Laura Totenhagen: Of Cabbages and Kings & Totenhagen

Laura Totenhagen combines her classical roots with experimental lyrical singing. She began her musical path as an oboist in the German Federal Youth Orchestra. In the Federal Jazz Orchestra, the Cologne native impressed in various projects with her strong, mature voice. Now, on the occasion of her master's degree, she is presenting two of her own formations in one evening in the Stadtgarten concert hall.

TOTENHAGEN
Laura Totenhagen (vocals), Felix Hauptmann (piano), Stefan Schönegg (bass), Leif Berger (drums)
Since 2014 Laura has been breaking new ground with her own quartet: Totenhagen presents the band leader's own compositions. Laura's arrangements and emotional settings of poets, such as Adonis, Shu Ting or Shakespeare, dress sophisticated texts in a unique garment. Classical Impressionism, Free Improvisation or artists like Theo Bleckmann, Sidsel Endresen, Norma Winstone or other contemporary art forms serve as a source of inspiration.
Totenhagen is a band that knows how to bring intellect and emotions together and to touch the audience.
Among other awards and scholarships (2nd place Burghauser Jazzpreis, 3rd place Sparda Jazz Award, 2nd place Tampere Vocal Festival, Startup-Music-Preis Berlin, Würth Preis), Laura was a semi-finalist of the Montreux Jazz Voice Competition and was nominated with Totenhagen for the 2017 New German Jazz Award.

OF CABBAGES AND KINGS
Vocals: Rebekka Ziegler, Veronika Morscher, Zola Mennenöh, Laura Totenhagen
Of Cabbages and Kings not only succeeds in creating the magic that the human voice has on us, but even quadruples it. Vocal ensembles often lack exactly the parts, that make individual voices speak to us so directly. Many of these ensembles pay the highest possible price for their gain in volume and the ability to form harmonies.
Each of the four singers is a solo artist with their own profile, whose expressive and colourful singing fascinates in detail. They give each other space and succeed in balancing solo and ensemble singing in ever new and more convincing variations. From the colour boxes of their individual voices they conjure up a multitude of new mixed colours on the palette and their vocal chants are full of emotional power.
Each of the four musicians composes and contributes not only her own handwriting, but also a deep understanding of the possibilities of her own and the other voices. From spoken word to subtle jazz harmonies, from the rhythmic-melodic pull of pop music figures to abstract-neutral dissonances and from fragile, delicate pianissimo to powerful forte. This variety never appears arbitrary, but always shows creative power and assured taste.
With this flair they also convinced the jury of several jazz competitions. They won the concert scholarship of the Werner Richard - Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation, took 2nd place at the Burghauser Jazz Award and 3rd place at the Sparda Jazz Award.
In December 2018 Of Cabbages And Kings released their long awaited debut album "AURA" on the Cologne label KLAENGrecords.
But if you only know and appreciate the recordings of the four singers, you only know half the truth. The precision of their movements, right down to the most oblique harmony and the most syncopated thirty-second note, remains the same on stage as on the record.