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.