RhineBuzz

Prita

I met Australian songstress Prita at a concert that was part of the Stadtklang project earlier in the year. Enchanted by her music, her lyrics, the loop pedal she incorporates in her own pieces, and her extraordinary aura, we exchanged a few words after the gig and have kept in touch since.

I've rarely met a musician who connects with their audience in such a natural, yet bold and quiet way.
Prita looks you straight in the eye as she sings, but she's not yearning "love me, love what I do" she is sharing what she does with you. She gives you the feeling that if you like what you hear she will be delighted, but if you don't "well hey .... thanks for coming, anyway!"

Ahead of her next concert here in Düsseldorf on Thursday August 8, open air at the Vier Linden beer garden in Oberbilk, I asked her a few questions about her great gift of song and what makes Prita .... well Prita!

If you didn't sing, what would you be doing?

Maybe I'd have my own café/cupcake shop or a wellness center with lots of healthy types of things, juices, yoga and massages.

Can you tell us about your very first gig?

I think my very first gig was at kindergarten dressed up as a 'star' as in twinkle twinkle little star.. or something like that.. I sang all through school any chance I got.. but my first 'proper gig' was with my first band (blues/rock) in Albany WA, when I was about 12 or 13 yrs old, we played at the beautiful big old town hall in the centre of Albany at the end of year guitar school concert (I was learning classical) .. I was the singer in the band and was dancing a lot and wearing a mid-riff top - very cool in the 80's no doubt.. singing songs like 'roadhouse blues' (the doors), 'total control' (the motels), 'come together' (the beatles) etc.. the band was put together by the teachers at my guitar school and the band was called 'protege'.

The message in "Get Out of Your Own Way" is very simple, but actually doing this is of course a very different matter. How did you managed to make that jump?

It took me a long time to build up the confidence in myself and my abilities as a singer and performer - I worked and studied all kinds of other things before I made the big jump - but I really just got to a point where I had to put all my energy and efforts into being a musician and performer - I had to give it a shot - or risk regretting it later in life that I never tried.. - and so far it has definitely paid off for me - making that jump into the unknown and following what I love to do.

Why did you choose to cover Nina Simone's "I'm Feeling Good", that's pretty courageous!

I love Nina Simone, she has such a classic style and attitude - I love watching old videos of her live shows on youtube - she is very passionate and real and just so talented - I guess she is one of my heroes - and also I just love the positive lyrics in 'feeling good' it's a nice way to end a show on a positive note!!

Where were you before you were lived in Berlin?

I lived in Australia for many years then went travelling overseas - worked for 2 years as crew member on a private yacht, travelling all over the Caribbean, USA, Mediterranean before settling back in my home town for a few years to pursue music and then leaving home to follow my dreams of living and touring in Europe!!

What's next for Prita?

I hope to have a new Live Album coming out soon - I did some recording in France when I was on tour recently and would love to release that soon!! I'm also playing in a few festivals in Germany and have lots of touring around Germany before I head back to France and possibly the UK again for some touring!

Good luck Prita! You certainly deserve every success and I'm really looking forward to seeing you again!
Thanks heaps for the interview Caroline! :) See you soon!

Check out Prita's videos, bio, music and photos on her website

The concert will take place even if it is raining - then it will be moved inside!

Vier Linden

Siegburger Str 25

40591 Düsseldorf

100 Years Museum Kunstpalast Celebration

The Museum Kunstpalast, often referred to as 'the treasure house of the city', celebrates its 100th year this week. On Saturday July 6 a full programme is planned including free tours and a festival in the Ehrenhof. Bands will be playing from 3pm until 11pm including musicians from the Clara Schumann Music School and the Robert Schumann Music School and the Japanese drummers Shin Daiko. There will also be a children's workshop.

To mark the centenary a book has been produced by the museum and the Rheinsche Post, 40 Düsseldorfers were asked to choose a piece of art work from the collection and write a personal story about this. I was absolutely delighted to be invited to write too (and hugely nervous!). The book was presented at a reception at the museum on Tuesday July 2, one day after the actual birthday.

I chose to write about Marta Klonowska's Glass Goat, a delightful sculpture from the Hentrich Glass Collection, one of my absolute favourite spots in the city.

The book is in German only and available in the gift store at the musuem and at bookshops in the city and includes contributions by cult director and Düsseldorfer Wim Wenders, City Mayor Dirk Elbers and video museum owner Julia Stoschek.

I'll have to check if I may add my piece, originally written in English and translated by the museum, here for you to read in English ... and here it is!

Marta Klonowska in her studio in Flingern

Open Source Festival 2013

Dinosaur Jr are headlining the programme at this year's Open Source Festival at the race course in Grafenberg on June 29.
Spend a day outdoors with a fabulous line up on various stages, stalls with wares from the local creative folk, yummy food and then finish up at by taking the shuttle bus to Stahlwerk for an all night party!

Why wouldn't you want to go?!!

Modeselektor

Discounted tickets available until June 28. Purchase your tickets here

Meet Thomas Herbrich - 'Master of Manipulation', Digital Photo Pro

Hovering Island
©Thomas Herbrich

A very special event especially for RhineBuzz!

Meet Thomas Herbrich - Düsseldorf photographer whose projects have included work on Roland Emmerich's blockbuster "Independent Day".

Thomas Herbrich will not only treat the RhineBuzz community to a fascinating talk and presentation on his extensive work, but he will also give us an insight into Thomas the entertainer, the artist, the people's person. He loves to share his work, his 'trade secrets', his experiences. He is a regular speaker at the world's greatest photography festivals and exhibitions, at a recent date the authorities were obliged to actually close down his space as the queue for visitors wishing to reach his stand exceeded safety limits!!

I've had the great pleasure of meeting Thomas several times now - he is funny, charming and extremely giving.

Thomas loves the idea of RhineBuzz and has agreed to give a talk at a very special rate.

He often gives talks to an audience of up to 1000, but we have chosen Bar Zogel as a location in order to make this event very personal, so do make sure you book your place soon. Seating is very limited.

I feel there will be no 'last minute spaces' as are often requested at our events!

The presentation will begin at 5pm and last one hour and then Thomas would love to have a drink and chat with us :)

Cost €18.00

This event is generously sponsored by the International School on the Rhine in Neuss - ISR

Please email events@rhinebuzz.com for reservations

Thomas Herbrich at Bar Zogel at 5pm

12 May 2013

Schirmerstr 1

40211 Düsseldorf

Unique Records 25 Years

Henry Storch's Unique Records turns 25 years old this year!
Celebrations kick off on May 8 at the KuFa in Krefeld at 8pm, expect groovin' jewels from Unique, the last independent record label in Europe with worldwide distribution.

What's up:

@ Mainfloor
AL SUPERSONIC & THE TEENAGERS (Spain | Unique Records)
THE PRIME MOVERS (PRISONERS/UK) original line up feat.: Graham Day, Allan Crockford, Simon Howard

--> afterwards: Monsters of Funk & Soul Allnighter

KuFa Krefeld

Dießemer Str. 13

47799 Krefeld

Tickets €16:00 can be purchased in advance here
Evening box office €20:00

expats welcome day 2013

The Düsseldorf Office of Economic Development is staging an Expats Welcome Day at the Malkasten on April 17 2013 from 11am to 8pm.

Some 40 services will be presenting what they have to offer from health insurance and taxes to what to do in your free time. I will be giving a short talk on RhineBuzz at 6.30pm when we will showing some of our past events and inviting you to upcoming dates. We will also be announcing a new networking service in partnership with Dissetare. This will include small, exclusive events.

The full programme is here.

If you are a service relevant to the expat community and would like a stand for the day, please contact: expats@zack-brumm.net or call Conny Hildmann on 0221 30 23 98 60 who speaks English.

expats welcome day 2013

Malkasten

Jacobistraße 6a

40211 Düsseldorf

Ballet on the Rhine b.15

@ Gert Weigert

The Ballet am Rhein presents five pieces under the direction of award-winning Martin Schläpfer with b.15

The programme includes four world premieres, with work from the young choreographer Antoine Jully who charmed us with his piece Inside in the 2011/12 season. This time he will be presenting Rebound-Topple-Splash with music from Stravinsky describing these three physical states in a form of young, dynamic dance.

Personally, I am greatly looking forward to the piece Inclination by Regina van Berkel, whose work Frozen Echo from b.07 has to be one of my all time favourite pieces.

For more details on the programme, please see here.

Join us for an afternoon of spectacular dance at the Opera House Düsseldorf

RhineBuzz is offering discounted tickets in the stalls and upper tiers for the Sunday matinée on April 21 at 3pm.

Please email opera@rhinebuzz.com for price details.

The International Online Music Academy (iolma) Concert and Opening Party

Join RhineBuzz for a celebration of world class music -

beginning with a

mix of baroque, Latin American and classical guitar and

culminating with a

vibrant fiesta of jazz and rock classics

April 13 at 7.30pm

and all for free!

I receive all sorts of emails asking for support within the international community, but just recently one project has truly captured my imagination - IOLMA, international online music academy.

Students of the Robert Schumann School of Music, award winning guitarists Mircea Gogoncea, Martin Zimny and Aleksandar Vidojevic presented their project to me one Sunday afternoon and as I left their tiny studio, not only inspired by the idea to share their privileged musical education to students who simply do not have the possibility to experience some of the best teachers in the world, I was also stunned at their dedication and business savvy as they presented the 'how does it work' to me in the studio and their vision for the future and how they would like to see their idea of bespoke online music tuition go global.

Martin Zimny, Mircea Gogoncea and Aleksandar Vidojevic of iolma
http://www.facebook.com/iolma

Partner in the project is Joachín Clerch, winner of the Echo Prize for Classical Music 2009 - the prestigious German music prize, and professor at the Robert Schumann School of Music. His students constantly rave that he is simply one of the most respected teachers of the classical guitar in the world today and when you consider that his students win the greatest competitions for classical guitar on a regular basis, you know that they are not exaggerating!

“Joaquín Clerch is undoubtedly …

… one of the world’s leading figures, perhaps even the leading figure, among the guitarists of his generation.” (Eliot Fisk)

The International Online Music Academy (IOLMA) Concert and Opening Party

with performances by professor Joaquín Clerch, award winning guitarists Mircea Gogoncea, Martin Zimny, Aleksandar Vidojevic.

Entertaining us for the party will be jazz singer and renowned classical performer Luis Regidor, winner of the second place at the Montreaux Jazz Festival 2010, a real showman who also loves to rock!! He will be joined by friends and special guests of the Düsseldorf live music scene.

Can you really miss out on this uniquely diverse evening?

The event will also feature the opening of their crowdfunding campaign designed to raise funds for the development of a realistic system for a better, more extensive music education system for talented students worldwide.

April 13 at 7.30pm

Kammermusiksaal

Robert Schumann Hochschule

Fischerstr. 110

40476 Düsseldorf

Four Farces - English Theatre presented by the English Speakers Circle

We are most fortunate to have the ESC here in the city. Susan Jones and her team at the English Speakers Circle are one of the most well established groups in the city for English speakers. They hold regular events, including presenting first class English theatre from national and international companies touring Europe.

On March 22 at 7pm they bring you the European Arts Company who will be performing Four Farces: 'an evening of pure pleasure. Four English one act farces from the 19th Century including two by John Maddison Morton who Kenneth Tynan described as 'better than Feydeau'. You'll see duelling pistols, mistaken identity, double-crossing, intoxication, cross dressing, romance and a shot in the dark. Played in our usual breathlessly imaginative, inventive style, this promises to be a night of raucous laughter and great fun.'

'European Arts Company really takes the audience by storm. A surreal performance, witty and hilarious, full of energy, talent and creativity.' - Culture Guide

Tickets, €9.00, available from Susan Jones 0211 31 79 322

Saal 1

Weiterbildungszentrum,

(behind the main station)

Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz,

Düsseldorf

Die Grosse Kunstausstellung NRW Düsseldorf 2013

Peter Royen, Kunstpreis der Künstler 2013
©Peter Hense

Last year this show at the Museum Kunstpalast was one of my favourites of the entire year. Jam packed with all genres of visual arts this show is a broad mix of painting, sculpture, collage, photography, new media and graphics by 170 artists from the state of Northrhine Westfalia, especially the area around Düsseldorf.
Here is an overview of what you could see last year.

Grosse Kunst is a show rich in tradition, founded in 1900. Since 1906 it has been shown in one form or another at the Museum Kunstpalast.

Peter Royen meets RhineBuzzer Patrícia from Portugal

This exhibition offers a very special peek at the regional arts' world. It is organised in its 111 year now and has become the largest show of its kind, that is a show organised for artists by artists where all the work is for sale. In the past it has been possible to pick up work from emerging artists who went on to become big names in the art world.

RhineBuzz is pleased to be offering the first tours in English of this multi-faceted show with Michael Kortländer, chairman of the non-profit organisation Verein zur Veranstaltung von Kunstausstellungen and myself, Caroline West.

Johannes Lenhart
Im Zusammenhang

For everyone who asks me where is the arts scene in Düsseldorf? Or tell me about the history or the arts in the city, this is the show for you!

Su jeong Shin-Goldbach
Good Night

RhineBuzz tours with Michael Kortländer

Sunday February 24 at 3pm

Friday March 15 at 7pm

The show runs from February 24 to March 17

Museum Kunstpalast

Ehrenhof 4-5

40479 Düsseldorf

Entry €6.00 English Tour €5.00

Special offer: Entry for 2 and 1 colour catalogue of the show €24.00

The RhineBuzz tours are generously sponsored by ISR

International School on the Rhine in Neuss

Xerxes

The Deutsche Oper am Rhein presents Händel's baroque opera Xerxes on February 1 at the Opera House Düsseldorf with the fabulous countertenor Valer Barna-Sabadus.

Set in 480 B.C., this tragic comedy is loosely based on the a story of the Persian Xerxes 1. It is a tale of raging jealousy, trickery and love that is not to be. A rich and production is promised us with the chance to see a workshop on the workings behind the piece on January 21 at 6pm, also at the opera House.

RhineBuzz offer you the best seats in the house at a discounted price as well as special prices on seats in the upper tiers and for students.
Please enquire at opera@rhinebuzz.com for details.

Here a taster of the moving voice of Valer Barna-Sabadus

Do you have something to say to the City of Düsseldorf?

I receive numerous emails, almost daily, from folks who are new in town and would like to know anything from how to meet people, what's on in the city, to where can I can my child go to ballet classes, or, surely the funniest question had to be .... where can I buy a plastic sheep?!!!

The City of Düsseldorf is doing what it can to make you feel at home in your chosen city and so I am invited to take part in regular meetings which address the needs of the expats in the city with the Local Support Group on the OPENCities project: take a look here.

You are asked to take part in this survey to assess the needs of the international community. Please take the time to do this, it is your chance to make a difference.

Thank you and Happy New Year to you all!

Merry Christmas!

RhineBuzz wishes everyone a very

Merry Christmas and a most peaceful New Year!

2012 has been busy, 2013 will be busier!

From January we can found in the heart of the Altstadt at the

The English Language Forum, Neustrasse 39, 40213 Düsseldorf

A Great British Pantomime - Cinderella

Sinclair Arts Theater Company and RhineBuzz present a great british pantomime for Christmas 2012!

The panto Cinderella will bring smiles to all your faces

Audience participation is essential!

Come and join us at the theatre at the International School Düsseldorf on December 15 and 16 at 7.30pm

Tickets can be purchase online here and from
The English Language Forum, Neustrasse 39 in the Altstadt.

Sponsored by

http://mein-berufsziel.de/

Trailing Spouses Workshop 2013

Postponed until March 2013

Following the excellent feedback from the first event, (this is the most comfortable I have felt since being here ...") The International School on the Rhine in Neuss (ISR) and RhineBuzz will be presenting the second Trailing Spouses Workshop on January 8 2013 from 9.30am to 3pm at E.ON

Whether you have been here for a while, or have just arrived, you will leave the day with us, not only having met folks in a similar position to yourself, but you will take with you much information about essentials here in Germany such as how the health insurance system works to filling your free time in this culturally-rich city to tips on boutique shopping off the Königsallee and what to order at the butchers and much, much more ....

Speakers include Heide Koch, from the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Peter Inhoven, master butcher extraordinaire, Mike Woodiwiss, Spectrum International, advisor to the politicians on the complex German health insurance system, John Vilardo, yoga instructor and Christina Dehn of Loretto 360˚

We will have all kinds of goodies to give away including tickets for the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, entry tickets for Museum Kunstpalast and places on city tours in English.

Lunch will be provided as will childcare!

Please register here.

This event is kindly sponsored by E.ON