(c) Laura Westerhoff

You should try essential oils

Carlie Schoonees, Pedro Lima und Carlota Ramos

15.04.2024

17:00 – 17:45

Alte Feuerwache Köln / Stage

Free admission

“You should try essential oils” is an outcry for action in the face of a society that has failed us and is collapsing – literally, due to climate change, but also morally, in terms of our values and our behaviour.

“Hey, I like your personality.” “Thanks, it‘s a disorder.” was born out of a state of confusion, but also curiosity. After a late diagnosis in her mid-twenties, the composer Carlie Schoonees felt the need to embark on a journey of self-discovery.

This resulted in a piece based on two opposites: beautiful, introspective moments in which we are given insights into her most intimate thoughts, alternating with a cruel reality in which “autistic babies should be put to sleep”.

In “Talkin(g) (a)bout my generation”, the composer Pedro Lima portrays and criticises his generation and an egocentric culture that places profit above people, the environment and mental health in his own satirical way. What role do the arts, especially music, play in social change?

The title is an homage to the proliferating field of “medical advice” given unsolicited by random strangers who once read a post on the internet – Bach, essential oils and yoga will set you free.

“You should try essential oils” is an event organised by the Cologne University of Music and Dance.

(c) Laura Westerhoff

(c) Laura Westerhoff

(c) Anna Tena

(c) Anna Tena

(c) Barbara Rocha

(c) Barbara Rocha