When does the concert with Ensemble NOKAT take place?

The concert takes place on Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 6:00 PM to approximately 7:00 PM.

Where does Evening Sound in the World Heritage take place?

The venue is St. Michael's Church at Michaelisplatz 2 in 31134 Hildesheim.

How much does admission cost?

Admission is free. The concert is offered as a pay-what-you-can event.

Which musicians are performing?

NOKAT consists of Nora Matthies on cello and Katharina Pfänder on violin.

What music can the audience expect?

The program combines classical works from Bach, Kodály, Ravel, and Hildegard von Bingen with improvisation, looping machine, spatial sound, and water soundscapes.

Is the event suitable for adults?

According to the event information, the event is aimed at adults.

NOKAT transforms Hildesheim's World Heritage Church into a fascinating sea of sound

Name: Evening Sound in the World Heritage with the Ensemble NOKAT
Start: 2026-11-07T18:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-11-07T19:00:00+01:00
Location: St. Michaeliskirche

When classical sounds become waves: NOKAT in St. Michael's Church

On Saturday, November 7, 2026, the Ensemble NOKAT will transform St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim into a resonating sound space. In the concert Evening Sound in the World Heritage, violin, cello, looping machine, improvisation, and atmospheric soundscapes meet the unique acoustics of the historical church space.

Music between water, space, and movement

Nora Matthies on cello and Katharina Pfänder on violin draw from classical works of various eras and regions for their program waves. Music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Zoltán Kodály, Maurice Ravel, Hildegard von Bingen, and Aruna Narayan serves as the starting material for an unusual stage performance.

The compositions are not performed in their original form. NOKAT fragments them, reassembles individual motifs, and develops melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic structures from them. A looping machine expands the duo into an orchestral sound body. Recurring patterns, live-generated overlays, and free improvisations allow the music to grow like swirling waves on a water surface.

Soundscape meets church acoustics

The live-played music reacts to a soundscape with recordings of different water states. This creates a dialogue between instrumental sound and electronically or acoustically enhanced spatial sounds. The visitors experience a finely tuned synchronization of string colors, loop layers, reverberation, and silence.

St. Michael's Church in particular opens up a special acoustic dimension for the concert. Each cello note is given space, the violin draws bright lines into the acoustics, while the looping machine shapes an expansive sound picture from individual gestures. The concert connects historical architecture with contemporary sound design and makes the performance venue itself an active part of the music.

NOKAT: Classical music as an open process

The ensemble NOKAT, founded in 2021, stands for new listening perspectives and transdisciplinary concert formats. Nora Matthies and Katharina Pfänder share a long-standing collaboration in classical, experimental, music-theater, and interdisciplinary projects. Their artistic approach connects historical compositions with improvisation, experimental playing techniques, spatial sound, movement, and light.

Katharina Pfänder works as a freelance musician, performer, and format developer in the fields of concert, music theater, and studio. Nora Matthies is a cellist, theater musician, and part of various chamber music and improvisational formations. For her work in the duo formation NOKAT, Pfänder received a scholarship from the German Music Council in 2022.

Free admission, sound journey included

Admission to this concert is free; the event is conducted as a pay-what-you-can offer. It starts at 6:00 PM, and the concert is expected to end around 7:00 PM. The program is aimed at adults and is suitable for anyone who wants to combine classical music, contemporary sound art, and extraordinary concert experiences.

Conclusion: Evening Sound in the World Heritage promises a concentrated live atmosphere between old music, modern orchestration, and organic water sounds. Those who want to experience how two female string players create a whole sound universe with a looping machine and spatial acoustics should discover this special concert live in St. Michael's Church.