Bruce Guthro
The Canadian folk rock singer Bruce Guthro was born on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. He had to stand on his own feet very early and with only 17 years he worked in the Saskatchewan uranium mines und later on in a coal mine. His steep career started in 1993, when he won a singer and composer competition. Shortly afterwards his first single “Livin´ in the 90s” was released, which took the Canadian charts by storm.
He published in the following years two solo albums, for which he gained numerous awards like 9 East Coast Music Awards and 3 Canadian Radio Music Awards. His second album “Of Your Son” with the hit “Fallin” reached gold status. 1998 was an essential year for Bruce: Besides his successful solo career, he was chosen – among 400 singers – to be the new lead voice of the famous Scottish folk rock band “Runrig”.
Since then he is not only successful on his solo paths but also celebrates triumphant concerts with the band Runrig, which is on tour through Europe until end of 2010. Furthermore he is host of the popular Canadian TV-show “Songwriter´s Circle”, which is broadcasted nationwide on CBC Television.
Moya Brennan
The Irish singer Moya Brennan (‘Máire’ in her native language) is the eldest of nine brothers and sisters - which include Eithne who achieved international fame as ‘Enya’. Moya grew up in County Donegal in very gifted musical family – her mother was a music teacher while her father played in a show band and, as a child, Moya joined the band on some of their tours.
In the 70’s she formed the band ‘Clannad’ with two brothers and two uncles. They pioneered and mastered the Celtic sound, achieving chart success, awards (including a Grammy) and playing on many of the world’s great stages. Moya is often regarded as the ‘First Lady of Celtic music’ and has been an iconic champion of Irish music, culture, spirit and language. Clannad’s 17 albums and numerous film scores have included songs like the duet with Bono, “In A Lifetime”, “Harry´s Game” in “Patriot Games” with Harrison Ford or the song “I Will Find You”, the love theme from the film “The Last of the Mohicans” with Daniel Day-Lewis.
Moya´s first solo album “Máire” was released in 1992. Her album “Whisper to the Wild Water” received a Grammy nomination then, together with the multiple Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, she created the soundtrack of the successful Hollywood production “King Arthur” with Clive Owen and Keira Knightley.
In the course of her career Moya Brennan has worked with many well-known musicians like Bono, Alan Parsons, Van Morrison, Paul Young and Ronan Keating. Altogether she has recorded 25 albums and sold over 20 million records.
Johnny Logan
Born in Melbourne / Australia, the Irish singer and composer Sean Patrick Michael Sherrard is better known under the name Johnny Logan.
When he was three years old, the family moved to Ireland and henceforth the little Sean accompanied his father – the famous Irish tenor Patrick O. Hagan – on his tours. He learned to play the guitar and with 13 years he wrote his first songs. Johnny Logan made his musical breakthrough in 1980, when he won the Eurovision Songcontest with the song “What´s Another Year”. He is the only artist, who has won the Grandprix three times: 1987 he won again with his own song “Hold Me Now” and in 1992, he composed the winning title “Why Me” for the Irish singer Linda Martin.
Many celebrities of the international music business worked with Johnny Logan: e.g. Montserrat Caballé, Helen Shapiro, Ute Lemper, Helmut Lotti or the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Until today Johnny Logan has been very successful in the music business: With his last album „Irish Connection“ he was No 1 of the album charts in Sweden, Norway and Denmark und was awarded with platinum, several times. His current album “Irishman in America” was released on the 30th January 2009.
With the new album "Irishman in America" - in Denmark, Sweden and Norway already a bestseller - Johnny Logan returns to his musical roots. Irish folk songs melt into American evergreens - in totally untraditional arrangements.
Les Holroyd
Les Holroyd is singer, bassist with and founder of the band „Barclay James Harvest”. The band belongs to the legends of the Progressive Rock and had great success in England, in the 1970ies. Albums like “Octoberon” and “Gone to Earth” made the band famous in whole Europe – especially in Germany, where millions of albums were sold.
In the 80ies “Barclay James Harvest” became a superstar in Germany, France and in Switzerland with a series of Gold- and Platinum records.
Les Holroyd formed the successes of “Life is for Living”, "Child of the Universe” and “Victims of the Circumstance”, that became No1-Hits in Europe.
But the differences between singer and guitar player John Lees and Les Holroyd led to the breakup. Under the name “Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd”, Les Holroyd continued to perform with the support of guitar player Mike Byron-Hehir.
Several albums were produced and the new formation just ended a successful tour.
John Helliwell
The British saxophonist and (occasional) keyboarder John Helliwell played six years with „The Alan Brown“ before he joined the band „Supertramp“ at their foundation, in 1973.
In 1979, the song "Breakfast in America" provided the breakthrough of the band. Helliwell shaped the group with his saxophone style which can be recognized in nearly every hit of “Supertramp”.
When he is not performing with “Supertramp” he is engaged by great musicians like Pink Floyd, Diana Ross and Marc Lavione.
Recently he was decorated with the Order of Knighthood for Art and Litterature in France. At the moment he performs together with his own jazz band „Crème Anglaise“.
Martin Barre
Born in Birmingham, Martin Barre started his musical career with the British band “Moonraker”. After playing with several groups, and after the Jethro Tull-cofounder Mick Abraham quit the band in 1968, Barre could convince the flute-virtuoso and head of Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson, of his skills. Since 1968, he has been the lead guitarist of the British band. He is considered to be one of the best rock guitarists of the world. His special attributes are strong riffs and extensive breaks.
Over the years he became a pillar of Jethro Tull. But he also realized own projects. In the 90ies he gained attention as solo artist and recorded four albums. He also has his own recording studio.
Fairport Convention
Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Chris Leslie and Gerry Conway
Fairport Convention is a British folk rock band that was founded in 1967 und whose current cast for EXCALIBUR are Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Chris Leslie and Gerry Conway.
In 1969 the ensemble recorded their hits “What We Did On Our Holidays” and “Unhalfbricking”. At the 2002 “BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards” the band received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” and the album "Liege and Lief” (1970) was awarded as “most influential folk album of all time”. The album “Babbacombe Lee” (1971) is judged by many critics as one of the best concept albums of the rock history.
Since the beginning of the 80ies the big “Cropredry Festival” takes place every August in Oxfordshire, where Fairport Convention plays for up to 25,000 fans.
Today Fairport Convention is considered to be the most mystical folkrock-band ever.
Jacqui McShee
The British folk singer Jacqui McShee sang in different British Folk Clubs until she began to work with John Renbourn, in 1966.
In the following year she joined the band „Pentangle“ and started her steep career in the English folk rock scene.
After several personal changes within the band, „Pentangle“ became a trio which published the album „About Thyme“, no. 1-opus in the English folk-charts for several weeks, in 1994. The band changed its name into “Jacqui McShee´s Pentangle“ – with approval of the original cast.
In 2007, the five original members of Pentangle were given a “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Producer John Leonard said "Pentangle were one of the most influential groups of the late 20th century and it would be wrong for the awards not to recognize what an impact they had on the music scene." Pentangle played together for the event, the first time in over 20 years.
Konan Mevel
Konan Mevel studied playing the pipes in a Breton Pipe-band before leaving for Scotland, to the Isle of Lewis, where he studied the pipes with the famous Pipe Major Ian Morrisson.
He's now specialized in ethnic instruments, mainly celtic but also in electronic forms of celtic music. He is fascinated by the use of electronic pipes. He tours with the Breton legend "Tri Yann" and his own band "Skilda" which has released three albums in the UK and is quite famous there.
Corvus Corax
Corvus Corax – also known as „Kings of the Jugglers“ – is one of the most famous medieval bands in Germany. The band was founded in 1989, but most of the band members had played together in the formation “Tippelklimper” before.
After many performances at medieval markets and concerts in Europe and Japan, Corvus Corax performed at the “Kaltenberger Ritterturnier” for the first time in 1993 and from then on every year.
Corvus Corax craft their acoustic instruments like bagpipes and shalms mainly themselves.
Every now and then the band meets new artistic challenges and breaks new ground, e.g. with the project “Tanzwut”, where they integrated electronic elements in the medieval sounds, for the first time.
Since 2005 Corvus Corax has been working – together with a choir and a symphonic orchestra – on composing songs of “Carmina Burana” in a completely new way. The remarkable performance appeared with the title “Cantus Buranus”. In 2008/09 the concerts of “Cantus Buranus” were a grandiose success.
James Wood
Born in Sheffield / England, he was in the beginning of the 80ies bassist and singer with „The 45s“. The band was playing in pubs and clubs of London and touring the U.K.. In the mid 80ies he moved to France and joined “Les Pénibles”. He also played with “Les Bouskidou” – a rock group for children. With the two groups he toured France, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany and made several albums.
At the beginning of the 90ies he met Alan Simon with whom he collaborated in numerous productions, e.g. Le petit Arthur, Excalibur – la légend des Celtes, Gaia, Excalibur II and Anne de Bretagne. In this context he took part in several concerts and recorded songs with Fairport Convention, Roger Hodgson, Dan Ar Braz, Tri Yann, Jacqui McShee, Les Holroyd and many more…
In 2006 he started up his own studio “Woodland” and has already recorded a number of albums: Anne de Bretagne (Alan Simon), Bitibak (Simon Nwambeben), Come what may (Leo Seeger), etc.
Judy Weiss
Born in Berlin, Judy Weiss learned to play the piano at the age of five years and started a professional vocal training in early years. At the age of 16 she competed successfully against 300 competitors and began her musical studies at the famous “Hanns Eisler” conservatory in Berlin. After finishing her studies successfully in 1992, she started to create her own career. In 1994, she got her first big role in the musical “West Side Story”. Many big roles on stage followed, e.g. the leading role as Esmeralda in the world premiere of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.
Together with the star tenor Andrea Bocelli she stormed the charts in 1996 with the hit “Vivo per Lei”. Her albums “Something Real” (1999) and “Believe” (2001) were a big success, too. In “EXCALIBUR – The Celtic Rock Opera” she captivates with her brilliant voice in the role of Guinevere, the enchanting wife of King Arthur.
Pat O'May
The trademark of the 1961 in Rouen born guitarist Pat O´May is the synthesis of rock and traditional music. In his work he uses Celtic, Arabian and even traditional Chinese influences and combines them with current texts. Together with his friend Ron Thal from Guns`N Roses, he released his third album "Breizh Amerika" in 1999 in which he brought together rock and Breton music tradition in a unique way.
In 2008, after many other projects and the cooperation with lots of different artists, he met Alan Simon who asked him to join his shows “Anne de Bretagne” and “EXCALIBUR – The Celtic Rock Opera”. In addition to the two shows in Nantes and Kaltenberg, Pat O´May is preparing his new album that will be recorded in 2010.
Luc Bertin
The long lasting musical career of the french keyboard player and singer Luc Bertin is characterized by a special versatility. For many years, he has been working as keyboard player for Billy Paul, Céline Dion, Vince Taylor, etc. Furthermore he was keyboard player and singer for Dick Rivers, William Sheller, JJ Milteau. He was on stage with numerous french singer like Johnny Halliday, Michel Jonasz, Jacques Dutronc or Serge Gainsbourg.
Beyond that he worked as vocal coach for Johnny Halliday on his tour in 2003. He wrote songs for Dick Rivers, Renaud and William Sheller and produced many albums and singles.
Cecile Corbel
The harpist and singer Cécile Corbel was born in the Finistère, at the very west of Brittany. Already in her teens she discovered the Celtic harp as her instrument and learnt it with artistic perfection.
Her Celtic pop-folk now bewitched thousands of people from Germany to the USA and Australia.
In 2008, the young red haired Breton released her third album „SongBook vol 2“. Inspirations for her songs are found in the legends of Brittany, the stories about Irish fairies and the myths of the Scottish highlands. With her music she creates a very personal world of music based on own compositions, old poems, Celtic songs and Mediterranean melodies.
Last spring, Cécile Corbel also appeared as heroine in Alan Simons show entitled “Anne de Bretagne” in Nantes.
2010 – after the shows of Excalibur – the young charismatic musician will start touring through Germany, Japan and the USA with more than one hundred concerts.
New Symphony Orchestra of Sofia (Conductor: Petko Dimitrov)
In 1991, the Bulgarian music critic Julia Hristova founded the “New Symphony Orchestra of Sofia” as alternative to the existing musical institutions which had been financially supported and controlled by the state. In 1990 “Julia Hristova‘s Concert House” opened and serves as a home for the Orchestra – according to the words of its founder: „We worked not to survive but to create.“ From the very beginning, the idea of the “New Symphony Orchestra” was to be an institution taking care of young, talented musicians.
The varied repertoire and the flexible organization – from chamber music ensembles for a complete orchestra – helped the “New Symphony Orchestra” gaining an exceptional position in the cultural life of Bulgaria.