Entertainment

Fil Bo Riva, born Filippo Bonamici in Italy, is an artist hard to categorize. After growing up in Rome and Ireland, he moved to Berlin in 2012, where he founded the project Fil Bo Riva in 2015. 

He gained attention with his debut single "Like Eye Did" and the 2016 EP "If You’re Right, It’s Alright." Support slots with Milky Chance and Imagine Dragons, plus sold-out tours and festivals, marked 2017-2018. His 2019 debut album "Beautiful Sadness" was followed by his largest European tour, but the pandemic briefly halted his career. After a personal break, his long-awaited second album "Modern Melancholia" was released in September 2024, accompanied by a successful European tour. Fil Bo Riva is currently working on new material, possibly to be released this year.

Photocredit: Dominik Friess

Alice Merton, known as the "girl with no roots," was born in Germany, raised in Canada and England. Her music celebrates life as a nomad and making a home anywhere. Since her 2016 debut "No Roots," she's amassed a billion streams, charted Top 10 in Europe, played Coachella, earned 8x Platinum and US-Gold, and released two albums, MINT and S.I.D.E.S., all independently.

Her latest EP, Heron (2024), marks a shift towards self-reflection. It explores feeling lost internally and asks, "Who am I supposed to be?" In a world dominated by others' opinions of happiness, especially on social media, Heron questions how well we truly know ourselves and if we can find happiness independently. The title, inspired by seeing elegant herons in London's Barbican, reflects this journey of self-discovery.

Photocredit: Elias Koehler

Nina Sonnenberg is a native of Munich and a German presenter, musician, and author. After studying sociology, social psychology, and economic geography at LMU Munich, she focused on music and writing. She has placed five albums in the charts and was the National Slam Champion in a team competition. She works as a radio presenter at FM4 (ORF), Bayern2, and has also hosted television programs at ZDFkultur and 3sat (Kulturpalast, Theater ein Fest). Her work as a television presenter earned her two nominations for the prestigious Grimmepreis. Most recently, she was part of the jury for the comeback of the ORF casting show "Starmania."

She is the recipient of the Bavarian Cultural Award. But above all, she is curious—about people, their stories, and their music. She lives and works in Munich and Vienna.

Fagotti Parlandi, which translates to "Talking Bassoons," is dedicated to presenting chamber music in a way that is both accessible and lively for the audience. In line with its name, the ensemble communicates and interacts on stage, both musically and theatrically. In addition to their bassoons, they also use the fagottino and contrabassoon. Complemented by creative percussion instruments and their singing voices, Fagotti Parlandi has developed a diverse repertoire ranging from Baroque and Classical music to Tango, Swing, and even Pop and Rock. Their aim is to bring joy to the audience, whether young, old, or anywhere in between, and to make chamber music an entirely new experience. Fagotti Parlandi has already performed over 200 concerts with a variety of programs. The ensemble places great importance on a colorful and diverse repertoire, combined with musical precision and perfection. 

The bassoonists of the ensemble are Prof. Karsten Nagel, Raphael Sirch, Leonhard Kohler, Johannes Stefaniak, and Marco Scidá.

Julian Riem is one of the most versatile pianists on today’s classical music scene. As a soloist, chamber musician, and song accompanist, he performs regularly across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. His mentors—none other than Michel Béroff, Michael Schäfer, and Rudolf Buchbinder—recognized him early on as one of the “most promising pianists of his generation.” His exceptional musicality is reflected in his openness to new ideas, his enthusiasm for creating arrangements for piano, chamber ensembles, and orchestra, as well as his strong affinity for contemporary compositions.

Photocredit: Gregor Hohenberg