The ÉRMA Ensemble is a young, Cologne-based ensemble that has come together to explore the music of the second half of the 20th century and the 21st century in all its virtuosity and timbres. A diverse range of instruments, including the mandolin, guitar and trumpet, offers ÉRMA particularly unique sound possibilities.
The ensemble’s aim is to bring contemporary music closer to its audience – whereby ‘audience’ in this context means ‘anyone who is willing to listen’. For this reason, ÉRMA successfully experiments with alternative concert formats, such as the acclaimed opening of the Panorama concert series, where, in March 2026, the ensemble invited its audience to the Kabinett der Sinne for an immersive experience that blended concert and art exhibition.
Furthermore, the ensemble is committed to devising projects of social relevance. Collaborations with other forms of expression and cultures play a major role in this, which led to a partnership with the Hamburg-based bağlama player of Turkish origin, Derya Yildrim, in ‘Crossing the Abyss’ in November 2024.
The ensemble has appeared several times at the Achtbrücken Festival in Cologne, for example in 2023, when the composition competition was dedicated to ÉRMA (concert at the WDR Funkhaus).
From 2023 to 2025, ÉRMA was part of the InSzene funding programme run by the Podium Gegenwart of the German Music Council.