National Youth Orchestra of Germany

Ramona Pop, Mayor and Senator for Economy, Energy and Enterprises in Berlin’s Senate

Born in Timișoara in Romania, Ramona Pop has lived in Germany since the age of ten. After graduating from high school in Münster, she studied political sciences at the University of Münster and the Free University Berlin. In 1997 Ramona Pop joined the party Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen. In 2001 she was elected to Berlin’s Abgeordnetenhaus (parliament) on the Green Party’s ticket. Here, she began her career as the spokesperson for youth and labour policy before being elected chairperson of the Green Party group in 2009. Since 2016 Ramona Pop has been Mayor and Senator for Economy, Energy and Enterprises and was elected to the Abgeordnetenhaus on a direct mandate for the district Mitte-1. She is ex-officio chairwoman of the Berliner Stadtreinigung, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe and Berliner Wasserbetriebe (Berlin’s agencies for city cleaning, public transport and water). She is Chairwoman of the Board of the Investitionsbank Berlin, member of the supervisory board of Messe Berlin (Berlin’s trade fair) and a Berlin Partner for Economy and Technology. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the Lette-Verein in Berlin.

© Thomas Dagg

Shelley, now 39 years of age, returns for a fourth tour with the National Youth Orchestra of Germany. The British conductor who originally trained as a cellist began his conducting career in 2005 by winning the renowned Leeds Conducting Competition. Ever since, he has led many orchestras in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia; since 2015 he has been the chief conductor of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in the Canadian capital of Ottawa. He made a name for himself in Germany as the chief conductor of the Nürnberg Symphoniker (2009-2017), where his classical open-air concerts reached more than half a million enthusiastic listeners. One of Shelley’s special concerns is classical music education via interviews and podcasts; at the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, he is also in charge of the project “Zukunftslabor” (Future Lab). Among his collaborations with the BJO, the joint tour with Campino of the band “Die Toten Hosen” in 2016 stands out. Last year, Shelley invited 46 BJO musicians to join a performance of Britten’s War Requiem in Ottawa.

alexandershelley.com 

©Masimba Sasa

The South African composer and singer Msaki (Asanda Lusaseni-Mvanage) grew up in a musical family: her father worked as a DJ and choir conductor, her grandfather was a well-known composer. Msaki initially studied graphic design, founding the first band of her own in 2009. One decisive step was moving to North Carolina, USA, in 2012, where she continued her studies together with 30 other South African artists. After returning to South Africa, she focused on her musical career, founding her own independent label, One Shushu Day Artistry. In 2013 Msaki recorded her CD Nal’ithemb. In 2016 his was followed by her debut album on her own label, Zeneliza: How the Water Moves, for which she collaborated with the award-winning jazz pianist Nduduzo Makhatini. Msaki’s sound combines soulful folk with symphonic movements, Xhosa poetry and African polyrhythms as well as passages of profound improvisation.