LES ESSENCES is an international chamber orchestra founded by the German-Turkish soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster and pedagogue Önder Baloglu. It consists of outstanding musicians who are also members of top chamber music ensembles and leading orchestras in North Rhine-Westphalia. Les essences’ goal is to make music with a critical yet courageous approach through the consciousness of the traditional performance practices of all periods of classical music.
The ensemble’s repertoire spans from the baroque period to commissioned compositions by renowned composers of contemporary music, and often,larger symphonic works are rearranged for this smaller chamber ensemble.The musicians perform without a conductor, which expands communication within the ensemble and enables the ultimate interaction.
Based in Essen, LES ESSENCES has been granted the 3-year-ensemble-funding of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia between 2021-2024.
LES ESSENCES regularly makes guest appearances in leading concert halls throughout Turkey and Germany.
Bianca Adamek
The violinist Bianca Adamek has been performing as a soloist on the stage since age 11. was born in 1989 in Moers, Germany, and got her first violin lesson at the age of five. In 2003 she became a student of Prof. Petru Munteanu at the Rostock University of Music and Theatre and from 2008-2010 she studied at the Folkwang University of Arts in Essen with Nikolai Mintchev. Between 2010-2012 she studied with Prof. Rainer Küchl at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. From 2012 she continued her studies at the University of Arts in Berlin with Prof. Mark Gothoni. After her graduation she began her Masters, also at the University of Arts in Berlin with Prof. Mark Gothoni. During her childhood she won several prizes at the German national competition “Jugend musiziert”. In 2002 she won the 2nd prize at the competition “Young musician” in Tallinn Estonia. in 2003 she was a finalist at the International Violin Competition “Andrea Postacchini” in Fermo (Italy), won the 4th prize at the International Violin Competition “Kloster Schontal”, and received a European encouragement prize for young artists by the Foundation Pro Europa. She was a member of Young Euro Classic Festival Orchestra in China, Germany and India and was invited as a faculty member and principal to Bangalore by India National Youth Orchestra. In season 2013-2014 she had a traineeship at the Orchestra Academy of Deutsche Opera Berlin. From the 2014-2015 season on she has been working also as a trainee at the Orchestra Academy Deutsche-Symphonie Orchester Berlin.
Credit: Ulrike von Loeper
Önder Baloglu
The Turkish-German violinist Önder Baloglu is known for his breathtaking artistry and adventurous approach to programming. With a technique that blends virtuosity and entrancing musical finesse, Önder presents an innovative musical universe. He is a versatile violinist in search of the essences of music: as a soloist, a chamber musician, a concertmaster, an artistic director, a professor and as a musical director. He has been musically active in most of the European countries and in USA, Canada, China, India, South Korea, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.
Önder has been selected concertmaster of the Duisburg Philharmonic and the German Rhine Opera Düsseldorf. Since 2021 he is the concertmaster of the Tekfen Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra.
Önder weaves his passion for chamber music into his orchestral career by conducting orchestras from the concertmaster position, such as the Kammerorchester Heilbronn, the Bilkent Symphonic of Ankara and his own „Les Eessences“.
As artistic director he designed the unusual concert series “The Underground-Festival of Classics“ in Katakomben-Theater Essen, and has been the co-artistic director of the Klasik Keyifler Music Festival in Cappadocia.
Önder is an enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music and a gifted improviser. Uninhibited by conventional genre boundaries and noted for his innovative programming he designed during the first lockdown in 2020 his Unvoiced Diaries project and commissioned 24 Turkish composers living all over the world to compose one-minute-long miniatures for solo violin to be performed especially on social media platforms.
Önder teaches at the Royal Conservatory of the Netherlands in The Hague and at the Folkwang University of Arts.
Credit: Ulrike von Loeper
Diego Hernandez Suarez
Diego Hernandez Suarez was Born in Bilbao in 1982 into a family of musicians. At the age of 5 he received his first cello lesson from Professor Mihai Besedovski, from whom he continues to receive valuable advice. In 1995 he began his musical training at the Conservatory “Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga” in Bilbao as a student of Eliza Pascu, and continued at the “Conservatorio Superior de Música de El Escorial” with Joseph Gal, obtaining the Career Honor Prize. He was granted a scholarship by the Albeniz Foundation and the A.I.E Foundation to attend the Escuela Superior de Música “Reina Sofía” of Madrid, where he studied with Prof. Natalia Shakovskaya. At the School he was awarded for Most Outstanding String Quartet of the 2001-02 academic year.In 2003 he entered the "Hochschule für Musik Saar" in Germany, where he got his diploma in Violoncello in the class of Prof. Gustav Rivinius, and his Masters in Chamber Music with Prof. Tatevik Mokatsian, graduating with Distinction. From 2003 to 2005 he was a scholarship holder of the "Fundación Caixa".
Diego is a founding member of the Et Arsis Piano Quartet, of which he was a member for 12 years. With this ensemble, he completed a postgraduate course in Chamber Music at the "Folkwang Universität der Künste" in Essen with Prof. Andreas Reiner. They won numerous international competitions and performed concerts and tours around the world. The Quartet also founded a Chamber Music Festival in Stara Zagora, an initiative for which they received the National Prize "Rotary-Club" in Bulgaria.
Diego is a member of the "Orchester der Klangverwaltung", playing on the most important stages worldwide such as Philharmonie Berlin, Arts Center in Seoul, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Sala São Paulo, Carnegie Hall in New York, Tchaikovsky Conservatory Hall in Moscow and more. He is also a member of the Ensemble Les Essences and has been invited by the prestigious violinist Rebekka Hartmann to join the recently founded chamber orchestra "Euphonia Orchester München" as Solo Violoncello.
Credit: Jean M. Laffitau
Mikalai Charnuka
Mikalai Charnuka is a prominent viola player with international acclaim. Born to a family of musicians, Mikalai studied with Eduard Kuchinski’ Lucia Lastovka and Gareth Lubbe in Minsk, Moscow and Essen. He has won prizes in international competitions, and has performed several times as a soloist with Belarusian and Russian Orchestras.
Mikalai has held viola positions in The Belarusian State Chamber Orchestra, The Moscow Academic Music Theater Orchestra and The Academic Symphony Orchestra of The Moscow state Philharmonic, and was principal violist in the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra.
Currently, Mikalai has a permanent position in the viola section of the WDR Funkhausorchester, and is a member of the chamber ensemble Les Essences.
Credit: Kristina Mangul
Lior Ouziel
Lior Ouziel is a harp teacher at the Kfar Saba Conservatory and the producer of “Focus on Harp” Concert series that takes place at the Israel Conservatory of Music, Tel Aviv, for the seventh season.
Born in 1992, Lior Ouziel began studying piano at the age of 6. At the age of 15, he moved on to study the harp with Mariana Schwarzbart, who guided his studies at the Israel Conservatory of Music, Tel Aviv and later at the Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem, where he completed his master's degree. Lior won the first Israeli harp competition in 2011, the America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarships, the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance President's Award and the Academy's Chamber Music Competition and in addition served in the IDF as an "Outstanding Musician".
Lior has participated in international harp competitions in Russia, United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and has also participated in master classes with Mariel Nordman, Skyla Kanga, Florence Sitrock, Susanna Klincherova and Sion Magen. Performed as a soloist with the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, was invited to play several times at the International Chamber Music Festival in Kohamo, Finland, where he played a solo, concerti, and chamber music repertoire and collaborated with musicians such as Klaus Mäkelä, the Danel Quartet, Sergey Malov and more. He played with many orchestras in Israel, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, performed at various festivals in Israel and recorded many times for the radio. He recently served as the musical director of the Israeli Harp Competition and Festival that took place in December in the Zucker Hall.
