZONTA Award in 2023 for their work.

The ensemble is named after the Romantic composer Luise Adolpha Le Beau, whose creative output they dedicate themselves to exploring.

In April 2025, their first CD was released on the renowned classical label Oehms/Naxos: selected songs, her brilliant piano quartet and song arrangements for the full ensemble were recorded for the first time.

The ensemble's programmes draw from the life and work of composer Luise Adolpha Le Beau, making musical history audible anew while engaging with contemporary artistic questions. Le Beau was among the first women in Germany to study composition professionally, and later founded a music theory school for women - a remarkable cultural legacy that continues to inspire today.

Under the title "Resonances of Female Sound Art", the ensemble combines 19th-century works with contemporary perspectives and new commissioned compositions. Several new compositions for the ensemble are currently in development, with premieres scheduled for 2027 - the centennial of Le Beau's death.

Japanese composer Mayako Kubo, based in Berlin, has been commissioned to write a new work. This piece will receive its world premiere in Herxheim.

Alongside Luise A. Le Beau, the programme will feature works by French composer sisters Lili and Nadia Boulanger, Pauline Viardot, Claude Debussy and British composer Rebecca Clarke.

The evening promises to be a colourful, expressive and compelling concert. Ensemble members will guide the audience through the programme with anecdotes and remarks.