Entertainment

Dr. Peter Frey, born in 1957, served as Editor-in-Chief of ZDF from 2010 to 2022. On the program heute journal, he regularly provided commentary on national and international politics. He hosted numerous shows, including Berlin direkt, auslandsjournal, and ZDF-Morgenmagazin, and, together with Bettina Schausten, interviewed all key figures in German politics as part of the series Was nun? (What Now?). Since the 1990s, he conducted 48 interviews with Angela Merkel. Highlights of his television career include the coverage of Barack Obama’s election as U.S. President, the elections and funerals of Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis, as well as the ceremonies surrounding the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Frey also served as a correspondent in Washington and authored the book Von Bagdad nach St. Petersburg, published by Hoffmann und Campe. He began his journalistic career in his early twenties at Südwestfunk radio and for the newspaper Die Zeit, where one of his first features was a report on the writer Anna Seghers and her novel The Seventh Cross. Between 1978 and 1986, he studied political science, Romance studies, and education in Mainz and Madrid, earning a doctorate on Spain’s accession to the European Union. As Editor-in-Chief, Frey actively engaged in dialogue with viewers and critics of public broadcasting. Since his retirement, he has been involved in German-Polish initiatives.

Dr. Emily Margarethe Haber served as the German Ambassador to the United States from 2018 to 2023. Prior to her assignment in Washington, D.C., she held various leadership positions at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. In 2009, she was appointed Political Director and in 2011 State Secretary, becoming the first woman to hold each of these positions. Subsequently, she was seconded to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, where she served as State Secretary from 2014 to 2018, responsible for internal security and migration policy. Ms. Haber has extensive experience with Russia and the former Soviet Union. She was posted multiple times to the German Embassy in Moscow, including as Head of the Political Department. At the Foreign Office in Berlin, she also headed the OSCE division and served as Commissioner for the Western Balkans. Ms. Haber holds a doctorate in history and is married to former diplomat Hansjörg Haber. The couple has two sons.

Dr. Thomas de Maizière was born in 1954 in Bonn. After completing his Abitur in 1972 and serving in the military, he studied law. Following his second state law examination and earning his doctorate, he began his professional career in 1984 at the Senate Chancellery under the then Governing Mayor of West Berlin, Richard von Weizsäcker. During the German reunification process, he advised the last democratically elected Prime Minister of the GDR, his cousin Lothar de Maizière, and was a member of the GDR negotiation delegation for the Unification Treaty. He then held various positions as State Secretary and Minister in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony until 2005. In Saxony, he served successively as Chief of the State Chancellery, Minister of Finance, Minister of Justice, and Minister of the Interior. In 2005, Angela Merkel appointed him Chief of the Federal Chancellery. He served twice and for a total of six years as Minister of the Interior, two years as Federal Minister of Defence, and was a member of the Bundestag for twelve years. With 28 years in government service, Thomas de Maizière is one of the most experienced politicians in Germany. Since leaving active politics, he has been, among other roles, Chairman of the Deutsche Telekom Foundation. In 2023, he served as President of the German Protestant Church Assembly (Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag).

The people of Hanover simply called it “GOP”—their variety theater in the Georgspalast, where the great entertainers of the time once performed: Heinz Erhard, Zarah Leander, Vico Torriani, and Caterina Valente. When the theater reopened in 1992, the abbreviation became a brand name. Its proud tradition was carried into the present, forming the foundation of a modern variety theater. Today, GOP sets the benchmark for international variety entertainment and has become so successful that it now operates seven theaters across Germany. The family-run business has produced 300 shows so far, attracted 15 million spectators, and is a regular guest aboard the luxury cruise ship MS Europa. The fantastic shows Premiere and Highlights, created exclusively for the MS Europa, are hosted by moderator and entertainer Martin Quilitz. Not only was he one of the writers for The Harald Schmidt Show, but he also brings with him a wealth of experience from numerous TV and stage performances, appearances for the German federal government, major corporations, and of course, Germany’s renowned variety stages. The show’s acrobatics are brought to life by juggler Jonas Alich, Maria “La Suricata Circus” with her hula hoop performances, Francois Loooop with an LED act, and Annissa Elakel with her handstand acrobatics. She also teams up with tricking artist Anssi Nurmi as the German-Finnish duo Noel, delivering a unique partner acrobatics performance. Experience a thrilling blend of laughter, wonder, and excitement at its finest!

As fiery servants of the arts, the artists who gather at Styriarte in Graz see themselves as guardians of humanity’s richest treasure – music – bringing it to life in all its brilliance. Among the most passionate of them are the musicians of the ensemble il sole. They have come together to plant their brightest glow into the hearts of their listeners and to let it shine from Graz out into the world.

Rema Diop is one of the established voices of West Africa. At the beginning of her career, she toured with greats such as Youssou Ndour. Born and raised in Senegal, she blends traditional African music with modern sounds. She has already won several music awards and is regarded as the golden voice of Senegal. Together with Pape Samory Seck, percussionist and world musician, and Edouard Manga on the kora, an African harp, they form the trio Rema Diop. Pape Samory Seck received his musical training in the Senegalese Griot family Seck. His instruments include the djembe, doundoun, sabar, serouba, conga, bougarabou, asiko, and tama. He is considered one of the most sought-after percussionists for African rhythms, jazz, world music, pop, classical, and traditional styles. Edouard Manga comes from Casamance. In 1991, he was admitted to the National Conservatory of Dakar, where he learned to play the kora and graduated in 1997 as one of the best of his class. Since then, he has worked with great artists such as Youssou Ndour, Omar Pene, Jacob Desvarieux, Angelique Kidjo, and others.

Photocredit: Thomas Kölsch