Aug22136 15. Multi-Instrumentalist & Singer of the Year 2025 (Berlin): Amelie Protscher The multifaceted world of music encompasses many channels, and almost all of them are explored in one way or another by Amelie Protscher, a musician, sound engineer, and the sole proprietor of an eponymous business. On the back of her recognition as the Multi-Instrumentalist & Singer of the Year 2025 (Berlin), a deserving title given her status as a leading touring jazz and blues musician in Germany, we take a closer look at everything from Amelie’s live and studio recordings to her music education and workshops in Berlin, getting by with a little help from the lady of the hour herself. When Amelie began her business back in 1999, it initially focused exclusively on her services as a multi-instrumentalist and singer. Amelie is an incredibly proficient player of the piano, pipe and Hammond organs, guitar, bass, and trumpet, as well as being skilled with the mandolin, banjo, trombone, and tenor saxophone, amongst others. All of this makes Amelie a talented player of jazz or jazz-related music (blues, gospel, R’n’B, etc.), but she does not shy away from old time rock and roll or classical music should the situation call for it. However, as suggested above, playing is just the beginning of the full range of services provided by the business today, and Amelie can compose, arrange, and transcribe music for clients, not to mention accompany and direct choirs. Having trained under the tutelage of the late Rainer Robben, Berlin’s premier recording engineer across jazz and acoustic music, Amelie is also able to offer live and studio recording services alike. She is also in a number of touring bands – allowing her to get back to her roots as a performer – and a teacher. Amelie’s eponymous business encapsulates all of the above, meaning there should be no surprises in the revelation that her client base is incredibly diverse, consisting of everything from musicians or promoters seeking a performer for their live show through to amateurs looking to pick Amelie’s brains in a teaching capacity. She has also tutored aspiring music students on the run up to their exams, as well as supporting studio operators or recording musicians either behind the mixing desk or in front of it, highlighting her versatility. Regardless of which of these settings she is working in, Amelie’s focus is always the same: to provide world-class music to clients who get satisfaction from these services. Amelie explained: “Whether it’s recording, writing, teaching, mixing, or performing music, the product has to be top-notch.” To this end, Amelie holds herself to the highest industry standards, using her judgement to select only the best professionals for projects. “A core value of my business has always been sincerity. You must be rooted in the music you play and play it with all your heart. Then and only then will it come across as an honest artistic statement and convince the listener.” Contact: Amelie Protscher Company: Amelie Protscher Web Address: www.amelieprotscher.com/index.php AIM-Nov25020 Nowhere is this on display better than through her current band, ‘Rag Doll’, a collection of talented musicians who have taken the music of 1920s jazz and blues vocalists and put them back on the musical map of modernday Germany. The result has been renewed interest in this near-extinct style of vocal jazz, with a fanbase that is set to expand further next year, given Rag Doll is going into the studio in January to record an album of ten Amelie-penned originals and two gems by the legendary blues singers Ida Cox and Gladys Bentley, respectively. In the unlikely event her one-stop-shop music and audio business cannot support in exactly what it is her clients are looking for, Amelie’s standing in the industry sees her able to leverage the services of a network of musicians, technicians, and specialists who can. However, rarely is this necessary, and whether a great live band is required, a client needs a P.A. and live mixing service for their gig, or a person simply wants a piece of their audio gear repaired, they are always welcome with Amelie, who, with decades of experience and expertise, has just the right solution at hand. And take advantage of this offer they do, with the Berlin area in which Amelie operates being renowned for both its international musical culture and its gritty, street-wise nature – making it a perfect storm for the kind of music this jazz and blues musician has come to specialise in. Even with the uncertainty of AI in music looming on the horizon, Amelie is keen to enjoy every minute of making and presenting handmade music, and help her clients do the same, more than earning her this award. Photo credit: Uwe Arens
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