Markus Schneider grew up in Ellerstadt, a small Palatinate community with vineyard after vineyard and winery after winery. And yet Markus Schneider has created something very special here: the vineyard he set up in 1994 with just one hectare of land has become an international brand. Today, he cultivates around 92 hectares of vines, and his wines appear on the lists of top international restaurants and hotels and the world’s best airlines and cruise ship fleets. Schneider places particular value on a biological approach – no herbicides, insecticides or artificial fertilisers, but careful under-vine cultivation, purely organic fertilisers and sowing various grasses and herbs to strengthen the vineyard.

The entertainer and singer extraordinaire, born in 1977, has held solo shows for the last ten years all over Europe and even in New York and Sydney. The German-Dutch performer is considered the homme fatal of the chanson and cabaret scene and gives a unique interpretation of the modern Vaudeville theatre with elements from cabaret and personality show.

He also enjoys working closely with other artists such as film legend Hanna Schygulla, punk goddess Nina Hagen, Dutch superstar Ellen ten Damme, underground legend Joey Arias and star soprano Claron McFadden.

At the age of just 16, Sven toured the Netherlands with the popular theatre circus De Parade. He has organised the Deutsch-Niederlaendische Naechte event in Amsterdam since 2006 together with the Goethe-Institut and, in 2008/09, he played the main role in the Dutch production of the musical Cabaret, as the Emcee. Since 2013, he has played Hedwig in the New York rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Berlin and Amsterdam. The proud winner of many a cabaret award also tours tirelessly with a band or pianist, writes columns, presents and works as a writer. Sven Ratzke lives in Amsterdam and Berlin.

Xavier de Maistre belongs to an elite category of soloists who are redefining what is possible with their instrument. Born in Toulon he began studying harp aged nine. He studied in Paris and in 1998 he was awarded first prize at the International Harp Competition in Bloomington, Indiana, immediately becoming the first French musician to join the ranks of the prestigious Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Aside from commissions from composers such as Kaija Saariaho, he performs works like Smetana’s “Ma Vlast" with breathtaking precision, presenting masterful arrangements of works that are usually played by an entire orchestra. The interpretation of these works, that few harpists before him have even considered playing, has contributed to his reputation as one of the most creative and extraordinary musicians of his generation.
Xavier de Maistre has appeared with major orchestras under the direction of such eminent conductors as Bertrand de Billy, Lionel Bringuier, Daniele Gatti, Kristjan Järvi, Philippe Jordan, Riccardo Muti, Andrés Orozco-Estrada and André Previn. He performs at many leading international festivals, including Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Salzburg Festival, Budapest Spring Festival and Mostly Mozart in New York. He collaborates with such chamber music partners as Diana Damrau, Magali Mosnier, Daniel Müller-Schott, Baiba Skride and Arabella Steinbacher. Since 2001 Xavier de Maistre has taught at the Hamburg Academy of Music. He also gives regular masterclasses at New York’s Juilliard School of Music, Tokyo’s Toho University and London’s Trinity College of Music.