Plant Riverside District and the Teutonic Council of Savannah will present Uni-Big Band Halle live in concert on Wednesday, October 4 at 7 p.m. in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park., located on Savannah’s historic riverfront at 400 W. River St. This free outdoor concert will officially kick off the 2023 Oktoberfest festivities at Plant Riverside District and will feature talented musicians from Halle, Germany, which is Savannah’s “sister city.”

Founded in 1993 by Conductor and Director Hartmut Reszel, the internationally acclaimed Uni-Big Band Halle features students and teachers from Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany and Wittenberg, Germany. The band specializes in big band-style jazz, pop standards and original compositions and has performed across Europe, South America and beyond. Over the years, the band has performed with numerous well-known musicians, including Leroy Lovett, Nils Landgren, Chris Barber, Peter Herbolzheimer, Ron Williams and Shayna Steele.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson will introduce Uni-Big Band Halle Conductor/Director Hartmut Reszel and will offer reflections on Savannah’s ongoing relationship with Halle, Germany.

The Teutonic Council of Savannah was founded in February of 2014 after a sold-out concert of G.F. Händel’s Messiah, presented by the Savannah Philharmonic and a group of soloists from the Halle, Germany State Opera. The concert was such a success that it prompted a meeting of Savannah and Halle city officials, as well as members of three German cultural societies: the German Heritage Society (GHS), the German Friendly Society (GFS) and the Georgia Salzburger Society (GSS). The outcome of this meeting was the unanimous decision to  encourage and support the planning of similar cultural exchange events between the sister cities specifically and the German speaking countries in general and to form a new organization focused on this mission. The Teutonic Council of Savannah organizes various academic exchanges as well as cultural and musical events.

This special live performance at Plant Riverside District is sponsored by The Halle Foundation of Atlanta, which was founded by former Coca-Cola President Claus Halle and focuses on supporting German-American relations in the state of Georgia.