Manickam Yogeshwaran

Singer, percussionist, flautist and composer

Manickam Yogeswaran's career spans three decades. During childhood he was trained in South Indian classical (Carnatic) music. Since then, his work as a live performer (vocalist, mridangam drum and bamboo flute extends into different branches of world music and media productions.

His international career comprises performances as featured vocalist as
well as accompanist for Bharata Natyam dance performances. He has been
a singer with the Dissidenten and the British vocal ensemble The Shout.
He performs and composes for contemporary dance ensemble sincluding the
renowned Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company. In addition, he has taught
vocal and instrumental music as well as voice production and technique.


Teacher

Yogeswaran’s educational commitments rests on two pillars, one in London where he is
based; and another for international collaborations:
- As Founder-Director of the London-based Tamil Global Arts, he has
initiated causes Several students of South Indian singing and
instrumental music have already excelled by their public arangetram debut performances.

- With Amsterdam based musician - musicologist Ludwig Pesch, he has developed and implemented a range of activities that foster active and instant participation in music: AIUME for Adapting Indian Universals in Music Education (www.aiume.carnaticstudent.org). Their method, which als opromotes social cohesion beyond music, was successfully demonstratedin 2008 at the World Conference of the International Society for Music Education (ISME) and the Swiss conference on Integrated musiceducation (PRIME).

Their work has been featured by several educational andcultural institutions, be it on the level of primary education or atcolleges, conservatories and universities.

Critical acclaim

"A singer in the Indian classical tradition, a great improviser and someone who brings a completely different approach tointonation."
 - SINGER MAGAZINE.

Through his music, educational activities, contributions to other art forms and work for peaceful coexistence, Yogeswaran has reached a global audience: "Yoga’s vocal technique comfortably manages a range of pitch, intensity, volume and speed ... designed to carry words of peace, love and devotion.
 - (CDreview “Peace for Paradise”) – GLOBAL MUSIC CULTURE

As the first Tamil musician to sing in a major Hollywood film, he contributedto Jocelyn Pook’s soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick’s last film Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Other movies including Spike Lee’s 25th Hour, Bookof Blood and Brick Lane: "Laced with haunting Tamil vocals by British-based musician Manickam Yogeswaran ... shaping its emotionalcrescendo."
 - FILM SCORE DAILY

Christian Schmidhofer

Thavil, Mridangam, Konnakol, Cajon, Jew`s-harp.

Der gebürtige Tiroler Christian Schmidhofer ist mit Mitglied des legendären "Karnataka College of Percussion", auf dem er in den späten 80er Jahren südindische Percussion studierte.

Mitte der 90er Jahre verlegte er sein musikalisches Betätigungsfeld zurück nach Deutschland und ist seit dieser Zeit als  "genre-übergreifender" Trommler in diversen Projekten und Bands aktiv. Sein musikalischer Horizont reicht von Japan über China, Indien, Afghanistan, Arabien, Türkei, Balkan bis hin nach Afrika.

Dies sind einige der Musiker mit denen er diese Erfahrungen gemacht hat:

Barry Sangare (Mali Westafrika)
Angela Frontera (Brasilien)
Jamal Mohmand (Afghanistan)

Stefan Daskalos (Bulgarien)
Ghodrat Giahi (Iran)
Chriss Karrer (Amon Düül)

Marty Cook (USA)
Hüseyn Kül (Türkei)
Nuzan Yorulmaz (Kurdistan Iran)
Xizhi Nie (China)
Roman Bunka

Dave King

Billy Konatè (Mali)

Seit 2000 ist er Percussionist der legendären Weltmusik-Vorreiter Embryo. 2008 erhielt Embryo den deutschen Weltmusikpreis RUTH.

2010 gründet Christian Shatabdi Groove Express.

Mit dem sensationellen Rhythmustrainig "Power Rhythm" gibt er seinen Tribut an die weltweite Rhythmusgemeinde.

Sebastian Weber

STEPTANZ, BODY PERCUSSION

Ein virtuoser Schlagzeuger mit den Füßen
(Badische Zeitung)

Sebastian Weber tritt seit rund 15 Jahren als Steptänzer und
Choreograph in Festivals, Theatern und Jazzclubs in ganz
Europa, den USA, Westafrika und China auf. 

Er tanzte für verschiedene TV-Sendungen, Werbespots, einen Kinofilm und gab sogar ein komplettes Radio-Konzert im ORF, einer Ehre, die seit der Erfindung des Fernsehens wohl kaum noch
einem Steptänzer zuteil wurde.

Als Choreograph produzierte er genreübergreifende, oft
multimediale Stücke, die seit 1999 regelmäßig durch Förder-
ungen von Stadt, Land und Bund gewürdigt werden.  Zweimal
erhielt er den Leipziger Bewegungskunstpreis, einmal den
Jazzpreis Herford. 

Webers höchst individueller, schlacksiger,
oft roher Tanzstil ist gekennzeichnet durch leidenschaftliche
Improvisationen von höchster musikalischer Präzision und
technischer Kraft.

Ron Reeves

Kendang, Ghatam, flute, didgeridoo, Jew`s-harp.

Ron Reeves is a multi-instrumentalist specialising in percussion. He has studied percussion and wind instruments in Australia, Indonesia and South India and performed throughout Australia, Asia and Europe for more than 30 years, playing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Synergy, Iva Davies, Colin Offord, Trilok Gurtu, Hossam Ramzy, Bill Cobham, John Wyre's World Drum Ensemble, Jugala Group (Indonesia), the Karnataka College of Percussion (India), Lebe Olarinjo Masqueraders (Nigeria), “heavy plastic” band AC/PVC, and many others, including his own Indonesian-based groups Earth Music and Warogus. His German-based trio, Okuta Percussion, received the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik's "best new World Music" award for its debut CD.

He has performed extensively with dancers, including the Australian Ballet, ADT, Sydney Dance Company, Suara Indonesia Dancers, and StillMoves; also with Disney on Parade and Dedale, le Cirque des Origines in Paris. In addition to percussion he occasionally plays flutes, didgeridoo, guitar, keyboards, and assorted sundry soundmakers. He has recently returned from Hungary where he added tarogato, a traditional Hungarian wind instrument, to his collection.

Ron has taught at the NSW Conservatorium of Music, as well as inIndonesia, India, Singapore, Germany and Poland. He has given hundreds of performances through the Musica Viva in Schools Program through out New South Wales, Tasmania, the ACT, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Singapore, and with Sydney - based Drumbeats, Ron brings a hands-on drumming experience to people in a wide range of situations,from pre-schools to weddings and corporate events. Ron has also given workshops in Indian, Indonesian and general percussion in most Australian states, and taught Sundanese gamelan at the Indonesian Consulate in Sydney.