Aboutus
In short
In symphonic jam sessions, amateurs, students and professionals play great orchestral works side by side for an evening, no audition, no membership, no fees. The aim is not a perfect performance but the joy of diving into masterpieces.
Each season, the organisation team plans several sessions in different cities. Alongside well-known masterpieces, rarely performed works also feature, such as those by Emilie Mayer or Louise Farrenc. Wishes from the community are taken into account. A session is mainly about playing, with the focus on the «big picture» of a work.
History
Joseph Sieber tried out the format in 2021 at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and developed it into a public programme with Dshamilja Schurtenberger. Since 2024, the Simple Symphony association has run several sessions a year in Lucerne, Zurich and Basel, and from 2027 also in Biel/Bienne.
The community numbers almost 400 musicians, and individual sessions have drawn up to 90. The library of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich provides performance materials and bowings.
Team
Almost the entire team has its roots in the Zentralschweizer Jugendsinfonieorchester ZJSO and puts in around 650 hours of volunteer work per season.
Arts manager and artist manager («DSHAMsession»). Experience at IMG Artists, Lucerne Festival and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival.
Conductor, pianist and music educator, Assistant Conductor of the Basel Sinfonietta. Founder of the ZJSO and of Simple Symphony.
Singer and arts manager, a founding cellist of the ZJSO.
Arts manager, percussionist and geography teacher at the Kantonsschule Alpenquai Luzern.
Head of the Director's Office at Hochschule Luzern – Musik. Speaker on digital transformation in the music industry.
Viola player, violinist and self-taught software developer. Builds and maintains the website and the registration tool.
Many years of experience in music administration. Looks after fundraising and the music library.