Entertainment

Roman von Thurau, born in 1967, comes from the far north. After starting a psychology degree in Hamburg, he discovered his true passion for the stage and the art of magic. He learned the craft of illusionism from a Polish master and completed training in NLP and hypnosis. Vivian, who grew up in Tehran, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo, completed her art studies at FH Hamburg. Always fascinated by the mysterious, she met Roman von Thurau in 2000, and both quickly realized they complemented each other perfectly. As the artistic duo Sonambul, they have since developed unique stage performances that combine intelligent and entertaining experiments in mental magic with Vivian's expressive drawings. Roman von Thurau and Vivian create their own full-length theater shows, touring Germany, and have participated in numerous national and international TV productions. The best part: they can combine their profession with their passion for traveling! After numerous performances in places like the USA, India, Singapore, Cape Town, Marrakech, Bahrain, and the seven seas, their longing for foreign lands, new cultures, and inspiring encounters remains. Roman von Thurau and Vivian live in Berlin, Lisbon, and the Algarve.

Daniel Heide, a pianist from Weimar, is widely regarded as one of the leading song accompanists of his generation and is increasingly active as a soloist in piano recitals. He studied at the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar, yet considers himself largely self-taught, drawing inspiration from historical recordings and interviews with great pianists of the past. His extensive concert career has taken him throughout Europe as well as to South Africa, South America and Asia. He has appeared at major international festivals and in renowned venues including the Wiener Musikverein, Wigmore Hall London, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Berlin and Paris Philharmonies, and most recently at Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan Hall.

Photocredit: Guido Werner

Quartissimo’s four young musicians were brought together at an early age by their shared passion for making music. Since the ensemble was founded in 2016, they have received artistic guidance from Prof. Ivana Pristasova Zaugg at the Tyrolean State Conservatory in Innsbruck. Quartissimo soon began winning first prizes at prestigious competitions, including Prima la musica and the Goldene Note in Vienna. This success led to invitations to perform alongside world-renowned opera singer Erwin Schrott at the Konzerthaus in Vienna and the Vienna State Opera. The two sibling pairs explore a broad repertoire spanning the Classical, Romantic and Modern periods, as well as contemporary music. Quartissimo has participated in numerous masterclasses with distinguished musicians, including Prof. Johannes Meissl (Artis Quartet), Prof. Hatto Beyerle (Alban Berg Quartet) and Krzysztof Chorzelski (Belcea Quartet). The ensemble also took part in the international masterclass programme zeister muziek dagen, where its members received coaching from musicians of the Jerusalem Quartet and the Schumann Quartet, among others.

In 2026, the four musicians participated in the Goldmund Academy, where they received coaching from the Goldmund Quartet. They also gained valuable musical insights and guidance from the Leonkoro Quartet at the Vielsaitig Festival 2026 in Füssen. Despite their young age, Quartissimo has already performed at numerous prestigious events and venues, including the Osterfestival Tirol, the VilsArt Festival and Junge Solisten am Podium with the Tyrolean Chamber Orchestra Innstrumenti. The quartet also appeared at Musik im Riesen, under the artistic direction of Thomas Larcher, embarked on a concert tour organised by Jeunesse Austria, and performed alongside Ensemble Modern at the Haus der Musik in Innsbruck.In 2026, Quartissimo performed in Bensheim and Munich as part of the Goldmund Academy. In the summer of the same year, the quartet was also featured in the Neuschwanstein Concerts, where it had the honour of opening a concert by violinist Julia Fischer.

A shared love of music brought the four “Akustiker” together to study jazz in Berlin — and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Fifteen years ago, the idea was born to create a purely acoustic band that would evoke memories: of first secret kisses in the basement at teenage parties, or of long nights around the campfire. Crackling, unplugged, and with vocal arrangements written especially for them, their goal was to make the hidden gems of pop, beat, and swing shine anew. All four are active in other musical realms — the group includes a music professor, a film composer, and two members more often seen on the world’s stages than at home. Today, they perform to critical acclaim across Europe, captivating audiences with their expressive power and boundless passion for music. With their natural charm and infectious joy of playing, Die Akustischen Vier have even been known to get entire parliaments dancing. Their spontaneous jam sessions with prime ministers, global players, and TV detectives have caused a stir — often revealing unexpected musical talents. Even Prince Albert II of Monaco couldn’t resist joining in at one of their concerts on the Côte d’Azur. When not on the road, the gentlemen call Berlin and Hamburg home.

The PRIVATE in the public sphere – the PUBLIC in the private sphere! DRAWING ROOM enables visitors to engage deeply with contemporary and established artistic practices in a salon-like atmosphere. The gallery’s programme focuses on artistic practices that draw on conceptual art and minimalism. Four to five exhibitions featuring national and international artists, both emerging and established, are held each year. As well as solo exhibitions, the DRAWING ROOM also hosts thematic and conceptual group exhibitions and projects. The Drawing Room also regularly exhibits at art fairs such as HIGHLIGHTS Munich, Artissima in Turin, Drawing Now in Paris, LOOP in Barcelona and Paper Positions in Berlin. 

The two art historians, Esther and Alexander Sairally, founded the Drawing Room gallery in Hamburg in March 2014.

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Esther Sairally (* 1967 in Hamburg) completed her art history studies with an M. Phil. at the University of Glasgow. Following professional posts as Research Assistant at the Painting Department of the Royal Collection and in the Impressionist and Modern Art Department at Christie’s in London, she currently curates a collection of 18th and 19th century marine paintings for a Hamburg shipping company.

Alexander Sairally (* 1963 in Hamburg) is an art historian. He has been organising and curating exhibitions and advising companies and private individuals on building and expanding their art collections since 1998. For ten years he worked as a consultant and curator for the LEVY Gallery, where he was responsible for the rejuvenation of the programme, among other things. From 1998 to 2001, Sairally was a lecturer at the Humboldt University in Berlin, and since 2006 he has been teaching in the Department of Exhibition Design and Management at the Danube University Krems (Austria). He is honorary chairman of the Friends of the Freie Akademie der Künste in Hamburg and a member of the board of the Landesverband Hamburger Galerien.