Classical Voyagers – The Music Goes On

After thee years of traveling I feel not a bit tired of it. You see, traveling is my passion. Just like my love of music. So, founding "The Classical Voyagers" – an ensemble that performs classical concerts where other people go on vacation – still feels like a dream come true!

We've been performing this self-created program on cruise ships traveling the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam. It includes great opera hits like "O Mio Babbino Caro", "La Donna E Mobile", "Ebben? Ne Andrò Lontana" and Verdis famous drinking song from "La Traviata", which is almost like a second national anthem to Italians. The great emotions of opera, love and joy, greed and hatred, hope and despair, and the limitless beauty of music are presented in a touching way and are an infinite well of joy.

Doing not only the singing, but also the conference, gives me a chance to show the audience my personal insights and how I feel about the music they are about to hear, what it is I love about it.  Through vivid descriptions of different countries and epochs, insider information, but above all with the emotional entanglements of composers and their characters, their stories, the audience gets deeper into the general sentiment of the opera, plunging directly into the music and gliding ship-like through various opera scenes.

The Classical Voyagers are soloists with many years of experience on major stages. A first-class performance and professional quality is always guaranteed. We've set ourselves the goal to transfer our passion for music to the audience. Our program is suitable to an established audience, as well as to viewers who've had little contact with classical music so far. It's important to us to create a clear and easy access to the works of the classics. To preserve a lively performances practice – opera singers need no microphone – is our challenge.

It is most gratifying to see the beaming faces of our audience. Or being told after the concert that someone had never been to the opera, never knew how it could be and promises to go to the opera from now on... what can I say, I love my job. Life moves on. So do we. Another year of Music To Go! Thank you!

- Wolfram B Meyer

Classical Music To Go!

Not such an odd concept. The idea isn't all new. It has been around quiet a while. George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel is one of the better known composers to make use of this combination. His "Water Music" was especially composed to be performed while floating down the river. And why not?! To us it makes complete sense.

Music is international. As musicians we get around quite a bit. We studied abroad, have been on tours, individually and together, have been hired as guests, lost touch and ran into each other in unexpected parts of this planet. But even when I wasn't hired anywhere, when I had no money or as a kid at home I would travel a lot. And music was always my best companion. As a kid I remember lying on the floor listening to my parents classical recordings, in my fantasy traveling about the globe as easy as the flap of a swallows' wing. And to me it was as real as the carpet I was resting on. "Music was my first love, And it'll be my last, Music of the future, And music of the past." These lines from the John Miles song "Music" probably describe my relation with music best. But above all things music is the present and the language of the heart.

So we thought it would make complete sense to design a musical program to be enjoyed while traveling. You can embark with us on a journey through the world of classical music. And don't you worry if we might get into territory that seems unfamiliar to you. While you lay back and relax, we will guide you through this program and tell you all you need to know about the music you are about to hear; interesting bits about history, opera plots, composers, languages and countries and also fascinating morsels of trivia.

Our tour through the realms of classical music takes us not only to different places, but also through different emotional states. There'll be love and joy, greed and hatred, hope and despair and boundless beauty. It's fun! All you have to do is open your hearts and let yourself be moved by the exquisite works of genius.

And who knows, where in this world we will meet? We're looking forward to it.

The Classical Voyagers

You can reach us at:
+49-160-91 555 320
info@venusmusik.net
 ...

About

Imagine...

...being in concert hall, listening to your favorite classical music. Now imagine that concert hall would move quietly on a beautiful river. You can feel the movements ever so slightly and as you enjoy the music you can watch the beautiful landscape pass by. A dream? No, it's quiet possible. We do that about every other day, or so. "We" are:

Yvonne Fiedler (Soprano) completed her diploma for piano at the Music Academy in Trossingen. At the same time she composed the musical "Annette" in which she starred and sang herself. She then took a scholarship from California State University, Northridge, Los Angeles. There she finished as "Master of Music With Distinction". She attended master classes, among others with Mirella Freni and has won several competitions and got various awards. Her most important roles here and abroad include Gretel in "Hänsel and Gretel", Despina in "Cosi fan tutte" and Pamina in "Magic Flute". As a freelance singer, composer and pianist she gives various solo concerts, among others with her own compositions. Recordings of her are published at Sony and Columbia Music Entertainment and in soundtracks of international award winning movies.

Mihai Grigoiu (Pianist) comes from a well-known Romanian musicians and writers family and completed his piano studies at the Music Academy Bucharest, Romania as well as postgraduate studies at the University of Freiburg, Germany. As a classical pianist he appeared in numerous concerts, television and radio broadcasts, among others with the National Radio Orchestra in Bucharest. He is also a composer of pop music. His songs appear regularly on television and radio broadcasts and have won different prices, three of the songs having been No. 1 on the Romanian pop charts. He is musical director, pianist and performer at the musical theater "die Schönen der Nacht" and has as a freelancer been musical coach and accompanist at Theater Freiburg and at Theater Basel, Switzerland. Concert tours took him to Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, France and Italy.

Dominik Hormuth (Pianist) studied conducting, piano and vocal accompaniment in Stuttgart and Munich. He attended courses with Celibidache and worked as chorus assistant at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, where he worked with famous singers such as Agnes Baltsa, Cheryl Studer or Shicoff. After his formal education he first worked at the National Theater Mannheim and later became a repertoire coach and conductor at Freiburg Stadttheater. He also works as an accompanist, chamber musician and studio musician, among others for the American label "MMO". Concerts have taken him to Japan, Nigeria, France, England and Slowenia. Since 2004 he lives in Freiburg as a freelancing musician. 2013 he composed his first major work, the "Jubilee Mass" for choir, solo soprano and small ensemble.

Wolfram B Meyer (Tenor) studied the performing arts at Universität der Künste in Berlin. Theater is in his blood: his parents met while both working in a production of Tannhäuser at the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth. Wolfram signed his first theater contract at age fifteen. His professional performing experience as a soloist in various European theaters include opera, operetta, concert, and recitals. He is best known for the roles of Eisenstein in Johann Strauss’ The Bat, Tamino in Mozart’s Magic Flute, Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème, Don José in Bizet’s Carmen and Max in Weber’s Freischütz. He regularly appears in concert halls. Between stage commitments he also enjoys Lied recitals. Tours and guest appearances take him through entire Europe, America and Africa.

You can reach us at:
+49-160-91 555 320
info@venusmusik.net
 ...