Orchester im Treppenhaus

What Orchester im Treppenhaus does

Orchester im Treppenhaus is a 20-member innovative chamber ensemble based in Hannover, Germany, operating under the registered nonprofit association Akademie für lebendige Musik e.V. The orchestra develops and performs a portfolio of roughly 15+ proprietary concert formats that blend classical repertoire with theatrical staging, immersive audio, and audience participation — including Dark Room (concerts in complete darkness with voice actors), Dark Ride (spatial-audio journey through labyrinthine spaces), DISCO (orchestral dance-floor sets), HYGGE (chairless casual listening), Circles (COVID-era spaced listening), Notfallkonzerte (personalized quartet performances for audience-submitted "emergencies"), KULT (ritual/communal format with 23 musicians), Schattenkonzerte (anonymous storytelling by marginalized groups), Date deine Musik (taste-matching app-driven program), and Trip X (secret-location urban concert with locations revealed 24 hours in advance via a custom app). It also runs the annual SEA SOUNDS festival on Norderney (21 days / 35 concerts in 2026), the triennial treppenhausfestival alternating between Hannover and Hamburg, and the STEPS education program partnering with Elbphilharmonie Education, Beethovenfest Bonn, and Mozartfest Würzburg.

The technical layer consists of the treppenhauscloud community platform on coapp.io (event info, ticketing, exclusive content, sound walks, rehearsal visits, and group activities), the Trip X smartphone app co-developed with holistic-net GmbH, the custom 'Date deine Musik' app that calculates personal taste profiles from in-concert 'like' inputs, and the Stocksteif & Prüde podcast hosted on Podigee. Distribution is event-driven: tickets are sold through venue box offices (Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Kölner Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Theater Kiel, Rudolf-Oetker-Halle Bielefeld), the pretix ticketing platform, the treppenhauscloud app, and the Fast Forward Classical agency (Hamburg). Albums (Winterreise, Dark Room, Inner Journey) are sold via Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, and direct CD order at €15 + €2.20 shipping.

Revenue is diversified across (1) ticket sales, (2) institutional public funding led by Landeshauptstadt Hannover with project grants from foundations such as Commerzbank-Stiftung and AKB-Stiftung, (3) the annual Treppenhaus Klub donation-based membership and one-time donations, (4) album/CD sales, and (5) festival and event sponsorship. Customer segments span classical music enthusiasts, young and new audiences, schools and youth programs, social and community organizations (refugees, anti-bullying, right-wing-exit programs, visually impaired), and concert venues/festivals seeking innovative programming. The orchestra won the 2021 Perspektivpreis des Deutschen Theaterpreis DER FAUST and has been described by Main-Post as 'one of the most dazzling and fascinating ensembles in Europe.'

Name

Orchester im Treppenhaus

Legal name

Akademie für lebendige Musik e.V.

Website

https://treppenhausorchester.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Orchester im Treppenhaus is a 20-member innovative classical music ensemble in Hannover, Germany, that develops proprietary immersive concert formats (Dark Room, Dark Ride, DISCO) and operates the treppenhauscloud community platform. It serves classical music enthusiasts, new audiences, schools, and major European concert venues and festivals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Classical Music Performances

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Arranging & Orchestration (MPAIAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Performing Arts & Music Lessons (Dance, Drumming, Instrument Lessons, Theater) (THAJAKAC)

Keywords

• Live classical music
• Immersive concert formats
• Chamber orchestra performances
• Music education programs
• Classical music festivals

Headquarters

HQ city

Hannover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Concert Ticket Sales: Revenue from live performances at major concert halls and festivals across Germany and internationally. Tickets sold through venue box offices, pretix platform, and the treppenhauscloud app.
2. Album and CD Sales: Sales of albums including Winterreise, Dark Room, Inner Journey through Bandcamp and direct CD orders (15 EUR + 2.20 shipping per CD).
3. Institutional Public Funding: Institutional funding from Landeshauptstadt Hannover (City of Hannover), with additional project-specific grants from various cultural foundations and sponsors.
4. Club Membership and Donations: Annual donation-based membership in the Treppenhaus Klub (friends' circle) supporting project financing, concerts, travel, administration. One-time donations also accepted via PayPal or bank transfer.
5. Festival and Event Sponsorship: SEA SOUNDS festival and other large-scale events supported by sponsors and partners including foundations and corporate sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Orchester im Treppenhaus is a 20-member chamber orchestra that designs and performs innovative classical-music concert formats combining live orchestral music with theatrical, immersive, and interactive audience experiences. Beyond live concerts at major German and European halls and festivals, it operates the treppenhauscloud digital community platform, runs the STEPS education and outreach program, releases albums on Bandcamp and streaming platforms, hosts an annual Sea Sounds Festival on Norderney and a triennial treppenhausfestival, and produces the Stocksteif & Prüde podcast.

Product overview

Orchester im Treppenhaus is an innovative classical music ensemble based in Hannover, Germany, offering a diverse portfolio of concert experiences and cultural programs. The core offering consists of multiple concert formats including immersive experiences (Dark Room, Dark Ride), participatory events (Notfallkonzerte, Circles), dance formats (DISCO), and community gatherings (HYGGE). These are supported by the treppenhauscloud digital platform providing event information and community features, the Stocksteif & Prüde podcast, and the STEPS education program. The ensemble also releases albums (Winterreise, Dark Room, Inner Journey, DISCO) and operates the annual Sea Sounds Festival on Norderney and the triennial Treppenhausfestival in Hannover/Hamburg.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• treppenhauscloud: Community platform connecting concerts with everyday life through a mobile app offering information, tickets, exclusive insights, and community participation opportunities.
• treppenhaussteps (STEPS)
• Stocksteif & Prüde
• Sea Sounds Festival

Products and services

• Dark Room

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1500 people attended Dark Ride performances at Gut Bennigsen across 14 shows
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, regular and flagship.

• Fast Forward ClassicalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArtist representation agency founded in 2020 by Justus Wille, based in Hamburg. Represents the orchestra for progressive classical programming and gigs at unconventional venues. Agency tagline: 'progressive Klassik and genre-crossing projects with one leg in classical tradition and the other going new ways.'
• Fast Forward ClassicalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFestival presenter and artist intermediary bringing orchestra to major venues and festivals in Germany and internationally.
• Education Department of Elbphilharmonie HamburgregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular cooperation partner for youth education programs and Step-Up initiatives.
• Beethovenfest BonnregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for education projects and student manager programs, including Geheimkonzert TripX collaboration with former Treppenhaus Werkstatt participants.
• Mozartfest WürzburgregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular cooperation partner for educational initiatives and collaborative projects.
• Junge Schauspiel HannoverregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for youth theater-music projects including 'PlayStation – (Über)lebende Steine' with 10 teenagers exploring Hiroshima and nuclear weapons.
• Sprengel Museum HannoverregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for regular free Notfallkonzerte, children's programs, and Schattenkonzerte. Also partner for museum music-guided tours for people with visual impairments.
• Landeshauptstadt HannovercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional funding provider for the orchestra. Also partner for various city cultural initiatives.
• holistic-net GmbHregularTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for Trip X app development - a proprietary smartphone app that reveals concert locations only 24 hours before events.
• KunstFestSpiele HerrenhausenflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoproduction partner for 'Die Tonight - Live Forever. A Club Opera' - a new work with compositions by Michael Beil, Oxana Omelchuk, Benjamin Scheuer to libretto by Sivan Ben Yishai.
• Bürgerstiftung HannoverregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizer of 'Wo wir Gemeinsam Singen' event in cooperation with Kulturbüro der Landeshauptstadt Hannover.
• Kulturbüro der Landeshauptstadt HannovercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity cultural office providing institutional support and cooperation for various orchestra events and programs.
• AussteigerhilfeRechts (Ambulanter Justizsozialdienst Niedersachsen)regularStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 2025 Schattenkonzerte focusing on right-wing extremism exit, supporting people wanting to leave extremist ideologies.
• Unter einem DachregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting newcomers in Hannover with innovative concepts and diverse team, partner for 2023 Schattenkonzerte on refugee experiences.
• Theater an der Glocksee e.V.regularStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheater partner for 2023 Schattenkonzerte on refugee experiences.
• Helden e.V.regularStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 2022 Schattenkonzerte on bullying (#antibullying) with youth who were victims sharing experiences.
• Commerzbank-StiftungregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder for education program Step-Up and treppenhauswochenende events.
• FREO – Freie Ensembles und Orchester in Deutschland e.V.regularStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership for free ensembles and orchestras in Germany.
• Landesblindenzentrum HannoverregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for museum music-guided tours making art accessible to visually impaired people through music.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Britten Sinfonia: Cambridge-based UK chamber orchestra with a strong record of crossing genre boundaries and developing new concert formats — a comparable innovator with an analogous education and community engagement agenda.
• Mahler Chamber Orchestra: Independent, internationally touring chamber orchestra with strong commitment to innovative programming and community/education work — comparable as a self-governing, format-driven ensemble.
• London Sinfonietta: UK-based contemporary chamber orchestra with a long track record of commissioning new work and experimenting with concert formats and audience engagement — a clear international counterpart in mission and structure.
• Aurora Orchestra: London-based innovative chamber orchestra famous for memorised performances and cross-genre experiential concerts — a strong peer on format innovation and audience-development strategy.
• Amsterdam Sinfonietta: Dutch string-led chamber orchestra with a strong reputation for innovation, unconventional venues, and audience engagement — directly comparable as a European innovative chamber ensemble at similar scale.
• Ensemble Modern: Frankfurt-based, ~20-member contemporary chamber ensemble known for innovative concert formats, cross-genre collaborations, and new music commissions — the closest peer in scale and mission to Orchester im Treppenhaus.
• Ensemble intercontemporain: Paris-based contemporary music ensemble of ~30 musicians with a parallel mission to bridge classical and contemporary through experimental concert formats, often staging works with theatrical and visual elements.
• musikFabrik: Cologne-based contemporary music ensemble of comparable size that pairs new commission work with theatrical and experimental staging — directly comparable on format innovation and German-market positioning.
• Alarm Will Sound: US-based ~20-member contemporary ensemble that performs across genres and stages immersive, narrative-driven concerts — a comparable model of a small, format-driven chamber group.

Regional players

• Kammerakademie Potsdam: German chamber orchestra of comparable size focused on innovative and accessible programming in the Berlin-Brandenburg region — comparable peer but operating primarily in a different German market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/treppenhausorchester
• Instagraminstagram.com/orchester_im_treppenhaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orchester-im-treppenhaus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Orchester im Treppenhaus