Entertainment

Arcis Collective is a Munich-based collective that merges chamber music and contemporary dance. It was founded in 2020 by Roberta Pisu and the internationally well-known Arcis Saxophon Quartett. The collective turns musicians into full-stage performers in dialogue with dancers. It creates intimate theatre works, site-specific projects, and bold dance-concert formats. Productions appear in theatres, concert halls, festivals, and unconventional spaces. Collaborations include the AUDI Festival and other major institutions. Pisu trained at the Académie Princesse Grace in Monaco and at the Accademia in Rome. She danced with La Compagnia in Rome and then freelanced in Canada. From 2012 to 2023, she was a soloist at Munich’s Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz. There, she worked with renowned choreographers and began creating her own works in 2015. Since 2020, she has been directing Arcis Collective, focusing mainly on it while remaining active as a freelance choreographer.

Founded in 1996, the casalQuartett was trained by renowned ensembles such as the Carmina Quartet, Alban Berg Quartet, and Walter Levin, and has performed worldwide since. They have collaborated with artists like Martha Argerich, Clemens Hagen, Khatia Buniatishvili, and Gautier Capuçon. Since 2008, the quartet has focused on historical Jacobus Stainer instruments, releasing the internationally acclaimed albums Birth of the String Quartet I & II and Genesis – 7 Quartets by Franz X. Richter, earning awards including the ECHO, DIAPASON D’OR, the German Record Critics’ Award, and nominations for ICMA and GRAMMY awards. The casalQuartett captivates audiences globally with a diverse repertoire spanning Baroque to jazz, emphasizing concept-driven programming, their own festivals, and youth projects. They foster a dialogue between tradition and modernity while highlighting the artistic power and emotional depth of the string quartet.

Julius Frack is one of Europe’s most internationally acclaimed mental magicians. His unique brand of magic has taken him to stages in over thirty countries — including Las Vegas, Paris, Hong Kong, and Beijing. He has received numerous international awards, including “World Champion of Illusion” and “Magician of the Year.” His original mental magic blends the mysterious with the impossible: astonishing predictions, thought reading, psychological techniques, intuition, refined humor, and a commanding stage presence. Most recently, he drew attention with Artificial Illusions — a show exploring artificial intelligence and the intersection between magic and technology. Stylish, entertaining, innovative, surprising, and thought-provoking. Julius lives between Europe and Asia, speaks four languages fluently, and captivates audiences worldwide at exclusive events, international conferences, and unforgettable festivals.

Kasiva Mutua is one of Kenya’s leading percussionists and among the few African women performing percussion internationally. Inspired by her grandmother’s folktales, she developed a powerful, expressive drumming style that blends traditional African rhythms with jazz, hip-hop, reggae, funk, and more. She has toured globally and participated in major projects such as The Nile Project, 1Beat, x-Jazz Women, and Coke Studio Africa. In 2015, she co-founded MOTRAMUSIC—Kenya’s first all-female percussion collective—which empowers young women and girls through rhythm and drumming, growing into a vibrant sisterhood. Kasiva has performed at top festivals including Global Fest, Sauti Za Busara, The Holland Festival, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and has collaborated with artists like Oliver Mtukudzi, Kirk Whalum, and Anthony B. She is also a member of the Nairobi Horns Project and backs various Kenyan musicians. A TEDGlobal Fellow (2017) with over 1.2 million views on her talk-performance, and an OkayAfrica 100 Women honoree (2018), Kasiva is a passionate advocate for gender equality and cultural preservation through music.

Photocredit: Ellie Obati