The Breakout Ensemble was a new music ensemble active in Munich from 2014 to 2017. In this time, it was awarded the City of Munich Music Prize and worked with ARTE/BBC, Steve Reich, the Bavarian Radio, Museum of Contemporary Art (Munich), School of Music and Theatre (Munich) and others. Samuel was a founding member, regular conductor and key organiser within the "collective" structure.
In 2016, the ensemble (under Samuel's leadership as producer, co-composer and conductor) premiered a 90-minute Video-Opera "SharePool" in Schwere Reiter (Munich) to critical acclaim. Reviews of SharePool include:
"The crazily well-played music by the Breakout Ensemble - atonal, rocking, folkish, romantic and with large operatic voices - is definitely worth the visit" - Martin Bürkl, BR-Klassik
"The exceptional members of the Breakout Ensemble bring a new level to the work, which is astonishingly homogenous yet independent, despite the five different composers." - Klaus Kalchschmid, Süddeutsche Zeitung
(Reviews in the original German)
“Die irre gut gespielte Musik vom Breakout Ensemble – atonal, rockig, folkloristisch, romantisch und mit großen Opernstimmen – ist definitiv den Besuch wert.” - Martin Bürkl, BR-Klassik
“Die hervorragenden Mitglieder des Breakout Ensembles ziehen in das Geschehen eine weitere, trotz der fünf Komponisten erstaunlich homogene und selbständige Ebene ein.” - Klaus Kalchschmid, Süddeutsche Zeitung