Benjamin Schneider

The Composers' Orchestra Berlin: Telling Stories

by Jack Bowers
April 20, 2026

The Composers' Orchestra Berlin is precisely that: a 15-piece ensemble, now a battle-tested 16 years old, all of whose handsome compositions on its eighth recording, Telling Stories, were written and arranged by members of the orchestra or its conductor and music director, Hazel Leach. The COB includes a small string section (two violins, viola, cello) that is more than mere window dressing, as it plays an important role on most numbers, as does the solitary 'trumpet section' (Amadeo ...