Which sounds move us in our  »innermost being«, in our bodies, in our heads and in our outside world? What feelings do we associate with them? How can we summarise creative ideas in a concert dramaturgical concept? 

As part of the  »InsideOut« project, eleven vocational students from Cologne worked with percussionist Vanessa Porter, sound designer Daniel Mudrack and a team of music journalists to develop reflective dramaturgical and multimedia content for the concert programme »Innenwelten« on 16 October 2022 at the Kölner Philharmonie in just five days. 

With expertise in the fields of communication (digital and print) and image and sound media design, a creative collective developed right at the start of the project week. Based on the concert programme, they worked with Vanessa Porter, Daniel Mudrack and the music journalist team to gather ideas for developing sound collages for the concert programme: After an initial exchange, sounds were recorded on the body and in the surroundings, edited, discussed and mixed together to create exciting sound collages: How do the sounds affect us? What do we want to convey through them in the concert?  

At the same time, the vocational students worked with music journalists Jonas Zerweck, Thilo Braun and Greta Hey to produce multimedia content for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  

Following the concert, an audio feature will be produced (to be published at a later date) that accompanies the project's work processes on site and brings the experiences from the participants' perspective to life. 

‘Music doesn't have to be perfect, it has to trigger a feeling in us: Based on this aspect, we developed sounds with Vanessa and Daniel as part of the »InsideOut« project. These are intended to immerse the listener in the theme of the concert »Inner Worlds«. Setting emotions to music was a completely new experience for both of us, as our training focussed on the print sector. We are all the more pleased that the exchange with each other will consolidate our newly learnt skills in the long term. To summarise, working in a team is a great enrichment for all of us.’ Marie & Franzi

‘Tones, sounds and sound - completely foreign to me in everyday life. I normally design graphics and pictures, not sounds and noises. The »InsideOut« project has given me the opportunity to look into a new, creative area and actively participate. Developing new sounds from self-recorded noises and tones was a completely new experience for me. Accordingly, the results were really exciting and the fun of the work was not lost. I am very grateful that I was able to take part in this project and gain so many new impressions.’ Leonie

‘From the very first time we entered the rehearsal room, it was clear that creative and intellectual work would predominate and analytical work would be of secondary importance. The unique blend of expertise and inventiveness became the basis for »InsideOut«. While the first day of the project was still characterised by getting to know each other and exploring the wide range of skills, ideas became more and more concrete in the following days, especially through the exchange with Vanessa and Daniel about the concert programme. Ideas were discussed in the group, coordinated and spun further. Although we sometimes got bogged down in details, we never lost sight of the big picture, always with the key question in mind: What do we want to express and convey? Conveying some of the more serious messages through movement, percussion and music was met with great commitment from the group, coupled with the necessary sensitivity. And so, within a few days, a loose project idea evolved into the accompanying dramaturgy for a concert, in which each participant was able to contribute ideas and suggestions and find his or her place in the group.’ Felix

Supported by the RheinEnergieStiftung Kultur