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.

Ispasion Show Productions is a dance company known worldwide for its impressive creativity and graceful beauty. The main mission of the artists is to create unforgettable stage experiences that evoke emotions and captivate the audience.

Dance in its various forms is the central focus. Neo-Flamenco and Neo-Tango, Spanish and contemporary dance, as well as ballet, combine with cutting-edge stage technology and avant-garde visual effects to create a top-tier show.

The artists of the company are talented dancers with diverse backgrounds. They are admired not only for their flawless technique but also for their breathtaking interpretations and expressive stage presence.

The NITE CLUB DUO combines the soulful voice of Sandy Edwards with the grooving piano sounds of Matthias Lutz. Together, they create a stylish musical atmosphere that blends emotional soul and R&B ballads, international favorites, upbeat jazz standards, and timeless pop classics – all interwoven with personal stories and a heartfelt connection to their audience. Sandy Edwards, born in Hamburg-Altona, grew up in a home filled with music. Her mother, Dornée, was a founding member of the Les Humphries Singers, so harmony and rhythm were part of everyday life. At just 21, Sandy toured as a backing vocalist for German pop artist Sarah Connor, all while earning multiple university degrees. Her warm, expressive voice makes her the soul of the duo. Matthias Lutz attended a music-focused high school in Lüneburg, performed in youth big bands under Jiggs Whigham and Peter Herbolzheimer, and later studied sound engineering. He worked as a sound designer and audio engineer for the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, composed for theatre, and played with artists such as Roger Cicero and Anna Depenbusch. Together, Sandy and Matthias are the driving force behind the acclaimed band NITE CLUB. As a duo, they’ve found their creative home in the picturesque town of Lüneburg – from where they continue to inspire audiences across the country.

Photocredit: Roland Michels

Jessica Gall was born in 1980 into a musical family in Berlin. She began piano lessons with her grandmother and discovered her passion for the saxophone as a teenager. A workshop with the RIAS Big Band ignited her love for music and led her to study singing at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin. To finance her studies, she toured as a background singer with artists like Sarah Connor.

During her studies, she met her future husband, film composer and pianist Robert Matt. He began his musical training with the Regensburger Domspatzen and continued it in Los Angeles. His compositions have been released in over 25 countries, and in 2022, he was nominated for the German Television Award in the "Best Music" category.

Together, the couple wrote numerous songs blending jazz, folk, and soul.

In 2006, Jessica Gall signed her first record deal with Sony/BMG. Over the following years, she released six more albums, reached the top ten of the German jazz charts, performed extensively, and had her songs featured in films like Der Vorname and Enkel für Anfänger.

In addition to their artistic work, Jessica Gall and Robert Matt teach at institutions like the University of the Arts (UdK) in Berlin. They live with their two daughters on the outskirts of Berlin.

New York-based violist Hannah Burnett enjoys an invigorating career as an active freelancer, holding positions in the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, New York Classical Players, Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, and Riverside Symphony. She is frequently invited to perform with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The Knights, NOVUS Trinity, and the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra. As an avid chamber musician, she has spent summers at Yellow Barn, the Perlman Music Program, Kneisel Hall, and the Aspen Center for Advanced String Quartet Studies. She is a passionate performer of new music, collaborating in recent years with composers such as Philippe Hersant, Eric Nathan, Hilda Paredes, and Jörg Widmann. Ms. Burnett studied at Juilliard under the tutelage of Roger Tapping and Misha Amory.

Cellist Samuel DeCaprio is an active performer and educator based in New York. His debut featured the North American premiere of Grażyna Bacewicz’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Juilliard Orchestra and conductor David Robertson in Alice Tully Hall. Appearing across the globe as a soloist and chamber musician, he has been featured on prominent radio programs including WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago, and NPR, and has recorded for Delos, ECM Records, MSR Classics, and Nonesuch Records. A passionate chamber musician, DeCaprio’s festival appearances include Ravinia, IMS Prussia Cove (UK), Les Rencontres Musicales de Noyers-sur-Serein (France), Domaine Forget (Canada), and Kneisel Hall, among others. DeCaprio holds degrees from UConn, Eastman, Mannes, Yale, and Juilliard.

Hailed by The Washington Post as “sweetly lyrical,” violinist and composer Ariel Horowitz is a dynamic soloist and chamber musician. A winner of the 2020 Victor Elmaleh Competition, she joined the Concert Artists Guild roster and performs widely across the United States. Her work blends classical repertoire with contemporary music and her own compositions. Horowitz appears regularly with Vision Duo and performs with ensembles including Sybarite5. Recent highlights include Joe’s Pub and Merkin Hall. Her debut album Hearth (Bright Shiny Things, 2024) features original music alongside classical works. She is represented by Bright Shiny Things and is the founder of the Heartbeat Music Project, a tuition-free music program for youth on the Navajo Nation.