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ox Nostra is a vocal ensemble based in Berlin, Germany, founded in 1999 by Burkard Wehner. Specialized in the performance of medieval music the main focus of the group is the interpretation of the earliest surviving compositions from the cultural centers of Europe. Sung from manuscripts originating in monasteries, cathedrals, and courts, this music is an acoustical insight into the archaic sound world of the Middle Ages.
The members of Vox Nostra have pursued extensive scholarship in the fields of musicology, medieval paleography, and theology. The music of Vox Nostra combines expressive musicality and academic curiosity. The repertoire includes Gregorian and pre-Gregorian chant and the specific liturgical music of the different medieval orders like Cistercians, Dominicans, Carthusians and Franciscans dating from the 10th to the 14th century. Furthermore Vox Nostra sings early polyphony from the 12th to the 14th century and the richly polyphonic compositions of the Renaissance. A special feature of the ensemble is the practice of singing scores researched from original manuscripts. The musical interpretation made by Vox Nostra has specific consequences on the old forms of notation, such as neumatic notation of the chorale, the modal notation of the Notre-Dame organa, and mensural notation. In order to give these features the emphasis they deserve, ensemble Vox Nostra favours a slow, flowing style of performance in an appropriately restrained tempo.
The vocal sound which results is rich in overtones, and fills the entire space; it allows the archaic and pure intervals of this music to be fully appreciated, and ensures that the complex weaving of the individual voices is clearly audible. In addition to the original manuscripts, research and this interpretation of the music from the 12th-16th centuries also provides new information the regarding tempo, ornamen­tation and the practice of solo performance of the chants. The unique acoustical situation of each concert location influences concert presentations, as well as the choreography of singers, hence time in each venue to work how the singers can move between various points in the room to integrate the acoustic properties of each site into the score.

The leader of the Ensemble, Burkard Wehner, was born in Steinach an der Saale /Unterfranken. Study of German and Theology at the Julius-Maximilian University Würzburg. Study of "Medieval and Renaissance Vocal Music", and musicology at the Brabant Conservatory in Tilburg, Holland. International master classes with Andrea von Ramm, Jill Feldman, Marcel Pérès and Pedro Memelsdorff. Soloist at many international festivals in Poland, Holland, Austria, France, and Germany. Musical advisor to many medieval ensembles. Extensive musicological activity in the research of medieval source material. Instructor in the field of music sociology at the Humboldt University, Berlin. Teaches workshops and seminars on the interpretati­on and performance practice of medieval vocal music. Director of the Baroque opera Zenobia from Tommaso Albioni (1694) for the Syrian National Opera Damascus / Cultural Capital Damascus 2008. Member of the advisory board for the exhibition „The Council of Constance 1414-1418" in Constance from April to September 2014. Lives and works in Berlin.

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he Les Menestrels Ensemble was founded in 1963 by Klaus and Michel Walter. Their original involvement with the music of the 20th century eventually led to an interest in the structural polyphony of 14th and 15th-century music, as exemplified by the Ars Nova in particular. The works of this period continue to be the group’s main focus, although their repertoire has expanded to include works written up to about 1600. Their historical instrumentarium has gradually grown to enable as faithful a reproduction as possible of each period’s characteristic sound. Les Menestrels achieved their first major success at the 1965 Wiener Festwochen (Vienna International Festival) with their staged performance of the cantefable "Aucassin und Niclolete," for which H.C. Artmann contributed the translation. To programmes consisting entirely of concert music they subsequently added programmes with a literary thread, or those that included staged performances. The group has not entirely forgotten its origins in the contemporary music field, however. One of their programmes features a comparison of parallel aspects of old and new music. Depending on the programme, four to ten singers and instrumentalists participate in the ensemble’s concerts. They have access to some 70 historical instruments authentic to the period between 1200 and 1600.
Concerts and radio and television recording sessions have taken the ensemble to nearly every European country and to the USA, Canada and Japan. The ensemble has made recordings on the Westminster, Amadeo, Belvedere and Mirror Music labels. Les Menestrels have performed at festivals including the Vienna International Festival (Wiener Festwochen), the Salzburg Festival, the Festivales d‘España, the Festival Estival de Paris, the International Organ Week in Nuremberg, the Passau European Festival (Europäische Wochen Passau), the Lucerne International Music Festival, the Dubrovnik Festival, the Schwetzinger Festival, Music in Old Krakow, Festivals in Osijek, Flanders, Istanbul, Ljubljana, and Ochrid, the Maulbronn "Monastery Concerts," and many others.

Birgit Kurtz ~ Soprano · Florian Mayr ~ Countertenor · Kurt Kempf ~ Tenor · Erich Klug ~ Bass
Klaus Walter ~ Lute · Michel Walter ~ Cornetto · Eva Brunner ~ Descant Strings
Gebhard Chalupsky ~ Tubing Sheet Instruments

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he Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn (Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn) has been together since 1960. Performances range from Baroque works, classical (also in symphonic cast), string compositions of the Romanesque period and early modernity, as well as avant-garde works. The orchestra plays at all relevant concert halls around the globe on large tours or at individual concerts with soloists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maurice André, Alfred Brendel, James Galway, Viktoria Mullova, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Thomas Quasthoff, Martha Argerich and Sharon Kam. In addition, the orchestra places special emphasis on co-operation with fresh young soloists.

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örg Faerber, Head Conductor of the Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, was born in Stuttgart where he later received his degree in conducting at the state conservatory (Staatliche Hochschule für Musik). After an eight-year career as a theatre bandmaster and composer for opera and movie, he founded the Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn in 1961, which, under his direction, grew to become one of Europe's leading chamber orchestras. He is regarded as one of the most renowned conductors of his time. In 1984 Jörg Faerber was awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit, and, in 1986, the academic title of Professor.

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he Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn (Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn) has been together since 1960. Performances range from Baroque works, classical (also in symphonic cast), string compositions of the Romanesque period and early modernity, as well as avant-garde works. The orchestra plays at all relevant concert halls around the globe on large tours or at individual concerts with soloists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maurice André, Alfred Brendel, James Galway, Viktoria Mullova, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Thomas Quasthoff, Martha Argerich and Sharon Kam. In addition, the orchestra places special emphasis on co-operation with fresh young soloists.

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örg Faerber, Head Conductor of the Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, was born in Stuttgart where he later received his degree in conducting at the state conservatory (Staatliche Hochschule für Musik). After an eight-year career as a theatre bandmaster and composer for opera and movie, he founded the Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn in 1961, which, under his direction, grew to become one of Europe's leading chamber orchestras. He is regarded as one of the most renowned conductors of his time. In 1984 Jörg Faerber was awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit, and, in 1986, the academic title of Professor.

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orn in 1977 in Ravensburg, Linus Roth was accepted to Prof. Nicolas Chumachenco's class at the Freiburg Conservatory at the age of 12. He continued with his studies in 1993 under the wing of Zakhar Bron at the Luebeck conservatory, where he passed his artistic final exams in 1998/99. Roth is the recipient of numerous national and international violin competition awards such as the "Wieniawski-Lipinski Competition" held in Lublin, and the "International Violin Competition Novosibirsk" where he received an honourable award for the best Bach interpretation. In 2006 Linus Roth received the "Echo Classik" of the German Phonoacademy as "Best Newcomer". He plays a violin "Dancla" by Antonio Stradivari, built in the year 1703.

"His stylistic knowledge is highly developed
and his open, charismatic personality convinces me
every time I hear him."
(Prof. Anne-Sophie Mutter)

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inger Pur was formed in 1991 and now counts as one of the leading German vocal groups. In 1994, the sextet, comprising five former Regensburg choir boys and a female soprano, was awarded the first prize in the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb in Bonn and, in 1995, the Grand Prix for vocal music at the international Tampere Music Festival in Finland. There followed tours in USA, Canada, Africa and central Asia. Singer Pur's love of experimentation is seen not only in their joint projects with the Hilliard Ensemble but also in other unusual performances, such as their interpretation of the Triduum Sacrum performed during Holy Week 2001 in the Roman basilica, founded in the year 560, dei SS. XII Apostoli.

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he electric guitar quintet Go Guitars [go (jap.): five] was founded by New York composer Lois V Vierck in 1997 to perform her similarly named work. There followed premiers of works specially written for Go Guitars: compositions from M. Hettmer, B. Weidner, J.F.W. Schneider, M. Hirsch, J.A. Riedl, Z. Babel, P. M. Hamel, F. Zeller, Iris ter Schiphorst, M. Sell. Concerts have taken place at the international Bodensee-Festival, Atlantischen Festival, A*Devantgarde-Festival, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Festival Klangaktionen/Neue Musik in Munich, Musica Viva (BR). In December 2001 Go Guitars received the City of Munich's music scolarship.

Singer Pur:
Claudia Reinhard · Soprano
Klaus Wenk, Markus Zapp, Andreas Hirtreiter · Tenor
Guido Heidloff · Baritone
Marcus Schmidl · Bass

Go Guitars · Electric Guitar Music:
Christian Bergmann, Gunnar Geisse, Gregor Holzapfel, Harald Lillmeyer, Adrian Pereyra

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arah Wegener enthrals listeners with the richness and warmth of her voice and approaches every role in a chamber musical way. She regularly works with Kent Nagano, Philippe Herreweghe, Thomas Hengelbrock, Heinz Holliger, Michael Hofstetter and Frieder Bernius. Concerts have taken her to the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Konzerthaus Berlin, Tonhalle Zürich, Wiener Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Casa da Música Porto and to the Bozar Brussels. The British-German soprano studied singing with Prof. Jaeger-Böhm in Stuttgart and took part in masterclasses with Dame Gwyneth Jones and Renée Morloc. She has formed a close artistic relationship with the composer Georg Friedrich Haas. She was nominated for 'Singer of the Year' by Opernwelt magazine in 2011 for her interpretation of the main role of Nadja in his opera Bluthaus, which she performed at the Schwetzinger SWR Festival, Wiener Festwochen and Staatstheater Saarbrücken. In the 2015/16 season she made her debuts at the Royal Opera House London and Deutsche Oper Berlin in his new opera Morgen und Abend. In 2014 she was also highly praised for the world premiere of Jörg Widmann's Labyrinth III at the Kölner Philharmonie with the WDR Symphony Orchestra under Emilio Pomàrico. Her repertoire includes Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Mass in C minor, Schumann's Faust Scenes, Dvorak's Stabat Mater and Strauss' Four Last Songs. Furthermore, she enjoys frequent performances with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées/Collegium Vocale Gent, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Kammerorchester Basel and Radio Filharmonisch Orkest. Her discography comprises recordings with Frieder Bernius of arias by Justin Heinrich Knecht (Carus), Korngold's Die stumme Serenade (CPO) and Schubert's Lazarus (Carus), as well as Rossini's Petite Messe solennelle under Tonu Kaljuste (Carus), a CD with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra under Heinz Holliger (Hänssler Classic) and a release of Handel's Israel in Egypt with the Maulbronn Chamber Choir under Jürgen Budday (K&K Verlagsanstalt).

www.sarah-wegener.com

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ounded in 1999, the ensemble il capriccio evolved into a personally, stylistically and musically very individual ensemble. Its members, meeting up from all over middle Europe for mutual working sessions are outstanding musicians of international ensembles and professional orchestras or teachers at a conservatory. All musicians of Il Capriccio have intensively occupied themselves since their studies with historically informed performance. The usage of original instruments only constitutes the sounding foundation for an extremely meaningful and vivid way of musical interacting on stage. Il Capriccio gives concerts in variable instrumentation from the size of a baroque orchestra to the classical string quartet consisting of the principals of the ensemble. The solo part for violin plays the art director Friedemann Wezel. Additionally, Il Capriccio cooperates with important artists such as Sergio Azzolini (bassoon) or Markus Brönnimann (flute). A further and exceptional obligation considering the educational support of young artists was accepted by the 2004 founding of the "Il Capriccio Strings Academy".

www.ilcapriccio.de

Ensemble il capriccio

Violin & Concertmaster: Friedemann Wezel
Violin I: Marieke Bouche, Steffen Hamm, Christine Trinks
Violin II: Dietlind Mayer, Smadar Schidlowsky, Konstanze Winkelmann
Viola: David Dieterle, Johannes Platz · Cello: Juris Teichmanis, Judith Wagner
Double Bass: Kit Scotney · Harpsichord: Evelyn Laib · Lute: Toshinori Ozaki

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laus Mertens works with many important names in “Early Music”, as it is generally known – specialists like Ton Koopman, Frans Brüggen, Nicholas McGegan, Philippe Herreweghe, René Jacobs, Sigiswald Kuijken, Gustav Leonhardt and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. He also works with many well-known classical conductors - Gary Bertini, Herbert Blomstedt and Sir Roger Norrington, for example. This has resulted in some very successful work with famous orchestras, including the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchester Amsterdam, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, all the big Berlin orchestras, as well as Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.
Klaus Mertens is very well known and greatly in demand, particularly as an interpreter of the Baroque oratorio. He has repeatedly made recordings of Bach’s main vocal works with different conductors. In October 2003, he completed a recording of Bach’s entire cantatas. This was a ten-year project connected with extensive concert tours in Europe, America and Japan and marked a high point in his singing career. This was the first time ever that a singer had recorded the entire vocal works of Johann Sebastian Bach and also performed them in concert.

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lrich Wedemeier first studied classical guitar under Klaus Hempel at the University of Music and Theatre in Hanover. This was followed by the study of lute instruments under Stephen Stubbs. Besides performing as a soloist and a member of early music ensembles in international concerts, he also makes CD and radio recordings a regular focus of his work. Ulrich Wedemeier is much in demand as a guest at many opera houses. He is a specialist in historical guitars, playing rare 18th and 19th century original instruments.

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imone Eckert studied music under Professor Ingrid Stampa at the Hamburg University of Music, then at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis under Hannelore Mueller and Jordi Savall. After being awarded her Diploma in Early Music, she founded the Hamburg Ratsmusik Ensemble in 1991. She has been lecturing in music at the Hamburg Conservatory since 1992 and also holds various seminars in viola da gamba in Germany and England. She is an editor of Early Music for publishing houses such as Dovehouse Editions, New York, the Merseburger Verlag, Kassel etc. Her regular engagements include performances with the Staatsoper Hamburg as well as performances as a soloist and head of ensemble all over Germany, in Japan and in many European countries.

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he Maulbronn Chamber Choir (German: Maulbronner Kammerchor) was founded in 1983 and counts today as one of the renowned chamber choirs in Europe. Awards like the first places at the Baden-Württemberg Choir Competitions in 1989 and 1997, the second place at the German Choir Competition in 1990, the first prize at the German Choir Competition in 1998, the second place at the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf 2009 and the first place at the Malta Choir Competition show the extraordinary musical calibre of this ensemble. The Chamber Choir has managed to make quite a name for itself on the international scene, too. It was received enthusiastically by audiences and reviewers alike during its debut tour through the USA in 1983, with concerts in New York, Indianapolis and elsewhere. Its concert tours in many European countries, in Israel and Argentina as well as in South Africa and Namibia have also met with a similar response. Since 1997 the choir performs oratorios by George Frideric Handel each year. All these performances were documented on disc; because of that the Maulbronn Chamber Choir holds a leading position as a interpreter of this genre internationally.

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rof. Jürgen Budday (born 1948) is a German conductor and director of church music. His musical focus lies in historical and contemporary vocal music and in historically informed performances of oratorios, masses and other sacred works. He studied music education, church music and musicology at the Academy of Music in Stuttgart from 1967 to 1974. From 1979 to 2012, he taught at the Evangelical Seminar in Maulbronn, a Protestant boarding school at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn abbey with famous former students like Johannes Kepler, Friedrich Hölderlin and Hermann Hesse, and led, from 1979 till 2013, the concert series at Maulbronn monastery as artistic director. In 1992, Jürgen Budday was named Director of Studies, in 1995 came the appointment as Director of Church Music and in 1998 he was honored with the Bundesverdienstkreuz (German Cross of Merit) as well as the Bruno-Frey-Prize from the State Academy in Ochsenhausen for his work in music education. In 1983 Budday founded the Maulbronn Chamber Choir (Maulbronner Kammerchor), which he conducted until June 2016 and with whom he has won numerous national and international awards. At the Prague International Choir Festival, for example, he received an award as best director. Since 2002, Budday has also held the chair of the Choral Committee of the German Music Council and became director and jury chairman of the German Choir Competition (Deutscher Chorwettbewerb). In 2008, he received the silver Johannes-Brenz-Medal, the highest honoring of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Wuerttemberg, following by the awarding with the honorary title Professor in 2011. In May 2013 Prof. Jürgen Budday was awarded by the Association of German Concert Choirs with the George-Frideric-Handel-Ring, one of the highest honors for choir conductors in Germany. Thus Jürgen Budday followed Helmuth Rilling, who was honored with the ring from 2009 till 2013.
Jürgen Budday has started a cycle of Handel oratorios that is planned to span several years, which involves working with soloists like wie Emma Kirkby, Miriam Allan, Michael Chance, Nancy Argenta, Mark Le Brocq, Charles Humphries, Stephen Varcoe (to name but a few). The live recordings of these performances, produced and released by Josef-Stefan Kindler and Andreas Otto Grimminger via their label K&K Verlagsanstalt, received highest praises from reviewers and gave Jürgen Budday's musical work international recognition.

"No conductor and no choir have so consistently recorded so many Handel oratorios as Jürgen Budday and his Maulbronn Chamber Choir."
Dr. Karl Georg Berg, Handel Memoranda Halle 2008

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arah Wegener enthrals listeners with the richness and warmth of her voice and approaches every role in a chamber musical way. She regularly works with Kent Nagano, Philippe Herreweghe, Thomas Hengelbrock, Heinz Holliger, Michael Hofstetter and Frieder Bernius. Concerts have taken her to the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Konzerthaus Berlin, Tonhalle Zürich, Wiener Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Casa da Música Porto and to the Bozar Brussels. The British-German soprano studied singing with Prof. Jaeger-Böhm in Stuttgart and took part in masterclasses with Dame Gwyneth Jones and Renée Morloc. She has formed a close artistic relationship with the composer Georg Friedrich Haas. She was nominated for 'Singer of the Year' by Opernwelt magazine in 2011 for her interpretation of the main role of Nadja in his opera Bluthaus, which she performed at the Schwetzinger SWR Festival, Wiener Festwochen and Staatstheater Saarbrücken. In the 2015/16 season she made her debuts at the Royal Opera House London and Deutsche Oper Berlin in his new opera Morgen und Abend. In 2014 she was also highly praised for the world premiere of Jörg Widmann's Labyrinth III at the Kölner Philharmonie with the WDR Symphony Orchestra under Emilio Pomàrico. Her repertoire includes Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Mass in C minor, Schumann's Faust Scenes, Dvorak's Stabat Mater and Strauss' Four Last Songs. Furthermore, she enjoys frequent performances with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées/Collegium Vocale Gent, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Kammerorchester Basel and Radio Filharmonisch Orkest. Her discography comprises recordings with Frieder Bernius of arias by Justin Heinrich Knecht (Carus), Korngold's Die stumme Serenade (CPO) and Schubert's Lazarus (Carus), as well as Rossini's Petite Messe solennelle under Tonu Kaljuste (Carus), a CD with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra under Heinz Holliger (Hänssler Classic) and a release of Handel's Israel in Egypt with the Maulbronn Chamber Choir under Jürgen Budday (K&K Verlagsanstalt).

www.sarah-wegener.com

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ounded in 1999, the ensemble il capriccio evolved into a personally, stylistically and musically very individual ensemble. Its members, meeting up from all over middle Europe for mutual working sessions are outstanding musicians of international ensembles and professional orchestras or teachers at a conservatory. All musicians of Il Capriccio have intensively occupied themselves since their studies with historically informed performance. The usage of original instruments only constitutes the sounding foundation for an extremely meaningful and vivid way of musical interacting on stage. Il Capriccio gives concerts in variable instrumentation from the size of a baroque orchestra to the classical string quartet consisting of the principals of the ensemble. The solo part for violin plays the art director Friedemann Wezel. Additionally, Il Capriccio cooperates with important artists such as Sergio Azzolini (bassoon) or Markus Brönnimann (flute). A further and exceptional obligation considering the educational support of young artists was accepted by the 2004 founding of the "Il Capriccio Strings Academy".

www.ilcapriccio.de

Ensemble il capriccio

Violin & Concertmaster: Friedemann Wezel
Violin I: Marieke Bouche, Steffen Hamm, Christine Trinks
Violin II: Dietlind Mayer, Smadar Schidlowsky, Konstanze Winkelmann
Viola: David Dieterle, Johannes Platz · Cello: Juris Teichmanis, Judith Wagner
Double Bass: Kit Scotney · Harpsichord: Evelyn Laib · Lute: Toshinori Ozaki

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arah Wegener enthrals listeners with the richness and warmth of her voice and approaches every role in a chamber musical way. She regularly works with Kent Nagano, Philippe Herreweghe, Thomas Hengelbrock, Heinz Holliger, Michael Hofstetter and Frieder Bernius. Concerts have taken her to the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Konzerthaus Berlin, Tonhalle Zürich, Wiener Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Casa da Música Porto and to the Bozar Brussels. The British-German soprano studied singing with Prof. Jaeger-Böhm in Stuttgart and took part in masterclasses with Dame Gwyneth Jones and Renée Morloc. She has formed a close artistic relationship with the composer Georg Friedrich Haas. She was nominated for 'Singer of the Year' by Opernwelt magazine in 2011 for her interpretation of the main role of Nadja in his opera Bluthaus, which she performed at the Schwetzinger SWR Festival, Wiener Festwochen and Staatstheater Saarbrücken. In the 2015/16 season she made her debuts at the Royal Opera House London and Deutsche Oper Berlin in his new opera Morgen und Abend. In 2014 she was also highly praised for the world premiere of Jörg Widmann's Labyrinth III at the Kölner Philharmonie with the WDR Symphony Orchestra under Emilio Pomàrico. Her repertoire includes Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Mass in C minor, Schumann's Faust Scenes, Dvorak's Stabat Mater and Strauss' Four Last Songs. Furthermore, she enjoys frequent performances with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées/Collegium Vocale Gent, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Kammerorchester Basel and Radio Filharmonisch Orkest. Her discography comprises recordings with Frieder Bernius of arias by Justin Heinrich Knecht (Carus), Korngold's Die stumme Serenade (CPO) and Schubert's Lazarus (Carus), as well as Rossini's Petite Messe solennelle under Tonu Kaljuste (Carus), a CD with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra under Heinz Holliger (Hänssler Classic) and a release of Handel's Israel in Egypt with the Maulbronn Chamber Choir under Jürgen Budday (K&K Verlagsanstalt).

www.sarah-wegener.com

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ounded in 1999, the ensemble il capriccio evolved into a personally, stylistically and musically very individual ensemble. Its members, meeting up from all over middle Europe for mutual working sessions are outstanding musicians of international ensembles and professional orchestras or teachers at a conservatory. All musicians of Il Capriccio have intensively occupied themselves since their studies with historically informed performance. The usage of original instruments only constitutes the sounding foundation for an extremely meaningful and vivid way of musical interacting on stage. Il Capriccio gives concerts in variable instrumentation from the size of a baroque orchestra to the classical string quartet consisting of the principals of the ensemble. The solo part for violin plays the art director Friedemann Wezel. Additionally, Il Capriccio cooperates with important artists such as Sergio Azzolini (bassoon) or Markus Brönnimann (flute). A further and exceptional obligation considering the educational support of young artists was accepted by the 2004 founding of the "Il Capriccio Strings Academy".

www.ilcapriccio.de

Ensemble il capriccio

Violin & Concertmaster: Friedemann Wezel
Violin I: Marieke Bouche, Steffen Hamm, Christine Trinks
Violin II: Dietlind Mayer, Smadar Schidlowsky, Konstanze Winkelmann
Viola: David Dieterle, Johannes Platz · Cello: Juris Teichmanis, Judith Wagner
Double Bass: Kit Scotney · Harpsichord: Evelyn Laib · Lute: Toshinori Ozaki

Daniel Johannsen ~ Tenor (Evangelist)

Born in 1978, the Austrian tenor is one of the most sought-after Evangelists and Bach interpreters of his generation. After completing his training as a church musician, he studied voice with Margit Klaushofer and Robert Holl in Vienna. He participated in master classes with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Nicolai Gedda and Christa Ludwig and was a prizewinner at the Bach, Schumann, Mozart, Hilde Zadek and Wigmore Hall Competitions. Since his debut in 1998, appearances as a concert, lieder and opera singer have taken him to the major musical centres of Europe, North America, Japan and the Middle East, where he sings works from every period. In addition to regular concerts at the Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, he appears at leading festivals (Styriarte Festival in Graz, Salzburg Festival, Carinthian Summer, Israel Festival, La Folle Journée, International Herrenchiemsee Festival, several international Bach festivals). He performs under such distinguished conductors as Sir Neville Marriner, Bertrand de Billy, Jordi Savall and Enoch zu Guttenberg with various ensembles, including Le Concert des Nations, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Daniel Johannsen is also involved in several large-scale Bach cantata projects. The lyric tenor is engaged by such theatres as the Munich State Theater on Gärtnerplatz, the Leipzig Opera, the Vienna Volksoper, the Lucerne Theater, the Bonn Opera and the KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen (Hannover), where he is heard in Mozart roles, Baroque, 20th-century and contemporary works as well as several operetta roles. Song recitals featuring the entire range of German repertoire, in addition to English and French compositions, are a central focus in the work of the singer, who collaborates with such pianists as Simon Bucher, David Lutz, Burkhard Kehring and Helmut Deutsch. Daniel Johannsen's recording of the 'Dichterliebe' was released in spring of 2010, following his first solo CD, 'Tenore & Traverso' with arias by J. S. Bach, which received the ORF Pasticcio Award. In addition, numerous other recordings, radio and television broadcasts document his creative output. During the 2014/15 season Daniel Johannsen appeared at the 'Styriarte' (together with Nikolaus Harnoncourt) and at the Herrenchiemsee Festivals. He gave recitals at the Oxford Lied Festival as well as at the Schubertiade Israel (together with Graham Johnson) and followed invitations to Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Bachakademie Stuttgart and Thomanerchor Leipzig. He repeatedly sung the title role in Benjamin Britten's 'Albert Herring' at the Vienna Volksoper and made his debut singing the role of 'Belmonte' in Mozart's 'Die Entführung aus dem Serail' under Michael Hofstetter at Giessen Theater.

Tobias Berndt ~ Bass (Jesus's Words)

The native Berliner Tobias Berndt began his musical training with the Dresden Choir of the Church of the Holy Cross. He studied with Hermann Christian Polster in Leipzig and continued his training with Rudolf Piernay in Mannheim. During further studies and master's courses, he worked with Theo Adam, Wolfram Rieger, Norman Shetler, Irwin Gage, Axel Bauni, Julia Varady and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Accredited with multiple scholarships and prizes, he was the 1st prize winner at the Brahms Contest in Pörtschach 2008 and at the Cantilena Song Contest in Bayreuth 2009 and also won the Thomas Quasthoff initiated contest 'Das Lied'. His comprehensive concert repertoire has ranged from Monteverdi's compositions through to works of the 20th Century as well as important pieces from Bach, Handel, Brahms and Mendelssohn. In addition to numerous operatic engagements, Tobias Berndt also focuses intensely on song singing and is a regular guest at festivals such as the Salzburg Festivals, the Prague Spring, the Leipzig Bach Festival, the Handel Festivals in Halle, the MDR Music Summer and the European Music Festival Stuttgart. His many concert appearances have taken him across Europe, to the USA, Chile, Japan and South Korea. Radio and CD recordings are testament to his artistic works.

Sophie Klußmann ~ Soprano

The German soprano Sophie Klußmann, a student of Thomas Quasthoff and Margreet Honig, has a warm, wide-ranging and dark-hued voice; though lyric in nature, it has dramatic potential and can assert itself without strain against a large orchestra. Rapidly building an international reputation as an operatic and concert performer in a diversity of styles and repertoire, Sophie has sung the major roles of her genres at the Halle Opera in Germany, was 'Pamina' at Berlin's Seefestspiele and covered 'Anna Netrebko' as 'Donna Anna' at the Baden-Baden Opera Festival. The composers Christian Jost and Edward Rushton have written operatic roles for her and she took the female lead opposite John Malkovich in his theatre piece The Giacomo Variations. In concert, she has collaborated with conductors like Marek Janowski, Ingo Metzmacher, Helmuth Rilling, Michael Sanderling and Karl-Heinz Steffens in works by Beethoven, Brahms und Mahler, and with leading figures in the field of historically informed performance such as Marcus Creed, Václav Luks and Martin Haselböck. In the chamber and song repertoire, she has a particular passion for music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

David Allsopp ~ Countertenor (Altus)

David Allsopp was a choral scholar at King's College, Cambridge, where he studied computer science, and subsequently a lay clerk in Westminster Cathedral Choir, before pursuing a freelance career. In addition to solo engagements, he continues to perform and record with both English and continental consort groups and is also a member of the early music ensemble 'Gallicantus'. David's performances have included many of Handel's oratorio works and Bach's major choral works and cantatas in venues all over Europe. He has recorded 'Israel in Egypt', 'Joshua' and 'Jephtha' on K&K Verlangsanstalt Maulbronn Monastery Edition. While much of the countertenor's repertoire is baroque, David makes occasional forays into more modern repertoire with performances of Arvo Pärt's 'Passio', Orff's 'Carmina Burana' and Bernstein's 'Chichester Psalms'. His consort performances have encompassed a wide repertoire ranging from the fourteenth century right through to contemporary music, including many premières. Concerts this season include a tour with recording of 'Israel in Egypt' with Le Concert Lorrain, 'Messiah' performances and recording with the New Philharmonie Utrecht, Bach's 'Magnificat' and 'Cantata 36' with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge and Handel's 'Dixit Dominus' with the Gabrieli Consort and Players.

Benjamin Hulett ~ Tenor

The British tenor studied Music as a choral scholar at New College, Oxford and Opera at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He was a soloist at the Hamburg State Opera from 2005 to 2009 and has achieved great success in lyric roles. He made his debuts at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich in Handel's 'Alcina', at Theater an der Wien in the world premiere of Johannes Kalitzke's 'Die Besessenen', Baden-Baden Festspielhaus in 'Salome', returning for 'Die Zauberflöte', Salzburger Festspiele in 'Elektra', Buxton Opera Festival in Lortzing's 'Der Wildschütz', Rossini's 'La Pietra del Paragone' at Opera Rennes, for Grange Park Opera as Ferrando and has returned to Hamburg as 'Tamino' and 'Narraboth' (Salome). He made his debuts with Opera North as 'Peter Quint' (The Turn of The Screw), Berliner Staatsoper as 'Hippolyt' in Henze's 'Phaedra', 'Fenton' in 'Falstaff' for Opera Holland Park, in Sir Jonathan Miller's 'St Matthew Passion' at the National Theatre, 'Die Frau Ohne Schatten' under Vladimir Jurowski in Amsterdam, the title role of J.C.Bach's 'Lucio Silla' for Salzburg Mozartwochen under Bolton, 'Tamino' (Die Zauberflöte) with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Rattle and as 'Madwoman' (Curlew River) for Rome Opera under James Conlon. As a concert performer he has worked with conductors including Sir Roger Norrington, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Andrew Davis, Phillippe Herreweghe, Christopher Hogwood, Trevor Pinnock, Emmanuelle Haim, Markus Stenz, Ivor Bolton, Jeffrey Tate, Simone Young, Frans Brueggen, Jaap van Zweden and Fabio Biondi amongst others at the BBC Proms, Edinburgh Festival, Holland Festival, Musikfest Bremen and many other leading festivals and venues.

Josef Wagner ~ Bass

The musical training of the bass baritone Josef Wagner, born in Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), began in a boys choir, and with violin and piano lessons. After deciding for a career in voice, he studied at the University for Music and the Performing Arts in Vienna with Kurt Equiluz and Robert Holl. He has received important artistic incentives in master classes of Paul Esswood, Walter Berry and Christa Ludwig. His present teacher is Prof. Wicus Slabbert. After his stage debut as 'Don Alfonso' (Così fan tutte) and 'Dulcamara' (Elisir d'amore) he became a member of the ensemble of the Vienna Volksoper in 2002. There he expanded his repertoire considerably and sang a.o. 'Figaro' (Le Nozze di Figaro), 'Papageno' (Zauberflöte) and recently with sensational success the title role in the Achim Freyer production of 'Don Giovanni'. He still feels closely connected to this house. In summer 2006, Josef Wagner gave his debut at the Salzburg Festival as 'Don Cassandro' (La Finta Semplice). Since then he has been working as a freelance singer, performing e.g. 'Konrad Nachtigall' (Die Meisteringer von Nürnberg) at Geneva Opera, 'Guglielmo' at Opera Ireland and 'Papageno' at Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Japan. Further engagements included appearances as 'Herkules' in Anton Schweitzer's 'Alceste' with Concerto Cologne under the baton of Michael Hofstetter; 'Lord Sidney' (Viaggio a Reims) at Israeli Opera, 'Nick Shadow' (The Rake's Progress) at Opera Nantes, 'Frank' (Fledermaus) at Geneva Opera, 'Escamillo' with Bavarian Radio Orchestra and in Tel Aviv, 'Eduard' ('Neues vom Tage' by Hindemith) and 'Pantalone' (Turandot by Busoni) at Dijon Opera, as well as 'Leporello and Publio' (La Clemenza di Tito) in Marseille. He is also regularly guest at Opera Vlaanderen where he sang 'Don Alfonso', Ercole/Giove in Cavalli's Giasone, 'Assur' (Semiramide) with Alberto Zedda conducting, 'Fra Melitone' (La Forza del destino) and the title role in 'Don Giovanni'. At Deutsche Oper Berlin he participated in a concert version of 'Le Vaisseau Fantôme' (by Pierre-Louis Dietsch). With great success he sang 'Jochanaan' at Royal Opera Stockholm by Nina Stemme's side, 'Papageno' at the Festival Aix-en-Provence as well as 'Golaud' (Pelléas et Mélisande) at Deutsche Oper Berlin. Further projects include 'Figaro' with Canadian Opera Company Toronto, the 'Ruler' (The Miracle of Heliane) at Deutsche Oper Berlin, 'Guglielmo' at Marseille Opera. He will return to Volksoper Vienna with 'The Tales of Hoffmann' and in the title role of 'Don Giovanni', and to Opera Vlaanderen as 'Papageno'. He will sing the role of the 'Musiklehrer' (Ariadne auf Naxos) at Opera Nancy and at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence and give his role debut as 'Eugene Onegin' in Helsinki. Josef Wagner is also greatly in demand as a concert singer, whose repertoire ranges from Baroque to contemporary pieces. He has performed under the conductors Ton Koopman, Dennis Russel Davies and Nikolaus Harnoncourt e.g. at Wiener Musikverein, Wiener Konzerthaus and the Festival of Ludwigsburg (Ludwigsburger Festspiele). He also often appears as a Lied singer, 'Die Winterreise' and 'Die schöne Müllerin' belonging to his favourite repertoire.

Maulbronn Chamber Choir

The Maulbronn Chamber Choir (German: Maulbronner Kammerchor) was founded in 1983 and counts today as one of the renowned chamber choirs in Europe. Awards like the first places at the Baden-Württemberg Choir Competitions in 1989 and 1997, the second place at the German Choir Competition in 1990, the first prize at the German Choir Competition in 1998, the second place at the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf 2009 and the first place at the Malta Choir Competition show the extraordinary musical calibre of this ensemble. The Chamber Choir has managed to make quite a name for itself on the international scene, too. It was received enthusiastically by audiences and reviewers alike during its debut tour through the USA in 1983, with concerts in New York, Indianapolis and elsewhere. Its concert tours in many European countries, in Israel and Argentina as well as in South Africa and Namibia have also met with a similar response. Since 1997 the choir performs oratorios by George Frideric Handel each year. All these performances were documented on disc; because of that the Maulbronn Chamber Choir holds a leading position as a interpreter of this genre internationally.

Soprano: Caroline Albert, Kathrin Brumm, Claudia Fischer, Stefani Fischer, Teresa Frick, Hannah Glocker, Dorothea Gölz-Most, Ulrike Haaga-Bauer, Ilka Hüftle, Anna Kuppe, Susanne Laenger, Monika Martin, Veronika Miehlich, Birgit Petkau, Nicole Schuffert, Sabine Stöffler, Karin Unhold, Irene Vorreiter, Annette Weippert, Charlotte Zech
Alto: Katharina Bihlmaier, Rebekka Eberhardt, Erika Budday, Beata Fechau, Roswitha Fydrich-Steiner, Christiane Gölz, Jana Gölz, Kathrin Gölz, Wiltrud Gonzalez, Heilswint Hausmann, Corinna Klose, Marianne Kodweiß, Marianne Krämer, Margret Sanwald, Angelika Stössel, Bettina van der Ham, Anja von Vacano, Mirjam Wien
Tenor: Hartmut Meier, Tobias Bastian, Sebastian Fuierer, Maximilian Gerhardt, Andreas Gerteis, Paul Max, Konrad Mohl, Bernd Reichenecker, Felix Schulz, Jonathan Wahl
Bass: Simon Albrecht, Karl Bihlmaier, Jo Dohse, Bernhard Fräulin, Leonid Grau, Matthias Heieck, Hansjörg Lechler, Rolf Most, Peter Nagel, David Paulig, Frieder Weckermann, Daniel Weissert

Ensemble Il Capriccio ~ Baroque Orchestra (on period instruments)

Founded in 1999, it evolved into a personally, stylistically and musically very individual ensemble. Its members, meeting up from all over middle Europe for mutual working sessions are outstanding musicians of international ensembles and professional orchestras or teachers at a conservatory. All musicians of Il Capriccio have intensively occupied themselves since their studies with historically informed performance. The usage of original instruments only constitutes the sounding foundation for an extremely meaningful and vivid way of musical interacting on stage. Il Capriccio gives concerts in variable instrumentation from the size of a baroque orchestra to the classical string quartet consisting of the principals of the ensemble. The solo part for violin plays the art director Friedemann Wezel. Additionally, Il Capriccio cooperates with important artists such as Sergio Azzolini (bassoon) or Markus Brönnimann (flute). A further and exceptional obligation considering the educational support of young artists was accepted by the 2004 founding of the 'Il Capriccio Strings Academy'.
Violin I: Friedemann Wezel (Concert Master), Semadar Schidlowsky, Nico Norz, Annette Schäfer, Judith Freise · Violin II: Dietlind Mayer, Christine Trinks, Katka Stursova, Zsuzsanna Hodaz · Viola: Hiltrud Hampe, David Dieterle, Benjamin Herre · Cello: Juris Teichmanis, Judith Wagner · Double Bass: Christian Undiz · Gamba: Adina Scheyhing · Flute: Stefanie Kessler, Christian Prader · Oboe: Ale Piquet, Magdalena Karosak · Bassoon: Frank Forst · Harpsichord & Organ: Evelyn Laib · Theorbo: Toshinori Ozaki

Jürgen Budday ~ Conductor & Music Director

Prof. Jürgen Budday (born 1948) is conductor, director of church music, music teacher and artistic director of the concert series at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Abbey. He started teached at the Evangelical Seminar in Maulbronn from 1979 till 2012. This also involved his taking over as artistic director of the Maulbronn Monastery Concerts and the cantor choir in 1979. He studied church music and musicology at the Academy of Music in Stuttgart from 1967 to 1974. In 1992, he was named Director of Studies, in 1995 came the appointment as Director of Church Music and in 1998 he was honored with the 'Bundesverdienstkreuz' (German Cross of Merit) as well as the Bruno-Frey Prize from the State Academy in Ochsenhausen for his work in music education. In 1983 Jürgen Budday founded the Maulbronn Chamber Choir (Maulbronner Kammerchor) with whom he won numerous national and international awards. At the Prague International Choir Festival, for example, Jürgen Budday received an award as best director. Since 2002, he has also held the chair of the Choral Committee of the German Music Council and became director and jury chairman of the 'German Choir Competition' (Deutscher Chorwettbewerb). In 2008, he received the silver Johannes-Brenz-Medal, the highest honoring of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Wuerttemberg. Jürgen Budday was honoured in 2011 with the honorary title 'Professor'. In May 2013 Prof. Jürgen Budday was awarded by the Association of German Concert Choirs with the 'George-Frideric-Handel-Ring' - one of the highest honors for choir conductors in Germany. Thus Jürgen Budday followed Helmuth Rilling, who was honored with the ring from 2009 till 2013. Jürgen Budday has started a cycle of Handel oratorios that is planned to span several years, which involves working with soloists like wie Emma Kirkby, Miriam Allan, Michael Chance, Nancy Argenta, Mark Le Brocq, Charles Humphries, Stephen Varcoe (to name but a few). The live recordings of these performances, that have received the highest praise from reviewers, has won him international recognition. Till these days 11 oratorios by G.F.Handel are documented on discs. 'No conductor and no choir have so consistently recorded so many Handel oratorios as Jürgen Budday and his Maulbronn Chamber Choir.' (Dr. Karl Georg Berg, Handel Memoranda Halle 2008)

F

rom its beginning in 1990, the aim of the members of the Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra (German: Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie) was to create and perform their own program concepts at the highest possible level. Two years later, the first CD recording in co-production with the Bavarian Broadcasting Company was released and won several awards from the international music press. Since 1994 the ensemble is orchestra in residence of the festival 'L'été musical dans la valée du lot' in France. In 1996, the ensemble received the 'Prix Européenes' of the European Economy culture fund. Concerts all over the world, invitations to festivals, CD productions and the collaboration with renowned conductors and soloists such as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Mischa Maisky, Mario Venzago, Michel Plasson, Règis Pasquier, Xavier Phillips and Mstislaw Rostropowitsch are testament to the high quality of the orchestra. CD recordings have been released with companies such as Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Atlantis Art (Switzerland), Koch Schwann, Arte Nova, cpo and St.Louis Records/USA. Amongst these are the world premiere recordings of the concertos for one and two horns by Antonio Rosetti, were given five stars by the BBC Music Magazine and were awarded three times ten points at 'Klassik heute'. Besides their own concert series in Augsburg/Germany the orchestra played only this year with Chick Corea, Bobby Mc Ferrin, Martha Argerich, and at such renowned festivals like the Rheingau Musik Festival, the festival in Mecklenburg Vorpommern and the Münchner Klaviersommer. The Orchestra would like to thank the long-standing main sponsor Dr. Hannjörg Hereth and his Fazienda Ipiranga in Brasil whose generous support has enabled the orchestra's work to continue over the years.

S

ensitivity, musical expression and a flawless, transparent technique: Aleksandra Mikulska embodies to the highest degree all of these qualities once demanded by Chopin himself. Teachers, critics, members of the jury as well as audiences all unanimously agree on this. For a long time now Aleksandra Mikulska has not only distinguished herself through her very own, extraordinarily genuine interpretation of Chopin, which won her the prestigious special award as best Polish female pianist at the International Frédéric Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2005 and ensured an enthusiastic reception of her début Chopin CD in 2010. With her "passionate" and "enrapturing" performances of Haydn, Beethoven and Chopin, she presented audiences at the Lake Constance Festival in 2010 and 2011 with some of the "finest hours of piano music". Attending the class for gifted children at the Karol Szymanowski Music High School in Warsaw, gaining several promotion awards from the Polish government as well as winning prizes at international competitions laid the groundwork for the top-class international training of the young pianist. Even while still at grammar school, Aleksandra Mikulska was already being coached by Peter Eichler in Mannheim, and, after gaining her high-school diploma, she continued to study with him at the Karlsruhe Academy of Music. Parallel to her studies there, international masterclasses with Diane Andersen and Lev Natochenny amongst others provided further stimuli. After graduating with honours she moved to the piano academy "Accademia Pianistica incontri col maestro" in Imola, Italy, the land of music, where she was coached mainly by Lazar Berman and Michael Dalberto till 2008. From 2006 she also worked with Prof. Arie Vardi at the Hanover Academy of Music, where she gained her concert diploma in 2010. Aleksandra Mikulska unites the three musical traditions of Poland, Germany and Italy in a unique, personal and unmistakable style. She is a frequent guest at international festivals such as the Lake Constance Festival, the Maulbronn Monastery Concerts, the piano cycle "Musik am Hochrhein" (Switzerland), the Merano Festival in Italy and the Lapland Piano Festival. Furthermore, she also gives solo recitals all over Europe and performs with orchestras in Germany, Italy and Belgium. One focus of her artistic efforts is the dissemination of music by the great composers of her native country. Aleksandra Mikulska is vice-president of the Chopin Society in the Federal Republic of Germany in Darmstadt and board member of the German-Polish Association of Baden-Württemberg. Furthermore, she is a member of the Karol Szymanowski Society in Zakopane (Poland) and has close ties with the music society De Musica in Warsaw and the German-Polish Cultural Society "Salonik". Her recording début in 2010 was devoted to the works of Frédéric Chopin. In the Autumn of 2011 Aleksandra Mikulska published her second CD with the title "Expressions" including works by Haydn, Szymanowski und Chopin. Both recordings enjoyed great popularity with audiences and the specialist press. Meanwhile she has presented her third album which includes Chopin's four ballades. (Translation by Jill Rabenau)

S

ensitivity, musical expression and a flawless, transparent technique: Aleksandra Mikulska embodies to the highest degree all of these qualities once demanded by Chopin himself. Teachers, critics, members of the jury as well as audiences all unanimously agree on this. For a long time now Aleksandra Mikulska has not only distinguished herself through her very own, extraordinarily genuine interpretation of Chopin, which won her the prestigious special award as best Polish female pianist at the International Frédéric Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2005 and ensured an enthusiastic reception of her début Chopin CD in 2010. With her "passionate" and "enrapturing" performances of Haydn, Beethoven and Chopin, she presented audiences at the Lake Constance Festival in 2010 and 2011 with some of the "finest hours of piano music".
Attending the class for gifted children at the Karol Szymanowski Music High School in Warsaw, gaining several promotion awards from the Polish government as well as winning prizes at international competitions laid the groundwork for the top-class international training of the young pianist.
Even while still at grammar school, Aleksandra Mikulska was already being coached by Peter Eichler in Mannheim, and, after gaining her high-school diploma, she continued to study with him at the Karlsruhe Academy of Music. Parallel to her studies there, international masterclasses with Diane Andersen and Lev Natochenny amongst others provided further stimuli. After graduating with honours she moved to the piano academy "Accademia Pianistica incontri col maestro" in Imola, Italy, the land of music, where she was coached mainly by Lazar Berman and Michael Dalberto till 2008. From 2006 she also worked with Prof. Arie Vardi at the Hanover Academy of Music, where she gained her concert diploma in 2010.
Aleksandra Mikulska unites the three musical traditions of Poland, Germany and Italy in a unique, personal and unmistakable style. She is a frequent guest at international festivals such as the Lake Constance Festival, the Maulbronn Monastery Concerts, the piano cycle "Musik am Hochrhein" (Switzerland), the Merano Festival in Italy and the Lapland Piano Festival. Furthermore, she also gives solo recitals all over Europe and performs with orchestras in Germany, Italy and Belgium.
One focus of her artistic efforts is the dissemination of music by the great composers of her native country. Aleksandra Mikulska is vice-president of the Chopin Society in the Federal Republic of Germany in Darmstadt and board member of the German-Polish Association of Baden-Württemberg. Furthermore, she is a member of the Karol Szymanowski Society in Zakopane (Poland) and has close ties with the music society De Musica in Warsaw and the German-Polish Cultural Society "Salonik".
Her recording début in 2010 was devoted to the works of Frédéric Chopin. In the Autumn of 2011 Aleksandra Mikulska published her second CD with the title "Expressions" including works by Haydn, Szymanowski und Chopin. Both recordings enjoyed great popularity with audiences and the specialist press. Meanwhile she has presented her third album which includes Chopin's four ballades. (Translation by Jill Rabenau)

Peter Lika ~ Bass (Moses)

Peter Lika began his singing career as a soloist in the boys' choir Regensburger Domspatzen and is considered one of the leading bassists in the concert and opera circuit. Paired with a finely balanced, dramatic expressiveness, his unmistakable timbre makes him a predestined soloist for roles such as that of the prophet Moses. Conductors like Masur, Schreier, Rilling, Gardiner, Marriner, Norrington, Celibidache or Herreweghe appreciate working together with Lika, as do renowned international orchestras, not least due to his extensive repertoire and also his longstanding experience with early music. Performances with the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the Bamberger Symphonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and nearly all German broadcast orchestras have led Lika to the major musical centres of Europe, Asia, and USA. Finally, song programmes are also part of Lika's repertoire; with Sawallisch, he has recorded Schubert's vocal epos among other things.

Birgitte Christensen ~ Soprano (Angel of the Lord)

Birgitte Christensen was born in 1972 in Norway. She concluded her vocal training in 1997 at the state conservatory in Oslo. In November 1998 she made her extremely successful debut at the Norwegian National Opera as the Queen of the Night and was distinguished with the prestigious Esso award for outstanding opera performances. Since December 1999 she has been engaged by the Innsbruck Theatre where she has sung the main role in Händel's Partenope, Liu in Turandot and the Queen of the Night. In June 2000, she received a grant for her part in Partenope and was awarded the Eberhard Wächter medal.

Stefan Vinke ~ Tenor (Aaron)

Stefan Vinke was born in Osnabrück and studied song with the court singer Edda Moser in Cologne, and with Eugene Kohn. The accomplished church musician received his first engagement at the Karlsruhe State Theatre of Baden in 1993. He sang for two seasons here before switching to the Krefeld-Mönchengladbach Theatre. Jun Märkl engaged Stefan Vinke for the 1999/2000 season as the 1st youth heroic tenor at Mannheim's National Theatre. In the new Ring, Stefan Vinke sings the role of Siegmund, followed by Lohengrin, Parsifal, Florestan and Tristan.

Russian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra St. Petersburg

The orchestra was founded in 1990 by graduates of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakoff Conservatory. The tours with Mstislav Rostropovitch, Igor Oistrakh, Mikis Theodorakis, Nina Corti and Giora Feidman as well as with opera and ballet soloists of the Moscow Bolschoi Theatre and the St. Petersburg Mariinski Opera attracted international interest. Performances in the cities of Paris, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, Munich and Leipzig as well as at various festivals testify of the orchestra's exceptional status.

Maulbronn Cantor Choir

The Maulbronn Cantor Choir (German: Kontorei Maulbronn) is the large oratorio choir of the monastery in Maulbronn. The choir was founded in 1948 as a federation of the Evangelic Church Choir Maulbronn and the choir of the Evangelic Seminar Maulbronn. In this tradition the choir is formed today with ambitious choral singers from the region and students and former students of the Seminar Maulbronn (gymnasium with boarding school). Over those many years of its existence the choir has performed the complete repertoire of popular oratorios and worked together with orchestras like the 'Southwest-German-Radio-Symphony-Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg', the 'Central German Chamber Orchestra', the 'Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim' or the 'Baden Philharmonic Orchestra'. Soloists of these performances were artists like Barbara Schlick, Maya Boog, Sandra Moon, Sophie Daneman, Marga Schiml, Elisabeth von Magnus, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Aldo Baldin, Marc Clear, Markus Brutscher, Peter Lika, Gotthold Schwarz and Ludwig Güttler. The German television station ZDF broadcasted a portrait about the Choir, and the choir has participated in live radio recordings for the SDR, SWR, Deutsche Welle and Deutschlandfunk.

Jürgen Budday ~ Conductor

Prof. Jürgen Budday (born 1948) is conductor, director of church music, music teacher and artistic director of the concert series at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Abbey. He started teached at the Evangelical Seminar in Maulbronn from 1979 till 2012. This also involved his taking over as artistic director of the Maulbronn Monastery Concerts and the cantor choir in 1979. He studied church music and musicology at the Academy of Music in Stuttgart from 1967 to 1974. In 1992, he was named Director of Studies, in 1995 came the appointment as Director of Church Music and in 1998 he was honored with the "Bundesverdienstkreuz" (German Cross of Merit) as well as the Bruno-Frey Prize from the State Academy in Ochsenhausen for his work in music education. In 1983 Jürgen Budday founded the Maulbronn Chamber Choir (Maulbronner Kammerchor) with whom he won numerous national and international awards. At the Prague International Choir Festival, for example, Jürgen Budday received an award as best director. Since 2002, he has also held the chair of the Choral Committee of the German Music Council and became director and jury chairman of the "German Choir Competition" (Deutscher Chorwettbewerb). In 2008, he received the silver Johannes-Brenz-Medal, the highest honoring of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Wuerttemberg. Jürgen Budday was honoured in 2011 with the honorary title "Professor". In May 2013 Prof. Jürgen Budday was awarded by the Association of German Concert Choirs with the "George-Frideric-Handel-Ring" - one of the highest honors for choir conductors in Germany. Thus Jürgen Budday followed Helmuth Rilling, who was honored with the ring from 2009 till 2013.
Jürgen Budday has started a cycle of Handel oratorios that is planned to span several years, which involves working with soloists like wie Emma Kirkby, Miriam Allan, Michael Chance, Nancy Argenta, Mark Le Brocq, Charles Humphries, Stephen Varcoe (to name but a few). The live recordings of these performances, that have received the highest praise from reviewers, has won him international recognition. Till these days 11 oratorios by G.F.Handel are documented on discs.
"No conductor and no choir have so consistently recorded so many Handel oratorios as Jürgen Budday and his Maulbronn Chamber Choir." (Dr. Karl Georg Berg, Handel Memoranda Halle 2008).

Maulbronn Cantor Choir

Soprano:
Uta Albrecht, Clara Buss, Ines Darilek, Hannelore Demuth, Ulrike Egler, Gertrud Fahnenbruck, Claudia Fischer, Gretel Flasshoff, Erika Frasch, Christel Gebicke, Dörthe Glogner, Mirjam Grauli, Eva Günthner, Ute Günthner, Birgit Gutekunst, Frauke Harms, Hanna Hitziger, Andrea Klein, Gabriele Königs, Amrei Kriener, Annette Krtscha, Ursula Lang, Erika Langer, Irmgard Leins, Gerda Lemberg, Helga Leppek, Liane Matheis, Silke Mürdter, Gisela Pöthe, Lena Renkenberger, Christina Riek, Gerlinde Roos, Anna Schlimm, Nelly Schlimm, Christa Schmetzer, Amelie Spätgens, Beate Speck, Lore Stalter, Ute Troyke-Immel, Edda Ullrich, Bettina Wagner, Inge Wanner

Altus:
Verena Balcarek, Ulrike Bickel-Lang, Rosemarie Bohn, Eva-Maria Brückner, Helge Bührer, Dorothee Combe, Ulrike Egerer, Gertrud Erhardt-Raum, Doris Frank-Dietz, Barbara Fritsch, Ann-Katrin Fuierer, Dorothea Haiges-Obenland, Eva-Maria Herrmann, Dorothea Irion-Küenzlen, Christina Jungfer, Ursula Kaufmann, Stefanie Knappe-Retsch, Elisabeth Kümmerle, Angelika Kuveke, Maria Matzen-Mauch, Irmgard Miehlich, Margit Rapp, Dorothea Reininghaus, Anette Rösler, Beate Roth, Maria Smejkal, Sophie Sterzer, Ruth Weida, Helga Weber, Daniela Rosenberger

Tenor:
Wolfgang Altenmüller, Ernst-Dietrich Egerer, Jürgen Huttenlocher, Christoph Irion, Hartmut Leins, Thomas Müller, Dr.Bernhard Olt, Helmut Schmid, Harald Schroeder, Walter Toepfer, Michael Wagner, Manfred Wanner, Hans-Peter Weber

Bass:
Alfred Ankele, Dr. Reinhard Demuth, Bernhard Fräulin, Friedemann Frasch, Norbert Ganser, Kurt Glogner, Dr.med. Uwe Hage, Elmar Herkommer, Tobias Hitziger, Johannes Hruby, Stephan Irion, Christian Kloss, Ulrich Köhler, Jürgen Krug, Hans Kuveke, Hans Metzger, Wolfgang Miehlich, Hans-Martin Müller, Dr. Malte Neurath, Dr. Günther Rapp, Gottfried Retsch, Manuel Roller, Marcus Roller, Dieter Rudolf, Hans Schmid, Jan Smejkal, Jonathan Wahl

Peter Lika ~ Bass (Moses)

Peter Lika began his singing career as a soloist in the boys' choir Regensburger Domspatzen and is considered one of the leading bassists in the concert and opera circuit. Paired with a finely balanced, dramatic expressiveness, his unmistakable timbre makes him a predestined soloist for roles such as that of the prophet Moses. Conductors like Masur, Schreier, Rilling, Gardiner, Marriner, Norrington, Celibidache or Herreweghe appreciate working together with Lika, as do renowned international orchestras, not least due to his extensive repertoire and also his longstanding experience with early music. Performances with the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the Bamberger Symphonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and nearly all German broadcast orchestras have led Lika to the major musical centres of Europe, Asia, and USA. Finally, song programmes are also part of Lika's repertoire; with Sawallisch, he has recorded Schubert's vocal epos among other things.

Birgitte Christensen ~ Soprano (Angel of the Lord)

Birgitte Christensen was born in 1972 in Norway. She concluded her vocal training in 1997 at the state conservatory in Oslo. In November 1998 she made her extremely successful debut at the Norwegian National Opera as the Queen of the Night and was distinguished with the prestigious Esso award for outstanding opera performances. Since December 1999 she has been engaged by the Innsbruck Theatre where she has sung the main role in Händel's Partenope, Liu in Turandot and the Queen of the Night. In June 2000, she received a grant for her part in Partenope and was awarded the Eberhard Wächter medal.

Stefan Vinke ~ Tenor (Aaron)

Stefan Vinke was born in Osnabrück and studied song with the court singer Edda Moser in Cologne, and with Eugene Kohn. The accomplished church musician received his first engagement at the Karlsruhe State Theatre of Baden in 1993. He sang for two seasons here before switching to the Krefeld-Mönchengladbach Theatre. Jun Märkl engaged Stefan Vinke for the 1999/2000 season as the 1st youth heroic tenor at Mannheim's National Theatre. In the new Ring, Stefan Vinke sings the role of Siegmund, followed by Lohengrin, Parsifal, Florestan and Tristan.

Russian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra St. Petersburg

The orchestra was founded in 1990 by graduates of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakoff Conservatory. The tours with Mstislav Rostropovitch, Igor Oistrakh, Mikis Theodorakis, Nina Corti and Giora Feidman as well as with opera and ballet soloists of the Moscow Bolschoi Theatre and the St. Petersburg Mariinski Opera attracted international interest. Performances in the cities of Paris, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, Munich and Leipzig as well as at various festivals testify of the orchestra's exceptional status.

Maulbronn Cantor Choir

The Maulbronn Cantor Choir (German: Kontorei Maulbronn) is the large oratorio choir of the monastery in Maulbronn. The choir was founded in 1948 as a federation of the Evangelic Church Choir Maulbronn and the choir of the Evangelic Seminar Maulbronn. In this tradition the choir is formed today with ambitious choral singers from the region and students and former students of the Seminar Maulbronn (gymnasium with boarding school). Over those many years of its existence the choir has performed the complete repertoire of popular oratorios and worked together with orchestras like the 'Southwest-German-Radio-Symphony-Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg', the 'Central German Chamber Orchestra', the 'Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim' or the 'Baden Philharmonic Orchestra'. Soloists of these performances were artists like Barbara Schlick, Maya Boog, Sandra Moon, Sophie Daneman, Marga Schiml, Elisabeth von Magnus, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Aldo Baldin, Marc Clear, Markus Brutscher, Peter Lika, Gotthold Schwarz and Ludwig Güttler. The German television station ZDF broadcasted a portrait about the Choir, and the choir has participated in live radio recordings for the SDR, SWR, Deutsche Welle and Deutschlandfunk.

Jürgen Budday ~ Conductor

Prof. Jürgen Budday (born 1948) is conductor, director of church music, music teacher and artistic director of the concert series at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Abbey. He started teached at the Evangelical Seminar in Maulbronn from 1979 till 2012. This also involved his taking over as artistic director of the Maulbronn Monastery Concerts and the cantor choir in 1979. He studied church music and musicology at the Academy of Music in Stuttgart from 1967 to 1974. In 1992, he was named Director of Studies, in 1995 came the appointment as Director of Church Music and in 1998 he was honored with the "Bundesverdienstkreuz" (German Cross of Merit) as well as the Bruno-Frey Prize from the State Academy in Ochsenhausen for his work in music education. In 1983 Jürgen Budday founded the Maulbronn Chamber Choir (Maulbronner Kammerchor) with whom he won numerous national and international awards. At the Prague International Choir Festival, for example, Jürgen Budday received an award as best director. Since 2002, he has also held the chair of the Choral Committee of the German Music Council and became director and jury chairman of the "German Choir Competition" (Deutscher Chorwettbewerb). In 2008, he received the silver Johannes-Brenz-Medal, the highest honoring of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Wuerttemberg. Jürgen Budday was honoured in 2011 with the honorary title "Professor". In May 2013 Prof. Jürgen Budday was awarded by the Association of German Concert Choirs with the "George-Frideric-Handel-Ring" - one of the highest honors for choir conductors in Germany. Thus Jürgen Budday followed Helmuth Rilling, who was honored with the ring from 2009 till 2013.
Jürgen Budday has started a cycle of Handel oratorios that is planned to span several years, which involves working with soloists like wie Emma Kirkby, Miriam Allan, Michael Chance, Nancy Argenta, Mark Le Brocq, Charles Humphries, Stephen Varcoe (to name but a few). The live recordings of these performances, that have received the highest praise from reviewers, has won him international recognition. Till these days 11 oratorios by G.F.Handel are documented on discs.
"No conductor and no choir have so consistently recorded so many Handel oratorios as Jürgen Budday and his Maulbronn Chamber Choir." (Dr. Karl Georg Berg, Handel Memoranda Halle 2008).

Maulbronn Cantor Choir

Soprano:
Uta Albrecht, Clara Buss, Ines Darilek, Hannelore Demuth, Ulrike Egler, Gertrud Fahnenbruck, Claudia Fischer, Gretel Flasshoff, Erika Frasch, Christel Gebicke, Dörthe Glogner, Mirjam Grauli, Eva Günthner, Ute Günthner, Birgit Gutekunst, Frauke Harms, Hanna Hitziger, Andrea Klein, Gabriele Königs, Amrei Kriener, Annette Krtscha, Ursula Lang, Erika Langer, Irmgard Leins, Gerda Lemberg, Helga Leppek, Liane Matheis, Silke Mürdter, Gisela Pöthe, Lena Renkenberger, Christina Riek, Gerlinde Roos, Anna Schlimm, Nelly Schlimm, Christa Schmetzer, Amelie Spätgens, Beate Speck, Lore Stalter, Ute Troyke-Immel, Edda Ullrich, Bettina Wagner, Inge Wanner

Altus:
Verena Balcarek, Ulrike Bickel-Lang, Rosemarie Bohn, Eva-Maria Brückner, Helge Bührer, Dorothee Combe, Ulrike Egerer, Gertrud Erhardt-Raum, Doris Frank-Dietz, Barbara Fritsch, Ann-Katrin Fuierer, Dorothea Haiges-Obenland, Eva-Maria Herrmann, Dorothea Irion-Küenzlen, Christina Jungfer, Ursula Kaufmann, Stefanie Knappe-Retsch, Elisabeth Kümmerle, Angelika Kuveke, Maria Matzen-Mauch, Irmgard Miehlich, Margit Rapp, Dorothea Reininghaus, Anette Rösler, Beate Roth, Maria Smejkal, Sophie Sterzer, Ruth Weida, Helga Weber, Daniela Rosenberger

Tenor:
Wolfgang Altenmüller, Ernst-Dietrich Egerer, Jürgen Huttenlocher, Christoph Irion, Hartmut Leins, Thomas Müller, Dr.Bernhard Olt, Helmut Schmid, Harald Schroeder, Walter Toepfer, Michael Wagner, Manfred Wanner, Hans-Peter Weber

Bass:
Alfred Ankele, Dr. Reinhard Demuth, Bernhard Fräulin, Friedemann Frasch, Norbert Ganser, Kurt Glogner, Dr.med. Uwe Hage, Elmar Herkommer, Tobias Hitziger, Johannes Hruby, Stephan Irion, Christian Kloss, Ulrich Köhler, Jürgen Krug, Hans Kuveke, Hans Metzger, Wolfgang Miehlich, Hans-Martin Müller, Dr. Malte Neurath, Dr. Günther Rapp, Gottfried Retsch, Manuel Roller, Marcus Roller, Dieter Rudolf, Hans Schmid, Jan Smejkal, Jonathan Wahl