Renowned Pianists to "Battle" on Grunin Center's Main Stage

Educated in Hanover, Berlin and London, Paul Cibis has performed on five continents and established an international presence. He has been invited to international festivals in the UK, Germany, USA, South Africa, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to his many concert appearances, he has been featured in radio and television programs around the world, including the BBC, WDR, 3Sat, ORB, HR, RTHK, and CCTV. Paul has released several albums, including a collection of French mélodies and piano works by Berlioz, Fauré and Debussy, in collaboration with German mezzo-soprano Barbara Senator. His latest album features a collection of solo pieces by Taiwanese composer Kai-nan Huang. A committed pedagogue, Paul has taught at Trinity College of Music in London and frequently gives master classes in Germany, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.

Born in South Africa, Andreas Kern studied piano in Cologne and Berlin with Günter Ludwig and Pascal Devoyon. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has extensive experience in Europe, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India and South Africa. Keen to present classical music in unconventional ways, Andreas has developed concert projects and formats that often feature unorthodox venues, or whereby musicians collaborate with artists in other fields, such as theatre and dance. Such performances have successfully drawn a much wider and younger audience than traditional classical concerts. Andreas Kern has also created the critically acclaimed “arte lounge” for the French-German TV channel Arte.