ZAPPA & CO - - - DECEMBER 20, 2025 - - - IN HAMM, GERMANY

Zappa & Co am 20.12.2025 in Hamm, Germany

The Hamm Municipal Music School invites you to its musical end-of-year concert at the Kurhaus Hamm on 20 December 2025. Four large ensembles – the symphony orchestra, the wind orchestra (SBO), the Galaxy Guitar Unit and the Zappa Orchestra Hamm – will join forces to create an evening that showcases the diversity of the music school.
While the first part of the concert will present the wide range of classical and contemporary music with Georges Bizet's ‘Carmen’ in the version by Rodion Shchedrin and other contributions from the various ensembles, the second part will focus on a special theme: the music of Frank Zappa.
The Zappa Orchestra Hamm, which has attracted attention far beyond the city limits since its founding in 2015, once again brings the musical world of Frank Zappa to the stage – powerful, humorous, moving and unique in its sonic impact. The programme is complemented by energetic funk and jazz influences from Cory Wong and Prince.
As in 2023, dancers from the music school will accompany selected pieces with choreography. The combination of a large ensemble, unusual repertoire and dance interpretation makes this part of the concert a highlight of the evening – and a format that is rarely experienced in this form.

In 2025, Hamm will celebrate 50 years as a city – and the concert evening will bring this special year to a festive musical close. Shortly before Christmas, the music school will present the city with the premiere of the new Hamm song by composer Tjark Baumann, which was written for the two city anniversaries in 2025 and 2026. The song has been rehearsed and recorded since August by numerous students and teachers from the music school. It will be released in early 2026, accompanied by a specially produced video by Enrico Taubmann. A touching tribute to the city and its people.
More than 180 performers from the music school's four ensembles will take to the stage together on this evening. The mix of classical, rock, jazz and funk creates an extraordinary setting for a concert that, shortly before Christmas, once again shows how lively and diverse the music scene in Hamm is.
With a varied programme, strong musical accents and an energetic finale, the music school sends its audience into the Christmas holidays with good feelings. The concert begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are available in advance at the Kurhaus, at the WA, at the Insel am Bahnhof and at the box office for €15 regular and €8 reduced.