Born in Bamberg in 1988, Katharina Königsfeld wanted to play the piano and the organ at the age of six. From 2007 she started studying piano with Arnulf von Arnim and from 2012 organ with Roland Maria Stangier at the Folkwang University of Arts in Essen. She is also interested in Chambermusic and Lied. She already worked with such great musicians as Christoph Eschenbach, Dirk Mommertz, Matthias Goerne and Gustav Kuhn. Katharina has performed in the Philharmonie Essen, the Konzerthaus Dortmund and the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum within the well known Klavierfestival Ruhr. In July 2015 she will give her Debut in the Festpielhaus Erl. Katharina Königsfeld signed an exclusive recording contract with SONY Classical in 2014. Her first album for Sony, „Piano fantasy by Katharina“, was released in January 2015 and entered the german pop charts straightaway.

Daniel Karelly, aka Affe Maria, is an Austrian musician and producer. After graduating from the Drummers Institute Duesseldorf as the best student in 20 years and discontinuing a study programme in jazz and pop drums at the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem/Netherlands, he returned to Hamburg in 2011 to work on the first album with his band Rakede. As a dubstep producer and DJ with airplay on stations ranging from Austrian Fm4 to BBC Radio 1, he releases music on various labels and receives international support from renowned producers in the scene. He also gives performances all over Europe – for example, as a support act for Dope D.o.d.

The debut album from Rakede featuring Dellé (Seeed) and Samy Deluxe was released in 2014 on Downbeat Records/Warner Music and was nominated for the 2015 German Musikautorenpreis in the category of composition pop. In 2013, the unplugged version of their song “Bitte Bitte” became a global YouTube hit. Besides various radio and TV appearances, the band also tours regularly and plays at the biggest festivals in the German-speaking world.

He also produces, mixes and masters for other projects and holds workshops at schools on behalf of Crossover e.V.

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.