Dr. Berndt Schmidt

Born in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, the culture manager studied economics and social sciences in Augsburg. After starting at Bertelsmann AG in New York, he became managing director of a Frankfurt am Main subsidiary and managing director of associated companies in New York and London. In 2002, he became the universal agent for the musical “Ludwig II – Sehnsucht nach dem Paradies” in Füssen, before in 2004 Stage Entertainment appointed him regional managing director of two musical venues, the Apollo and the Palladium Theaters in Stuttgart. Since 1 November 2007, he has been the sole managing director and artistic director of Friedrichstadt-Palast and in this function also the producer of the show “Qi – eine Palast-Phantasie.”

Jürgen Nass

Born in Berlin, Jürgen Nass already played as a kid at the Komische Oper and the Berlin Ensemble. He also was a children’s voice-over artist with DEFA. These experiences consolidated his wishes to use and enlarge his dancing and creative talents. He left his hometown and moved to Dresden to study at the Palucca Dance High School. Upon graduation in 1967, he returned to Berlin and the stage of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, where he was dancing under prestigious choreographers, such as Sergejew, Schilling, Cranko, and Vinogradow. As a soloist dancer, he performed in many opera productions by Harry Kupfer, Prof. Erhard Fischer, and Ruth Berghaus. In 1984, he joined the Friedrichstadt-Palast, where he works as the creative director since 1994. His first work as a director was the show for the Small Revue (today’s Quatsch Comedy Club) “Dance, Dance, Dance”. His debut on the large stage of the Palace was with “Classics”. Many big revues followed, amongst which, as a co-author, “Cinema”, “Elements”, “Wunderbar – die 2002. Nacht”, “Casanova”, and “Glanzlichter”.

Together with Roland Welke, he is the equal author and doer of the success show Qi (with over 500,000 visitors), and of the new epic show “Yma – Too Beautiful to be True”. In addition, Jürgen Nass is also the director of both productions.

Roland Welke

Born in Potsdam, Germany, Roland Welke studied cultural and theatre sciences in Berlin. During his studies already, he worked as a trainee, and later on as a production assistant for the Big Revue as well as for the Small Revue of the Friedrichstadt-Palast. Further steps in his career were the theatre in Basel, Switzerland, and the “Theater des Westens” in Berlin.

His first conceptual work for a Friedrichstadt-Palast show was the Christmas Revue 1998. Since 1999, Roland Welke is a part of the creative team at the Friedrichstadt-Palast, where today, he is the assistant creative director. Since then, he created many Christmas revues, he wrote the book “Marlene – One Hundred”, and he worked as a co-author at “Wunderbar – die 2002. Nacht” and “Casanova”. Furthermore, he developed the book for the ORB gala “40 Jahre unser Sandmännchen”, and he contributed to book releases about the Friedrichstadt-Palast and the Theater des Westens. In 2009, he authored the anniversary edition of “Sternstunden: 25 Jahre Neuer Friedrichstadt-Palast”.

Together with Jürgen Nass, he is the equal author and doer of the success show Qi (with over 500,000 visitors), and of the new epic show “Yma – Too Beautiful to be True”.

Jürgen Nass

Born in Berlin, Jürgen Nass already played as a kid at the Komische Oper and the Berlin Ensemble. He also was a children’s voice-over artist with DEFA. These experiences consolidated his wishes to use and enlarge his dancing and creative talents. He left his hometown and moved to Dresden to study at the Palucca Dance High School. Upon graduation in 1967, he returned to Berlin and the stage of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, where he was dancing under prestigious choreographers, such as Sergejew, Schilling, Cranko, and Vinogradow. As a soloist dancer, he performed in many opera productions by Harry Kupfer, Prof. Erhard Fischer, and Ruth Berghaus. In 1984, he joined the Friedrichstadt-Palast, where he works as the creative director since 1994. His first work as a director was the show for the Small Revue (today’s Quatsch Comedy Club) “Dance, Dance, Dance”. His debut on the large stage of the Palace was with “Classics”. Many big revues followed, amongst which, as a co-author, “Cinema”, “Elements”, “Wunderbar – die 2002. Nacht”, “Casanova”, and “Glanzlichter”.

Together with Roland Welke, he is the equal author and doer of the success show Qi (with over 500,000 visitors), and of the new epic show “Yma – Too Beautiful to be True”. In addition, Jürgen Nass is also the director of both productions.

Michael Michalsky

Born in Göttingen in 1967, Michael Michalsky grew up near Hamburg. A photo report on Karl Lagerfeld proved so fascinating for the then 12-year-old that he decided to follow Lagerfeld’s footsteps. Upon finishing school, he left his home town to study at the London College of Fashion. Back in Germany, Michalsky initially worked as Design Manager at Levis but was soon promoted to the position of Lead Designer for the label.
In 1995, Michalsky was approached by adidas, a brand whose credibility and authenticity fascinated him. He built up an international team of almost 200 designers and, in the year 2000, was named Global Creative Director for the brand. In 2002, Michalsky developed the exclusive product line Y3 together with Yohji Yamamoto. Michalsky became the first fashion designer to be conferred the red dot award of international acclaim for his work at adidas.

In spring 2006, Michalsky left adidas to pursue his lifelong dream of establishing his own fashion label. He founded the Michalsky Holding GmbH in Berlin, which presented the MICHALKSY premium line and MICHALSKY JEANS line for the first time at a fashion show in January 2007. The MICHALSKY fashion shows have been an integral part of Berlin Fashion Week ever since, and the after-show parties are legendary. Since May 2005, Michael Michalsky has also been Creative Director for the relaunch of luxury handbag manufacturer, MCM.

MICHALSKY caters to the high-fashion segment, and combines classic styles with streetwear influences. His line’s mantra is “Real clothes for real people”. Michael Michalsky meanwhile counts among Germany’s most influential designers. He cooperates with leading companies such as BMW, Wella, Ariel, Seidensticker and Nigura Metzler.

In summer 2009, the Berlin designer established the MICHALSKY designLab. Designers from various segments work here under Michalsky’s guidance on design projects for external companies. This includes producing sportswear collections for the largest sportswear manufacturer in China, Kappa China.

In the show ‘Yma – Too beautiful to be true’, Michael Michalsky is the couture designer responsible for the over 500 splendid costumes. This is a novel experience both for him, being the first show that he has outfitted, and for the Friedrichstadt-Palast, which is entrusting all costume responsibilities to a highly regarded fashion designer for the first time.

Circus of Now, Berlin

The Circus of Now comprises a team of eight artists from the fields of film, animation, stage design, architecture, design and technology, who see themselves as their clients’ medium. Special systems and technologies developed over 18 years of international project work form the basis of their innovative style and characterise their individual approach to stage production. There are no ties to or influences from the outside; the group of artists feel committed solely to the self-discovery in their next project: intelligent, flexible, whimsical, authentic, exclusive – and always centred on the guest.

Since 2005, the Circus of Now has increasingly been working in international marketing, focusing on creating unusual and unique events for major corporations such as Volkswagen, Porsche, Miele, Samsung, Tchibo, Sony, and Bertelsmann. With representatives in Geneva, New York and Moscow, and projects in Shanghai, Saint Petersburg, San Francisco, Moscow and Tokyo, they not only enrich the individual cities, but also their own wealth of international experience.

Attention has now turned to theatre productions and architecture. Circus of Now’s stage design emphasises or blurs existing architectural and technical structures. Transformations are their aesthetic category. The on-stage presentation blends with its surrounds to create a truly three-dimensional event.

Manager and creator of Circus of Now, Aleksej Schön, grew up in Berlin and now lives in the city’s Prenzlauer Berg district where he works as a freelance artist. The Circus of Now’s innovative and unique concepts have already been conferred countless prizes and awards including the iF Communication Design Award, the World Media Festival Intermedia-Globe Gold Award and the New York Galaxy Award Gold Medal.

Paul Glaser

Born in Sweden, Paul Glaser grew up in a theatre and music-loving family. He learned to play the piano and clarinet at a very young age. The musical training formed an integral part of his everyday life, and he also began composing his own pieces early on.

Paul Glaser’s initial focus lay in the performing arts. He began his training in classical ballet, acting and singing at the Royal Swedish Ballet School. Completion of his training marked the launch of a promising stage career. Paul Glaser danced with various companies and performed in musicals such as West Side Story, Grease and Cats during which time he continued to compose songs in his spare time. His work has not only been performed on stage, but has also featured in television and film productions. Moreover, he wrote the advertising music for clients such as Nikon, Casio, Volkswagen and Peugeot, and composed and conceived his own musical entitled Peggy, which newspaper Die Welt commends for its “fantastic songs”.

He has written several pieces for NDR television shows as well as the theme music for the film Profile of Fear, and has enjoyed two successful releases within the space of just one year with his record label, Yellowroom.

Tiefschwarz

Even though the trends in the music world are constantly changing, Tiefschwarz with their impressive career of 14 years continue to prove their good sense for great sound. This DJ/producer duo was founded by brothers Alexander and Sebastian Schwarz, their project name Tiefschwarz expressing their preference for ‘deep house’ music.

In 2000, fans and critics alike enthusiastically acclaimed Tiefschwarz’s first album ‘Ral 9005’, even internationally. The ‘Eat Books’ album followed in those footsteps. Trax and DJ Magazine chose its single release ‘Isst’ as one of the best singles of 2005.

In 2002, the two Stuttgart-natives moved to Berlin, the capital of Electro. At the same time, they continued to strengthen their international reputation with various DJing gigs. Whether it is ‘Womb’ in Tokyo, ‘Fabric’ in London, or ‘Berghain’ in Berlin – Tiefschwarz play the hippest clubs. In addition, their remixes for stars such as Depeche Mode, Madonna, or Missy Elliot were spectacular successes.

In 2006, the versatile brothers founded their own record label called ‘Souvenir’. With sensational tracks by artists such as Phonique, Riton, or Tom Mangan, the label was able to secure an important spot in the dance music industry. The following year saw the release of their ‘Best of’-album ‘10 Years of Tiefschwarz’, impressively demonstrating the broad range of sounds the DJ/producer duo has at its disposal. Thanks to cooperating with producer Philipp Meier also known as Santé, Tiefschwarz have worked as a trio since 2008. Once again surprising in style and sounds by touching on other genres aside from techno and house music, the fruits of their successful collaboration can be heard on the album ‘Chocolate’, which was released in 2010.

Now, Tiefschwarz have exclusively produced a new song for the Friedrichstadt-Palast’s new show Yma – too beautiful to be true.

Martin Wingerath

Martin Wingerath was born in Baden-Baden in 1973. He had his first piano lesson when he was just five and, by the age of 14, was regularly playing the organ at church services. Upon completing his degree as an audio engineer, he worked freelance on film productions and for television channels (ZDF, SWR). In 2002, he founded music production company MusicalNet and the MusicalNet Studio Berlin recording studios with Koen Schoots. Together the pair produced countless successful CDs with musical stars of the likes of Thomas Borchert, Yngve Gasoy-Romdal and Pia Dauwes, even occupying the number one slot in the German music charts for several weeks with these.

In addition to the production of shows for Tui Cruises GmbH, Martin Wingerath also mixed the film music for film backer MFG Baden-Württemberg’s ‘Schönen Tag, Marie’. In 2008, he opened his own recording studio in Berlin-Pankow, and he has been a freelance composer, music producer and arranger for Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin ever since. His achievements include composition and arrangement of the music for WinterDreams at the Friedrichstadt-Palast, among other shows. His energetic compositions and arrangements can now also be heard in Yma – Too beautiful to be true.

Anastasia Chaykovskaya

Russian-born Anastasia Chaykovskaya laid the foundations for her future career as a dancer and choreographer at the tender age of five when she began doing gymnastics. She later decided to train at the Kiev State School of Choreography and enjoyed her first successes as a soloist and choreographer in the ballet A6 in Kiev and later with the Moscow-based Todes-Show-Ensemble. In 1995, she was awarded the prize for choreography and performance for her achievements. In 2004, she assumed management of professional dance company Smash, a role that allowed her to prove her prowess as a choreographer, dancer and soloist.

In addition to her artistic career, Anastasia Chaykovskaya has also been awarded a first-class degree in Architecture and Design. She has lived in Berlin since 2007.

Sean Cheesman

Sean Cheesman is an internationally renowned dancer and choreographer. He has worked with some of the world’s top entertainers, including Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, TLC, Vanessa Williams, Carmen Electra, Tina Turner, Queen Latifah, Cher, and Britney Spears.

Sean can currently be seen as the host, choreographer and lead judge of the reality dance show “Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life,” currently broadcast on the Living Channel in Great Britain.

He is the recipient of numerous awards for his choreographies, including the MTV Music Video Award in the categories Best Choreography (Michael & Janet Jackson’s “Scream”) and Best Dance (Prince’s “Cream”). He was nominated for a Bob Fosse choreography award (Michael & Janet Jackson’s “Scream”), a VH1 Video Award in the category Best Choreography (Prince’s “Get Off”), and an NAACP Image Award in the category Best Choreography (Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman”).

After his training in Canada as a figure skater and dancer, he studied at the Alvin Ailey Dance Center in New York. In the years that followed he toured with Janet Jackson as a choreographer and dancer. He choreographed the “Diamonds and Pearls” tour for Prince as well as tours for Faith Hill, No Angels. Most recently he was working on the “take sport.add music” Nike campaign in Germany and Great Britain as well as on the “Made To Mix” Bacardi campaign.

As an actor, he appeared in the film “The Bodyguard” starring Whitney Housten in the main role. He also choreographed some of the film’s dance sequences. His choreographies for American television include Prince’s special “The Ride Divine,” the television series “Guys Next Door” and Janet Jackson’s performance on “Saturday Night Live.”

He has written, choreographed and directed musicals in Russia and Japan. Most recently for a performance of “West Side Story” in Greece.

Sean is the original choreographer of the musical “Daddy Cool” at London’s West End for which he was nominated for the What’s On Stage Theatre Award in the category Best Choreography.

Maik Damboldt

Maik Damboldt is from Weimar. He studied stage dance at the Palucca School in Dresden. Immediately after his training, he was hired in 1982 by today’s MDR television ballet and became a soloist in 1987.

He placed third at the GDR’s national ballet competition and in 1989 successfully took part in the choreography contest. In 1990, he worked for Friedrichstadtpalast for the first time as a solo dancer and choreographer for the night revue “Dance, Dance, Dance.” Successful choreographies followed including: “Wanted. Die Blume von H.,” “Elements,” “Jingle Bells,” “Revuepalast,” “Hexen,” “Rhythmus Berlin” and “Glanzlichter.”

His choreographies could also be seen on major television networks at events including the “Golden Europa” and the “Bambi” awards.

Since 2003, Maik Damboldt has been a ballet master at Friedrichstadt-Palast.

Alexandra Georgieva

Born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Alexandra Georgieva started her dance career at the age of 6. Three years later she attended the State School for Ballet and Choreography in Sofia, where she graduated in 1985 as a state certified stage dancer. The world’s best dance pedagogues were among her teachers: Maris Liepa, Fea Balabina and Professor Kalina Bogoeva.

Still in 1985 she finished her traineeship at the State Opera of Sofia and committed to a position at the State Musical Theater in Sofia. In 1990 she joined the FriedrichstadtPalast as a dancer, and no more than six months later she got her first soloist part.

For 23 years she had been performing on stage, 18 of which on the world’s biggest stage. In spring of 2008 she concluded her dancing career. Since summer of 2008 she is the director of the worldwide unique ballet ensemble of the Friedrichstraße 107. Additionally, she worked as a choreographer for the sensational girl line in the winter show WinterTräume.

Craig Revel Horwood

Australian Craig Revel Horwood is a real multitalent, who has made a name for himself internationally both as a dancer and singer and as a choreographer. The 55-year-old began his career back in his native Australia in productions such as West Side Story and La Cage aux Folles, but soon turned his attention to conquering Europe artistically. Horwood shined in productions such as Cats and Miss Saigon in London’s prestigious West End, as a solo singer in Moulin Rouge soundtrack Formidable in Paris, in Panache at the Lido de Paris, and also appeared in the original concert version of Jesus Christ Superstar. Over the years, his work has taken him to New York, Baltimore and South Africa.

Horwood’s career development is perhaps even more impressive: as a choreographer and director, he was responsible for La Traviata in Munich, The Lion King in Paris and Miss Saigon in London. He has choreographed theatrical legends such as Julie Andrews and Judi Dench in Hey Mr Producer. He celebrated his 50th birthday on April 2, 2005 in a fitting style: in Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium before an audience of 48,000 and with star guests of the likes of Tina Turner and Olivia Newton John. The event was broadcast on television around the globe.

His many accolades and nominations include the Olivier Award for Best Choreography, the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical, the TMA Award for Best Musical Production and the Choice Award for Best Choreography, to name but a few.

As if all this weren’t enough, Craig Revel Horwood has also made a name for himself internationally in more recent years as a television juror: on the BBC’s award-wining show, Strictly Come Dancing, on Strictly Ice Dancing and Strictly African Dancing, and on Face Academy and New Zealand’s Dancing with the Stars. Charismatic Horwood delivers a competent and charming performance while also contributing a wealth of experience.

Tatjana Ostroverkh

Tatjana Ostroverkh studied choreography and graduated with a master’s degree in ballet training for jazz and modern dance. Following her studies, the Ukraine-born Ostroverkh completed several semesters as an intern at Rick Odums’ Jazz Dance Institute, where she was able to perfect her style. Back in Kiev, she taught jazz and modern dance at the National Academy of Arts and at the International Choreography Centre of the State Opera. In recognition of her artistic achievements, she received the award for best choreography at the international Dance in the 21st Century competition (2000). In 2001, Tatjana Ostroverkh was also an award-winner at the American Dance Festival in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Ostroverkh’s creative and innovative choreographies are known around the world. In 2004, she worked on the choreography for the ‘Golden Fall in Moscow’ festival and the Cabaret Show in Dijon, shortly followed by the Pink Shoes show in Kiev. In addition, Tatjana Ostroverkh is working as choreographer for the Ukrainian edition of the television show ‘So you think you can dance’.

Ronald Savkovic

Born in Croatia, Ronald Savkovic began his career as a professional dancer studying at the Ballet School of the Croatian National Theatre. Upon finishing his basic training, he joined the Hungarian Dance Academy in Budapest, which he graduated from with flying colours. In 1992, he performed with the Slovenian National Theatre in Maribor, appearing on stage as a soloist until 1997. Later that year, he moved to the Croatian National Theatre only to leave his home country the following year to perform as a soloist with the renowned Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin. During his successful career as a dancer, he had the opportunity to work with artists such as Polina Semionova and Vladimir Malakhov.

In addition to performing as a dancer, Ronald Savkovic is also interested in choreography, which led to pieces such as Guillotine for the Staatsballett Berlin and choreography of the men’s pas de deux in Friedrichstadt-Palast show ‘Qi’.

Aliaksei Uvarov

Aliaksei Uvarov was born in Minsk, Belarus, in 1978. He began his training in choreography and dance instruction at the age of 17, and subsequently spent three years with Star Cruises where he worked as a dancer and creative director in addition to as a choreographer for the Aida cruise ships.

Between 1998 and 2006, Aliaksei Uvarov taught and choreographed around the globe for countless ensembles such as CC Rhythms Oregon (USA), Seoul Tap Dance Company (South Korea), RWDS & Studio AX in Osaka (Japan), Sydney Contemporary Dance Company (Australia) and the POZ Dance Theatre in Seoul (South Korea).

Aliaksei Uvarov has been a member of the Friedrichstadt-Palast ballet company since 2007, and has choreographed for the gala commemorating 25 years of the New Friedrichstadt-Palast, ‘Winterträume’ and, most recently, ‘Yma – Too beautiful to be true’.

Rosiris Garrido

Rosiris Garrido was born in Rio de Janeiro and completed her training as a trapeze artist at the National Circus School. During her training, she already attracted attention for her modern and poetic performances, developing scenes that combine elements from soulful dance, expressive theatre, and physical expression.

As Duo Ouru, Rosiris Garrido along with fellow artist Marta Chaves performed at the 1997 ‘Festival de Demain’ in Paris. Here, she was discovered by members of Cirque du Soleil and was taken under contract for the German tour of Pomp, Duck and Circumstance.

Standstill, however, does not belong in Rosiris Garrido’s vocabulary. Aside from her show projects, she cultivated her dance style even further, incorporating many contemporary influences into her program. In doing so, Garrido was able to work with recognized artists such as Phillipe Decouflé, Angela Guerreiro, Jochen Roller, and Aloisio Avaz.

In 2007, Rosiris Garrido performed in GOP Entertainment Group’s TraumTänzer show, creating her solo act Lira the following year. Since 2009, Rosiris Garrido is working as artistry choreographer at the Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin. Her combination of fascinating aerial acrobatics with graceful motions of female dancers creates a breathtaking synthesis of the arts.

Marcus Boßdorf

Marcus Boßdorf graduated from Technische Universität Berlin with a degree in social and business communication with majors in audio-visual design and media planning.

During his academic studies, he already worked as lighting engineer for the band ‘Blind Passenger’ at over 500 concerts. Amongst other things, Marcus Boßdorf was responsible for the light design of concerts by artists such as Chris de Burgh, Seal, Ronan Keating, or the Sugababes. In addition, he created the light design for Samsung’s trade-fair appearance at IFA 2003 (International Consumer Electronics Trade Show) and ARD Olympic gala in Athens 2004, as well as providing the ‘right’ light for Stage Entertainment’s European Tour, which included all of their musicals’ highlights. Since 2009, Boßdorf continues to prove his talent at the Swiss ice skating gala Art on Ice. As lighting engineer for the children’s show Dreams Need a Chance – A World Journey Through Berlin and Yma – too beautiful to be true at the Friedrichstadt-Palast, Marcus Boßdorf will inspire children as well as adults.

Marcus Krömer

Marcus Krömer grew up in Hamburg and began his career in 1995 as a light technician with German production ‘Les Miserables’ in Duisburg. From 1997, he programmed innumerable productions such as Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in Stuttgart, Disney’s ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ and ‘Tanz der Vampire’ in Berlin, ‘Cats’ in Stuttgart and Berlin, ‘Sweeney Todd’ in Mannheim, ‘42nd Street’ in Stuttgart, ‘Spamalot’ in Cologne, ‘Mary Poppins’ in the Netherlands and Australia, and a great many ‘Mamma Mia!’ productions all across Europe.

He also programmed the light shows for the European opening of the ‘Blue Man Group’ in Berlin, Wagner’s ‘The Ring of the Nibelung’ in Mannheim’s opera house, ‘Lulu and The Magic Flute’ in Athens’ concert hall, Robert Wilson’s ‘The Temptation of St. Anthony’ and the circus, Flic Flac. Marcus Krömer has been involved in countless television productions, shows and events including the 2006 and 2007 Eurovision Song Contests held in Athens and Helsinki respectively, and created the light design for a number of high-profile events in Germany.

Among his most recent light design and programming projects count Cabaret in Bolzano, Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet world tour, Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball world tour, and Rihanna’s concerts in London and Abu Dhabi in addition to her current Last Girl on Earth world tour.

Gerd Drücker

Due to his creativity, experience, and technical expertise, Gerd Drücker simply knows how to enhance a sound experience – no matter if concert, musical, theatre, or television production.

In addition to accompanying performances by Annett Louisan, Ray Charles, and Vicky Leandros as event engineer, he also worked on productions such as the Rocky Horror Show musical in Lübeck and the musical tour of Hair. Beyond that, Drücker did not only create the sound design for various industry events by reputable car manufacturers such as Volkswagen, Opel, or Audi, but also for fashion designers Jil Sander and Joop! as well as Deutsche Telekom and IBM.

Having toured around half of the world with Carmina Burana Monumental Opera, Aida, and Carmen, Gerd Drücker was also in charge of sound engineering for the ‘Johannes B. Kerner Show’ as well as the Arena of Stars.

Moreover, the versatile sound engineer was responsible for Kiss me Kate at Komische Oper Berlin. Drücker’s most recent work includes the Friedrichstadt-Palast’s winter show ‘Winterträume’.

Daniel Behrens

Daniel Behrens’ career seems to take off in record speed. Born in Dülmen, he studied orchestra direction in Cologne as well as keyboards and music production in Münster. During his studies, Behrens already worked as musical director and keyboard player for Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story, Oliver!, and Hair.

At the age of 25, Daniel Behrens took over the musical direction of Jekyll und Hyde at Cologne’s Musicaldome, followed by his work as conductor for Cats, Saturday Night Fever, Aida and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. As arranger and keyboard player, the versatile musician also worked for various German television shows (RTL, Sat.1, NDR and Viva) as well as for artists such as Lucy Diakovska (No Angels) and Götz Alsmann.

Most recently, the 32-year old Behrens worked as conductor for the production of Dracula at the Musicalfestival Graz and Spamalot at Cologne’s Musicaldome. As pianist, he also featured in the production of Kiss me Kate at Komische Oper Berlin. Having already worked as musical director for Elisabeth at Theater 11 in Zurich and the Stadsschouwburg Antwerp, Daniel Behrens was also responsible for the musical direction of the musical’s German tour. Since the 2010/2011 season, Behrens is musical director at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin.

Jens Brück

Jens Brück began taking classical piano lessons at the age of seven. Later on, his interests also included acoustic and electric guitar, laying the foundation for a promising career. His studies at Mannheim’s University of Popular Music and Music Business provided him with an excellent education, giving him an opportunity to work with many well-known German artists such as Xavier Naidoo, Mousse T., and Smudo.

After graduating, Brück played keyboards and guitar in bands and orchestras of different genres, while also being successful as a solo artist. From 2005 to 2010, Jens Brück was the keyboard player for the ‘Justin Nova Band’, during which time the album ‘Ginger’ was recorded. As sound engineer and programmer, producer, and musical director, he continues to work on various other projects and bands. Since 2010, Jens Brück is arranger, keyboard player, and sound engineer at the Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin.

Frank Buohler

At a young age, Frank Buohler was already able to make an impression as a very talented pianist, receiving numerous awards at the ‘Jugend musiziert’ and ‘Jugend jazzt’ competitions. He went on to study music at the Cologne University of Music. Since 1991, he is working as a freelance pianist, keyboard player, organist, percussionist, vocalist, composer, and arranger.

Ever since, his career of working with international stars such as Joe Cocker, Phil Collins, Ronan Keating, or Zucchero has taken him to numerous stages and continents. As pianist and keyboard player, he also accompanied German greats such as Nina Hagen, Udo Jürgens, and Hape Kerkeling.  Since 2000, he is working as musical director for Matthias Reim. In 2008, he also started working as musical director for Germany’s most successful female singer Andrea Berg.

Beyond that, he was soon able to establish himself as composer and arranger. As such, Frank Buohler does not only work for numerous artists, but also for various German television shows on RTL, Pro 7, Sat.1, ARD, or ZDF. He also contributed compositions and arrangements to presentations by Volkswagen and Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Siemens. As arranger, Frank Buohler contributed to the music of Yma – too beautiful to be true at the Friedrichstadt-Palast.

Friedemann Matzeit

Upon completing his training as an industrial mechanic, Friedemann Matzeit studied jazz saxophone in Berlin and film composition in Potsdam-Babelsberg. In addition to countless performances as a saxophonist with concerts in Mexico, South Korea and many other European countries, he was also involved in the release of a great many CDs. Since 2007, he has also worked as musical director and arranger for Danish singer Gitte Haenning. He is the composer and producer of the music for German film Sonja and Chinese children’s film Dream Team, as well as for countless television productions including ZDF’s Terra X.

As an arranger, Friedemann Matzeit has composed for the orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg, Friedrichstadt-Palaste Berlin and Paul van Dyk. He remains an active writer and producer, and has composed a number of pop songs and music for the theatre and television together with his brother, Hagen Matzeit.

Koen Schoots

Born in the Netherlands, Koen Schoots studied conducting, piano, and classical singing at the Maastricht Academy of Music. Following his studies, he worked as répétiteur in Linz and Klagenfurt (Austria), advancing to first bandmaster within four years. In 1989, Schoots went on to become first bandmaster in Gelsenkirchen. From 1992 to 2002, he dedicated most of his work to musical theatre entertainment. As conductor, he worked for Cats in Hamburg as well as Jekyll&Hyde in Bremen and Cologne. From 2003 to 2005, Koen Schoots conducted at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf/Duisburg, again focusing on a more classical repertoire. Here, he conducted Tosca, Macbeth, Carmen as well as the premiere of La Fermosa. Aside from his work as musical director, Koen Schoots also worked as arranger for Rudolf at the Operett Szinhaz Budapest (2006), which also premiered in Japan in 2008.

Schoots made his American debut in Philadelphia with the premiere of The Seduction of Sheila Valentine. In 2008, he received the People’s Choice Award for best theatre production as chorus director for Kiss Me, Kate at Komische Oper Berlin. In 2009, Koen Schoots took over as musical director and arranger for the production of The Count of Monte Christo in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Later that year, he assumed the position of principal conductor at the Opera festival in St. Margarethen with Rigoletto, a production he has led as conductor since 2004. Since 2010, he is music director and principal conductor at Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (Vienna, Austria).

Martin Wingerath

Martin Wingerath was born in Baden-Baden in 1973. He had his first piano lesson when he was just five and, by the age of 14, was regularly playing the organ at church services. Upon completing his degree as an audio engineer, he worked freelance on film productions and for television channels (ZDF, SWR). In 2002, he founded music production company MusicalNet and the MusicalNet Studio Berlin recording studios with Koen Schoots. Together the pair produced countless successful CDs with musical stars of the likes of Thomas Borchert, Yngve Gasoy-Romdal and Pia Dauwes, even occupying the number one slot in the German music charts for several weeks with these.

In addition to the production of shows for Tui Cruises GmbH, Martin Wingerath also mixed the film music for film backer MFG Baden-Württemberg’s ‘Schönen Tag, Marie’. In 2008, he opened his own recording studio in Berlin-Pankow, and he has been a freelance composer, music producer and arranger for Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin ever since. His achievements include composition and arrangement of the music for WinterDreams at the Friedrichstadt-Palast, among other shows. His energetic compositions and arrangements can now also be heard in ‘Yma – Too beautiful to be true’.

Circus of Now, Berlin

The Circus of Now comprises a team of eight artists from the fields of film, animation, stage design, architecture, design and technology, who see themselves as their clients’ medium. Special systems and technologies developed over 18 years of international project work form the basis of their innovative style and characterise their individual approach to stage production. There are no ties to or influences from the outside; the group of artists feel committed solely to the self-discovery in their next project: intelligent, flexible, whimsical, authentic, exclusive – and always centred on the guest.

Since 2005, the Circus of Now has increasingly been working in international marketing, focusing on creating unusual and unique events for major corporations such as Volkswagen, Porsche, Miele, Samsung, Tchibo, Sony, and Bertelsmann. With representatives in Geneva, New York and Moscow, and projects in Shanghai, Saint Petersburg, San Francisco, Moscow and Tokyo, they not only enrich the individual cities, but also their own wealth of international experience.

Attention has now turned to theatre productions and architecture. Circus of Now’s stage design emphasises or blurs existing architectural and technical structures. Transformations are their aesthetic category. The on-stage presentation blends with its surrounds to create a truly three-dimensional event.

Manager and creator of Circus of Now, Aleksej Schön, grew up in Berlin and now lives in the city’s Prenzlauer Berg district where he works as a freelance artist. The Circus of Now’s innovative and unique concepts have already been conferred countless prizes and awards including the iF Communication Design Award, the World Media Festival Intermedia-Globe Gold Award and the New York Galaxy Award Gold Medal.

Circus of Now, Berlin

The Circus of Now comprises a team of eight artists from the fields of film, animation, stage design, architecture, design and technology, who see themselves as their clients’ medium. Special systems and technologies developed over 18 years of international project work form the basis of their innovative style and characterise their individual approach to stage production. There are no ties to or influences from the outside; the group of artists feel committed solely to the self-discovery in their next project: intelligent, flexible, whimsical, authentic, exclusive – and always centred on the guest.

Since 2005, the Circus of Now has increasingly been working in international marketing, focusing on creating unusual and unique events for major corporations such as Volkswagen, Porsche, Miele, Samsung, Tchibo, Sony, and Bertelsmann. With representatives in Geneva, New York and Moscow, and projects in Shanghai, Saint Petersburg, San Francisco, Moscow and Tokyo, they not only enrich the individual cities, but also their own wealth of international experience.

Attention has now turned to theatre productions and architecture. Circus of Now’s stage design emphasises or blurs existing architectural and technical structures. Transformations are their aesthetic category. The on-stage presentation blends with its surrounds to create a truly three-dimensional event.

Manager and creator of Circus of Now, Aleksej Schön, grew up in Berlin and now lives in the city’s Prenzlauer Berg district where he works as a freelance artist. The Circus of Now’s innovative and unique concepts have already been conferred countless prizes and awards including the iF Communication Design Award, the World Media Festival Intermedia-Globe Gold Award and the New York Galaxy Award Gold Medal.

Daniel Behrens

Daniel Behrens’ career seems to take off in record speed. Born in Dülmen, he studied orchestra direction in Cologne as well as keyboards and music production in Münster. During his studies, Behrens already worked as musical director and keyboard player for Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story, Oliver!, and Hair.

At the age of 25, Daniel Behrens took over the musical direction of Jekyll und Hyde at Cologne’s Musicaldome, followed by his work as conductor for Cats, Saturday Night Fever, Aida and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. As arranger and keyboard player, the versatile musician also worked for various German television shows (RTL, Sat.1, NDR and Viva) as well as for artists such as Lucy Diakovska (No Angels) and Götz Alsmann.

Most recently, the 32-year old Behrens worked as conductor for the production of Dracula at the Musicalfestival Graz and Spamalot at Cologne’s Musicaldome. As pianist, he also featured in the production of Kiss me Kate at Komische Oper Berlin. Having already worked as musical director for Elisabeth at Theater 11 in Zurich and the Stadsschouwburg Antwerp, Daniel Behrens was also responsible for the musical direction of the musical’s German tour. Since the 2010/2011 season, Behrens is musical director at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin.