Jorge Luis Pacheco Piano
Kilian Forster Double bass
Miguel Altamar Drums
Alexis Herrera Estevez Timbales
Elio Rodriguez Luis Congas

If music is to be a universal language, then it has found the perfect players in the Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion. With the utmost virtuosity and an almost magical appeal, they reveal how the great classical forefathers – from Bach to Tchaikovsky and from Mozart to Wagner – can be brought to life in a whole new way when combined with rousing Caribbean rhythms. Thus, the balancing act that emerges between classical, jazz and Latin is not only possible but also thoroughly entertaining.

Their very first joint album project ›Classic meets Cuba‹ won the 2003 Echo Klassik award in the ›Klassik ohne Grenzen‹ category as well as the Jazz Award and was even nominated for a Grammy in the ›Best Classical Crossover Album‹ category. At ›Summer in Lesmona‹, the dialogue between classical and Cuban music, in collaboration with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen, will be expanded to a more fitting orchestral scale, connecting cultures and continents.

Cuban-born Cosette Justo Valdés is one of the rising stars of the international music scene. Following her successful six-year tenure as Resident Conductor of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in Canada, she is currently the Artistic and Musical Director of the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra in British Columbia. Through her innovative programming with the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra, she also inspires audiences to engage with rarely heard historical works, with a particular passion for the works of native Canadian and native American composers. In recent seasons, Cosette Justo Valdés has made several highly acclaimed debuts in Canada, the USA and Europe.

Her most significant projects to date include an acclaimed production of Mozarts ›Così Fan Tutte‹ at the Edmonton Opera, which she conducted from the harpsichord, world premieres of works by native Canadian composers and four uniquely staged and theatrical performances of Handel’s ›Messiah‹ with four different orchestras. She also maintains close ties with her homeland of Cuba where she is celebrated as honorary conductor of the renowned Orquesta Sinfónica de Oriente in Santiago, the musical heart of Cuba. Another of her passions is bridging the worlds of jazz and symphonic music. Cosette Justo Valdés is making her debut with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen.

Born in Mainz and raised in Hesse, the presenter Anna Novák now lives in Hamburg. After working as an editor for the classical music magazine crescendo and the multi-media programme ›U21‹ at Bayerischer Rundfunk, Anna Novák moved to Norddeutscher Rundfunk in 2016. There, she can be heard presenting on NDR Kultur’s radio station and also as content creator and host of the social media site ›Matsch und Muse‹ , which she developed.

As an events MC, she has hosted the OPUS KLASSIK award winners‘ concert in Berlin on several occasions and regularly presents for the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. At the Weilburg Schloss Concerts, she welcomes musicians to special words-and-music evenings in her concert series ›Ganz Privat‹ (Completely Private) and has hosted a full-length talk show at the Konzerthaus Berlin. In addition to her work in the cultural sector, she has also taken on corporate roles including hosting premium customer events for a renowned credit card company.

Anna Novák studied Music and Communication Arts, frequently hosts bilingual events in German and English and speaks fluent Luxembourgish.