Entertainment

Dr. Torsten Pfitzer was born in 1975 in Kirchheim/Teck, Germany. After his studies in pharmacy and his doctoral degree in natural sciences in Freiburg, he first spent several successful years in the health care industry. His personal experiences in competitive sports and the passion for health finally lead him on the path of becoming a Heilpraktiker, Osteopath and expert for the holistic healing of musculoskeletal pain. 

In his practice in Munich the myofascial specialist combines different approaches like osteopathy, myofascial kinematics, nutritional therapy and others, which he also teaches to other therapists and doctors.

As a person formerly affected by chronic back pain himself, he looks over the edge of the plate. Torsten Pfitzer sees it as his calling to free his patients causally and sustainably from their pain by giving guidance for self-treatment in order to enable a vital life again. 

Dr. med. Yael Adler has dedicated herself to dermatology with skin and hair. Inspired by her grandfather, who was a dermatologist, she studied in Frankfurt and Berlin, received her doctorate in 1999 and, in addition to her specialist training in skin and venereal diseases, also completed additional training as a phlebologist and nutritionist according to DGEM. Since 2007, Yael Adler has been practicing in her private practice in Berlin, the Center for Skin, Vein and Laser Medicine.  The dedicated dermatologist has been giving expert advice for many years, in TV shows, magazines and her podcast "Is it still healthy?". In addition, Yael Adler moderates medical events and gives infotainment talks with standup speaking. With her international non-fiction bestseller "Haut nah," published in fall 2016, the dermatologist continues to inspire readers around the world. The book has since been translated into 33 languages. With "Darüber spricht man nicht" - Weg mit den Körpertabus, Yael Adler succeeded in 2018 with another Spiegel No. 1 bestseller. This was followed by "Wir müssen reden, Frau Doktor!", which deals with doctor-patient communication - an important relationship, often even vital. With "Genial vital!" - who knows his body, stays young longer, Yael Adler can look forward to another Spiegel No. 1 bestseller in 2023.

Thomas Rupprath is one of the most successful German swimmers of all time. Over the course of his career, he became 77-time German champion, 29-time European champion, two-time world champion, and set an astonishing nine world records. He remains the only German swimmer ever to win the overall World Cup. He represented Germany in three Olympic Games. At his Olympic debut in Sydney 2000, he won a bronze medal in the medley relay, followed by a silver medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics. Since 2010, Thomas has been working as a commentator and expert for Eurosport, providing insights at international swimming events. Today, he lives in his chosen home of Rostock, where he is a successful entrepreneur and owner of a furniture store.

Claire Elizabeth Craig is a young soprano with both Scottish and German roots who also feels very closely connected with the home of her choice – Austria. She was a scholarship student while studying at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg and a prizewinner on many occasions, including the International Brahms Competion and the International Anton Rubinstein Competition. Important mentors for her were Barbara Bonney, KS Krassimira Stoyanova and Eva Lindqvist. She has performed at the Salzburger Festspiele, the Mozartwoche Salzburg, the Jeunesse Wien, the Thüringer Bachwochen, the Mozart-Festivals in Havanna and Medellin, the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and with the Vienna Symphony, under the baton of conductors such as 
Adam Fischer, Sir Ivor Bolton, Kristina Poska, Markus Poschner and Roberto Gonzalez-Monjas. In addition to international opera and concert performances, she dedicates her time to chamber music and the interpretation of art songs (Kunstlieder). With her duo partner Katharina Königsfeld 
she shares a passion of the works of female composers such as Emilie Mayer and Clara Schumann. Musically, she feels most at home in Mozart's enormous vocal oeuvre for the soprano voice

Katharina Königsfeld, pianist and organist from Bamberg, studied at the Folkwang University of the Arts. She performs internationally in renowned concert halls such as the Philharmonie Essen and Konzerthaus Dortmund and is a regular guest on the MS Europa. In addition to solo repertoire, she is deeply involved in chamber music and art song.

She has worked with artists such as Justus Zeyen, Matthias Goerne, and Christoph Eschenbach. In 2015, she premiered the piano transcription of Hans Rott's Symphony, and in 2018, she became the artistic director of the International Organ Academy Kitzbühel.

From 2014 to 2021, Katharina Königsfeld was exclusively signed to Sony Classical and initiated the concert series KonzertKULTur at A-ROSA Kitzbühel. In 2024, she premiered works for tuba quartet and organ with the Melton Tuba Quartet.

Atrin Madani is a world traveler when it comes to jazz, firmly rooted in his Schöneberg neighbourhood. Born in 1998, he is a Berliner without an East or West Berlin background, he never experienced the division of the city, never saw the Wall. He graduated from high school in 2017, paving the way for him to study at the Dresden University of Music and the Berlin Jazz Institute. In 2018, he was given the honor of being accepted into the vocal ensemble of the Bundesjazzorchester. Concert engagements have already taken him to countries such as the USA, Canada, Israel, Madagascar, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. 

Photocredit: Martin Bauendahl

Martin Pelz was born in December 1972 in Rüdersdorf near Berlin. In 1989, he began his apprenticeship as a restaurant professional in Frankfurt/Oder. 1992, his path led him to Lenzerheide and Interlaken in Switzerland. From there, in 1993, he moved to the Munich Kempinski Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, where he progressed through all relevant management departments in deputy roles, ultimately being appointed to the construction site of the Hotel Adlon in Berlin in May 1997. Here, he played a leading role in the reopening of the legendary Adlon and managed 5 different departments. Additionally, he was responsible for the entire procurement of Kempinski Hotels Bristol and Bad Saarow. In 2002, he founded Purchasing Services GmbH, a consulting company with a focus on procurement and planning for hotel and restaurant openings worldwide, which he still owns to this day. Also, since 2002, he has been the owner of a wine business that advises and maintains wine cellars for collectors across Europe. In 2009, he was asked to take over the Adlon Holding GmbH, which he successfully led as CEO for 8 years. In March 2017, he left the Adlon Holding to take care of a friend's passion project, the planning and opening of 959 Heidelberg, as Managing Partner. Since June 2019, he has been the Managing Partner of the traditional EINSTEIN Unter den Linden in Berlin. In the immediate Neighborhood is his wine shop Ex Château. Martin Pelz has been writing a monthly wine column for the architecture magazine H.O.M.E for over 10 years.

„A life before wine didn´t exist.“ This Markus Schneider´ quote shows how intense a winemaker is connected to the wine. This seems not very surprising, because he grew up in Ellerstadt, a small commune where vineyard to vineyard and winery to winery are in lines. And finally, Markus Schneider created here something very special: A winery which is found in 1994 with just one hectare and develops now to an international brand. Today he cultivates around 92 hectares in the Palatinate. On top he are creating wine joint venture at Mosel and Stellenbosch. A lot of national and international superior restaurants, top cruises brands and hotels around the world have his wines in their fix portfolio. DER FEINSCHMECKER select him in 2002 as ´newcomer´, GAULT MILLAU in 2006 to ´discovery of the year´ and Meininger Verlag makes Markus Schneider in 2013 to ´wine entrepreneur of the year´. The fact that someone from a small winemaker village performe in to the whole world is in Markus Schneider´ opinion especially diligence and ambition, a strong vision and a proper shot of emotionality. The winery Markus Schneider history shows: We are living in a ´country with ideas´. Courage, diligence and determination are actually rewarded.

Felix Eckardt (born 1975 near Hamburg) is a contemporary German painter known for his atmospheric urban and landscape scenes. He studied painting in Hamburg and Madrid, and his work has been exhibited internationally—in cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, and Zurich—as well as at art fairs including Art Karlsruhe and Kunst Zürich. He is represented by galleries such as Gudberg Nerger (Hamburg) and Samuelis Baumgarte (Bielefeld). In 2022, his widely acclaimed art book Lichtarbeit was published. Contributions in DIE ZEIT along with features on ZDF, NDR, and Phoenix underline his established reputation. His studio in Hamburg also serves as a vibrant venue for art and music events.

Photocredit Marc Seelen

Discover all cruises on which the atelier is represented on board.

Felix Eckardt, born in 1975 near Hamburg, is recognized as one of the leading voices in contemporary German painting. In his artistic practice, he combines traditional techniques with a distinctive painterly style that strikingly captures urban life, light, and atmosphere. His works shift between realism and dreamlike detachment—defined by bold color palettes and a refined sense of emotional depth. Eckardt studied painting and illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and expanded his studies at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid. International residencies and work periods in cities such as London and New York broadened his perspective and left a lasting mark on his visual language.His works have been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Germany and abroad—including Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin, and Zurich—as well as at international art fairs such as Art Karlsruhe and Kunst Zürich. As a core artist of renowned galleries like Gudberg Nerger (Hamburg) and Samuelis Baumgarte (Bielefeld), his paintings enjoy wide visibility in the contemporary art world. In addition to his exhibition work, Eckardt has published several monographic art books—most recently the critically acclaimed Lichtarbeit (2022), which includes literary contributions by acclaimed authors such as Eva Menasse, Leif Randt, and Bernd Ulrich. In 2020, Die ZEIT published a series of his paintings as part of the Dekameron Project, bringing his work to a broad literary and cultural audience. His artistic approach has been featured in German media including ZDF, NDR, Sat.1, and Phoenix—further underscoring his status as a contemporary painter with a unique and recognizable style. His works are held in numerous private collections and continue to inspire an international following. His Hamburg studio has also evolved into a cultural hub, hosting concerts and art events that regularly draw large and enthusiastic audiences.

Photocredit Marc Seelen