Local orchestra starts rehearsals for Advent concerts

With the end of the summer holidays, rehearsals are already starting for concerts to be given by the Cham-Hünenberg Orchestra later this year.
 
On Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November the orchestra will be performing two Advent concerts in conjunction with the Holy Ghost Church Choir of Hünenberg, in which a symphony by Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga will be performed. This Spanish composer died in 1826 aged only 20.
 
Earlier this year the orchestra began a search for a new conductor and, after a lengthy selection process, Samuel Nyffeler was chosen out of some 40 applicants.
 
The 30-year-old attended school in Schaffhausen before going on to study music in Lucerne, where he qualified five years ago as a school music and cello teacher. Since this time he has had three years' teaching experience at the Cantonal Academic Secondary School in Menzingen (KGM) as well as three years at his current position as master of school music at the Cantonal School in Willisau (Lucerne).

In 2012 he completed his training as a conductor under Iwan Wassilevski at the Zurich University of the Arts. In addition he has had considerable experience conducting chamber music during the course of the Music Weeks in Morschach in the canton of Schwyz, not to mention contributing to the success of numerous chamber music concerts as a cellist.