Christmas Show in Cleveland was a hit

On Friday we traveled for 7 hours to see this fabulous German Christmas show. Gisela Lewis of New Jersey organizes a German Christmas tour every year. The closest it came to Milwaukee was Cleveland. So I made my reservations months ago and finally the day came to travel to Cleveland. It was held at the Donauschwaben house in Cleveland and it was nice to see some old friends again. There were about 350 people in attendance. If you look at my other post on this website you can see a complete list of where they will and have appeared. I am so happy we were able to attend this show. It was one of the best I have every seen.

The headliner was Axel Becker, who is a big star in Germany. It is amazing that Gisela was able to land a big name like Axel, but even more amazing was his voice. Axel Becker has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard and is also quite the showman. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand and at the end of each set, he received a standing Ovation. Although, Axel was clearly the star, he was gracious to his fellow performers and brought them up on stage to share the thunderous applause.

The beautiful Styrina was also on the bill. Many people in Milwaukee remember this charming young girl from Austria with her long flowing blonde hair. This little "firecracker" really brought energy and excitement to the floor. She had traditional songs in her first set and changed into a glittery red dress for the 2nd half that made her shine like a red diamond. Styrina told me later she really enjoyed her time in Milwaukee and would love to return again.

Filling out the program was a band from Austria, Kristall. They had only 3 members of their band with them. We saw them in May in Austria when we were on the bus tour with Gisela Lewis. They were a lot of fun and some very talented musicians. The trumpeter, Werner George, was very talented and even sang a few songs.

This was clearly a top notch Christmas Show. Now I really feel in the festive mood. If you still have an opportunity to see this show while they are still in the states, please do not miss it. I have a slideshow below with pictures I took that evening. If you would like one of the pictures, just click on view all images and it will take you to the slide website. Click gallery view, then find the photo you want and right click to download. It's free.

Claudia & Alexx are headliners at 2009 Christmas Show in Milwaukee

On December 4th, Robert Deglau, host of the Continental Showcase German radio show, sponsored the 2009 German Christmas Show coordinated by Chicago radio host, Armin Homann. This year the headliners were Claudia & Alexx. They are 2 young and energetic entertainers that are often compared to Marianne & Michael. Perhaps because Claudia is from Niederbeyern & Alexx is from the Steiermark in Austria. Claudia has the more dominant voice and what a voice it is. She is a very talented singer and always has a quick smile for the camera. Alexx's voice blends beautifully with Claudia and was more the moderator of the two.

This was their first visit to the US and they were busy with performances as soon as they landed. Armin Homann had them lined up at many locations to sold out crowds. Although Claudia & Alexx are young and relative newcomers to the

Volksmusik scene, they have had several successful attempts at the Grand Prix der Volksmusik. In 2006 they placed 3rd at the finale with their song, Siebsehn Sommer and last year they were again in the finale with Mama Danke. I found them both very charming and really enjoyed the evening.

Also performing that night was Chris Holzer. I was not familiar with this singer, however, was pleasantly surprised at the quality of his voice. He has a strong voice

and it was very evident when he sang Ava Maria. He chose a nice group of familiar songs and encouraged people to sing along. As usual the first half of the show featured the songs that the performers are best known for and the second half was strickly Christmas music. Often people joined right in and got us all ready for the holidays ahead. As is tradition the last song was everyone's favorite, Silent Night.

After the show, the duo, M & M, played some great dance music for the people who had enough of sitting in one spot so long and welcomed the chance to dance the rest of the evening. The Bavarian Inn was a great place to hold this event and hope Robert will be able to host other German artists there in the future. If we want to continue to bring talent from Germany to Milwaukee to entertain us, we need to attend these events when they are available. It is really nice to see these entertainers up close and live. I encourage you to attend the next time there is a show in town and show support to Robert who works hard to get these artists to Milwaukee.

Fabulous Christmas Show coming to Milwaukee

Robert Deglau of the Continental Showcase radio show has put together a fabulous Christmas Show. Robert enjoys bringing German entertainers here to Milwaukee and hopes all the listeners of his radio show will be there.


It will feature the well-known duo, Claudia & Alexx. These rising young stars have already had several accomplishments in their short carreer. In 2006, they competed (representing Germany) in the Grand Prix der Volksmusik, singing Siebzehn Sommer.

If you click on the link below, you can see/hear it for yourself on YouTube.


In 2008 they won the prestigious Herbert Roth Preis and went on to make numerous appearances on television & various tours. This year, they again competed in the Grand Prix der Volksmusik with the song, Mama danke. If you would like to see/hear their performance, go to the Continental Showcase webpage; Robert has a YouTube link at his website.

Claudia & Alexx are very popular in Germany and it is really great that we will be able to see them LIVE here in Milwaukee. Please remember that if you want to continue to get German entertainment to Milwaukee, you can show your support by comming to this event. Click on the link to Claudia & Alexx's homepage and sign their Guestbook. Let them know you are looking forward to seeing them here in Milwaukee.

Also, Chris Holzer, will be enteretaining you that night. Singing old favorite German Christmas songs and some of his popular recordings like, Wenn du ein Engel bist. The M & M Musikanten will again be playing for your dancing pleasure after the show (just like they did last year).

This is a great opportunity to talk to some German singing stars right here in our city. You do not have to travel to Germany to see some fabulous entertainers. I hope to see you all there.

Date: December 4, 2009 (Friday)

Time: 6:30 pm

Tickets: $18.00 - call Peter Saemann,
.262-252-3431

Bavarian Inn & Heidelberg Park (Map)
700 W. Lexington Blvd, Glendale, WI 53127

If you want to continue to have German entertainment here in Milwaukee, be sure to come and support this evening.

Weihnachts Show tour presented by Gisela Lewis

Gisela Lewis is again presenting a fabulous Weihnachts Show tour in the USA and Canada. It starts on November 27 and continues through December 19. Gisela has brought entertainers from Germany for many years and this year's show looks like it will again be a stand out. Check out the list below to see if there is a show near you. It is bound to be an evening to remember.

The stars for this year's tour are: Axel Becker, Styrina, and the Kristall band.

We saw Axel Becker perform live in Germany back in 2006. He puts on a great show and is often on Volksmusik TV shows in Germany. He has many hits through the years and he is looking forward to his first trip to the US. When I listen to his voice the word "velvet" pops up in my head. Take a look/listen yourself and click on this link to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBCK5qMzXa4

Styrina was at this year's German Fest in Milwaukee and this beautiful girl with her long flowing blond hair aquired many new fans here in Milwaukee. I ofen hear people describe her performance as a little firecracker. Take a look at this YouTube link to see Styrina in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qAHHuNmDTY. We also saw Styrina in Austria when we went with Gisela Lewis and Peter Matthai (leader of the Sandler band) on the Bus Tour they organized in May this year. By the way, they have another tour planned for May 2010 and I will be bringing details of that trip soon. On that same Bus Tour, we saw the band Kristall perform and you will not be disappointed with this talented band. Here is a link to YouTube to see Kristall perform: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCjzT3_CzlI. They made great music and their humorous antics will have you laughing out loud.

Click on the poster to the right to enlarge the image. It gives details of this fabulous tour coming to the US.

Nov 27 - Deutscher Club of Clark, call 908-756-1783

Nov 28 - Delaware Saengerbund, Newark, DE, call 302-366-4710

Nov 29 - Franklin Square, NY, call 516-333-4710

Dec 1 - German-American Soc of Trenton, Yardville, NJ, call 609-585-5593

Dec 2 - Evergreen Country Club, Reading, call 610-944-7501 & 484-797-3528

Dec 3 - Germania Park, Dover NJ, call 732-557-0670

Dec 4 - Cannstatter Volksfest Verein, Philadelphia, PA, call 215-332-0121

Dec 5 - Schulverein Walpole, Boston, MA, call 508-586-0982 & 781-320-9940

Dec 6 - Schutzenpark, North Bergen, NJ, call 917-680-3942 & 718-821-7337

Dec 8 - Carpathia Club, Sterling Heights, Michigan, call 586-781-6734 or 586-822-2366

Dec 9 - Deutscher Sportverein, Ft. Wayne, IN, call 660-338-1234 & 260-248-2282

Dec 10 - Donauschwaben Society of Cincinnati, OH, call 513-451-6452

Dec 11 - German-American Culture Center Olmsted Falls, Cleveland, OH, call 440-235-2647

Dec 12 - German Family Society of Akron, Ohio, call 330-923-7947 or 330-336-7127

Dec 13 - Schwabenverein, Toledo/Oregon, OH, call 419-536-9942 or 419-691-4116

Dec 14 - Club Lorelei, Hamburg, NY, call 716-875-1064 or 716-633-1044

Dec 15 - Club Rhein-Danube, Leamington, ON, Canada, call 519-326-3740 & 519-326-1779

Dec 16 - Concordia Club Kitchener, ON, Canada, call 519-745-5617

Dec 17 - Association of Danube Swabians, Scarborough Toronto, ON Canada, call 416-290-6186 or 416-282-4021

Dec 19 - Blobs Park, Baltimore, MD, call 410-799-7130

Bartholomew is BACK

Those of you who were regular listeners to the Stimmung Stunde while it was on the air in Milwaukee remeber the delightful antics of Bartholomew, Santa's 2nd favorite elf. He had many adventures and seemed to be giving poor Tim a headache every week.

Well, Bartholomew has reappeared for the Christmas season on the TKPN podcast network. Here is a link to his adventures this year. For audio click here; TKPN Podcast #16.

Also, below is a little video brought to you from the past.

Osthoff Resort Old World Christmas Market

The Osthoff Resort will be holding an Old World Christmas Market starting December 5 - 14. Get in the Holiday mood by taking a ride out to Elkhart Lake to this fabulous event. It is held outdoors in a huge heated tent with lots of vendors and unique gifts available.

The Osthoff Resort's 11th annual traditional European Christmas Market, reminiscent of the centuries-old German Christkindlesmarkt, features authentic gifts, toys, ornaments and food specialties from international and regional artisans in timber booths adorned in fresh greens and thousands of twinkling white lights.

DirectionsMapquest Link

Driving Directions to The Osthoff from:Milwaukee

Take I-43 North out of Milwaukee
Veer left to Exit #97, which turns into Hwy 57 North to Plymouth
Turn Left onto Hwy 23 West
Exit onto Hwy 67 North
Turn left onto Hwy 67 North
Follow Hwy 67 North into Elkhart Lake
Turn left at the four-way stop onto Rhine Street
Turn left onto Osthoff Avenue

Phone: 1-800-876-3399 or 920-876-3366

mailto:osthoff@osthoff.com

Weihnachts Show presented by Robert Deglau

Saturday night was the Weihnachts Show presented by Robert Deglau of Continental Showcase. A big thank you to Robert for inviting Elmar & I backstage before the show so we could meet the performers personnally. We already knew Armin Stoeckl from 1-1/2 years ago in Lake Villa German Music Festival held the last weekend of June each year that is hosted by Armin Homann, but it was nice to talk to Max Lechner and Birgit Pless. Max told us about the last time he was in Chicago and had a serious heart attack that hospitalized him. Therefore this will be his farwell performance on this tour and then go into retirement, concentrating on managing Armin Stoeckl's career.

The show was a 2 part program. The first part featured popular schlager and heimat lieder performed by all three entertainers. First was Max Lechner and he sang several songs composed by Robert Jung. Max charmed the audience with many old favorites and many were singing along with him. Next, Birgit Pless sang both new and old favorites, more the schlager type of song. Then Armin Stoeckl came on stage and surprised everyone with his beautiful deep tones. Recently, Armin won the Deutsche Rock & Pop award and performed his popular Lady Manana along with popular songs. Then the very talented band played some music while the performance made a costume change.

The second half of the show was the Christmas program. Again, Max Lechner started off the show and soon had the whole audience singing along with him. When Birgit Pless appeared in her cute little Santa outfit you saw all the men stretch their necks to get a better view. She sang her popular Christmas song entitled Weihnachtsrose. When Armin Stoeckl came on stage she made sure that he looked a little more festive. She had a pair of Santa boxer shorts for him that actually matched her outfit very well and topped him off with a Santa hat.

At the end of the show the 3 performers lead the audience in a medley of favorite old Christmas songs and even got Armin Homan and Robert Deglau to join them on stage. And of course, the last song was Silent Night (Stille Nacht).

After the show the 2 man band played music for the dancing pleasure of the audience. As always the German performers made themselves very available for pictures, audigraphs, and just chating with the fans. It was a very nice evening and a nice way to start off the Christmas season. We hope that Robert Deglau will be able to continue to bring German entertainers to Milwaukee.

Below you will find a slide show of pictures taken both during the show and afterwards. If you want to download any of these pictures, just go to the Slideshow website and download them for free.

Christmas Show presented by Robert Deglau of Continental Showcase

Date & Time
November 29, 2008 - Time: Doors open at: 6 pm -
Show starts: 7:00 pm

Ticket Info

Ticket Cost: $18.oo
Call: Peter Saeman 262-252-3431



Description
Get in the mood for the holidays by attending this Christmas Show featuring artists from Germany and Austria. They will perform many of your favorite old German Christmas songs and bring some great new songs from the Heimat as well. Hey Milwaukee let's come out and support this event. If we want to continue to get German artists to bring their beautiful music to our city we need to show support of these shows and our German language Radio shows. It promises to be a great evening and we will get ready for the holidays ahead.

Armin Stockl has been featured at the Lake Villa German Music Festival many times. This year he was the surprise guest at the Schlagertreff that took place at the Hotel Hagen in Haren Germany. My friend, Maria Olligies, organized this event in Germany which also featured Vincent & Fernando, who will be appearing on the Herbert Roth prize results show on December 21 on MDR 20:15 for all you Shift TV watchers. Armin Stoeckl recently received the 2008 Deutscher Rock & Pop Preis and his popularity in Germany continues to grow. You are truly in for a treat.

Max Lechner is known for his beautiful music and interpretation of old favorites written by Robert Jung, such as, La Pastarella, Rot sind die Rosen, Wir sind alle Kinder Gottes and many more. You will be sure to enjoy these great old Heimat Lieder.

Birgit Pless is from Austria and started her career at a very young age. She is well known as a schlager singer, but has recorded a Christmas CD entitled Weihnachtsrose. Perhaps she will perform her new hit Spiegelbilder.

For more info, go to the Continental Showcase's website.

Location

Elk's Lodge #46

5555 W. Good Hope Rd., Milwaukee, WI 54223-4705