Entertainment

Masters of Choreography is an Australian dance theatre production company and a global leader in commercial dance fusion entertainment. They have toured Australia and Singapore, performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and had two highly successful seasons in London's West End. An electrifying fusion of commercial street dance and ballet, featuring beatboxing, singing, comedic moments, and numerous 5-star reviews, has received standing ovations at every single performance! They present an exciting commercial rock ballet with elements of street dance, comedy, and dance theatre - an energetic show that makes you dance in your seat. With a great mix of classical rock and commercial music and a wonderful cast of versatile performers, Masters of Choreography offers cutting-edge entertainment and the finest dance fusion entertainment.

Sarah Traubel has appeared in opera and concert at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, at Zurich Opera, the Berlin Phil-harmonie, Sydney Opera House and the Mozaic Festival in California, in Melbourne, Singapore and Mexico, among others. In 2024 she was invited to perform works by Wagner and Mozart in the US and on tour in Japan. She has sung Wagner's Wesendonck-Lieder with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, among others. She was also repeatedly invited to Haus Wahnfried in Bayreuth. At Leipzig Opera, Ms Traubel most recently sang Wagner soprano roles, Agathe (Freischütz) and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) as well as the title role in La Traviata. Her CD releases include "De Profundis" (2023) and "Arias for Josepha" (SONY). For the CD "In meinem Lied" she was nominated for the Opus Klassik as "Singer of the Year" in 2022. Great-niece of the US soprano Helen Traubel, Sarah Traubel graduated with distinction from the Salzburg Mozarteum with Barbara Bonney after studying at the UdK Berlin and the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

Photocredit: Harald Hoffmann

Classical Guitar Magazine described Portuguese classical guitarist Mickael Viegas as an unusually free artistic mind and "world-class guitarist" who is now also making a name for himself as an author and filmmaker. His recording of the complete works of Heitor Villa-Lobos for guitar was critically acclaimed. In many of his pro-jects, he combines his instrument with singing, dance, video art and literature. Mickael Viegas is the initiator of the music project LOST SOULS OF WAR, which brings the works of little-known composers who died in wars to concert halls; more than 90 institutions throughout Europe are now involved in this initiative, and there will be further concerts in 2027 with soprano Sarah Traubel at the Berlin Philharmonie, among others. Mickael Viegas studied at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and completed master classes with Roland Dyens, the brothers Sergio and Odair Assad and Leo Brouwer, among others. At the Universidad de Extremadura, he earned a master's degree in classical guitar with the Spanish virtuoso Ricardo Gállen.

Photocredit: Frederico Baptista

Günther Albers has established himself as a pianist and conductor across the European musical life, collaborat-ing with almost all renowned conductors and singers of our time. He has assisted Christian Thielemann at the Bayreuth Festival (Ring des Nibelungen), Kirill Petrenko for Tristan und Isolde at the Ruhrtriennale, Daniel Bar-enboim and Sir Simon Rattle, among others. He has worked as a conductor at the Aalto Theater Essen, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Graz Opera and the Berlin State Opera, among others. He is a sought-after chamber music partner and active as a pianist and accompanist, including in collaboration with Sophie Koch, Claudia Mahnke, Anna Prohaska, Christine Schäfer, Sarah Traubel, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Plácido Domingo, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Günter Groissböck, René Pape, Peter Seiffert and Roman Trekel. He taught at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 2015, Günther Albers is a Professor of Musical Direction (Music Theatre) at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts.

Photocredit: G. Albers

Congolese-French singer, guitarist and songwriter Gasandji is one of the distinctive voices of contemporary African music. With a powerful, warm and intimate voice, she blends Congolese traditions with Soul, Jazz, Folk and Chanson. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and raised in France, she found her way to music through dance and hip-hop before studying jazz in Paris. Her artistic journey was strongly influenced by her mentor Lokua Kanza. In 2013, she released her self-titled debut album, “Gasandji”, which received the Coup de Cœur from the Académie Charles Cros. She went on to perform at renowned festivals including WOMAD, Cully Jazz, Francofolies de La Rochelle and Africa Festival Würzburg. Singing in Lingala, French and English, Gasandji combines traditional Congolese sounds with soul, jazz and West African influences. Her music is rooted in ideas of connection, awareness and a direct relationship with her audience. In 2024, she released the EP “E-Wired Empathy Gasandji”, created with Giovanni Amighetti and the E-Wired Empathy collective. In a trio setting, Gasandji creates an intimate, rhythmic sound that is both elegant and vibrant, filled with African energy.

Photocredit: Thomas Millet

Christian Schoppe is one of Germany’s most renowned photographers. His career began in Vienna, working with figures like Oliver Hirschbiegel and Martin Kippenberger. In 1989, at just 23, he won the Austrian State Prize for portrait photography. From 1992, he created artist portraits including Gilbert & George and Jeff Koons, exhibited at the Centre Pompidou. He was the first German photographer to document the Romanée-Conti winery and also photographed Paul Bocuse. Back in Hamburg, he captured famous actors like Marie Bäumer, Daniel Brühl, and Loriot, as well as international personalities such as Philippe Starck, Karl Lagerfeld, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Sports and political figures like Steffi Graf and Franz Beckenbauer also posed for him. His work regularly appears in top publications like Stern, Vogue, and Spiegel. He has produced campaigns for brands including Deutsche Bank, SAP, and Gillette. Since 2009, he has documented his travels in the “Postcards” series; Hapag Lloyd acquired 180 fine art prints. He also photographs art projects for Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Maison Margiela, with a special focus on backstage haute couture photography.

Discover all cruises on which Christian Schoppe is on board.