CAFÉ del MUNDO - SYMPHONIC 2025 - feat. Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt
Ten thousand concert visitors annually, standing ovations wherever they perform, millions of views on Instagram & YouTube, a fan cult like that of rock stars - welcome to Café del Mundo, the currently hottest guitar crossover act.
It is their unmistakable tone, their love for the authenticity of a Paco de Lucía, combined with the joy of modern pop music like Coldplay or U2, that makes these two concert artists unique. In dealing with the great musical tradition from Bach to DeFalla, Café del Mundo demonstrates the highest sensitivity and powerful sovereignty at the same time. Consequently, the two guitarists collaborate with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, produce in Abbey Road Studios, London, and are steadily building a worldwide growing fanbase. Café del Mundo brings the primal essence of the guitar back into our times, making it newly accessible to a large audience, far removed from all genre boundaries.
“BIG CINEMA”
(Oliver Hochkeppel, Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Jan Pascal and Alexander Kilian hail from the Franconian-Baden-Hessian tri-border region, which they affectionately call "Alemándalucía". They are fundamentally opposite like fire and water - and it is precisely this that complements them into a music act of world-class level. Their joint live performance is the captivating dialogue of two gifted virtuosos, who soon flatter each other, challenge each other, and draw out the best in one another - intensely and explosively, a magical aura emerges that no one can escape. However, the two instrumental artists are much more than mere entertainers: in their art, they take a stand, confess to pure, original music, and make a statement in a fluidly fluctuating world. Let yourself be surprised by the incredible musical diversity of two flamenco guitars with a repertoire that binds a fine thread between classical music and jazz, techno and world music.
Jan and Alex meet in 2007 at a flamenco guitar workshop. The spark immediately ignites. Since then, they have composed ten joint albums and a live recording "In Passion" (2015). At the start, they performed 40 concerts, and now it is around 120 concerts per year in countries including England, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, and Poland. Invitations to renowned music festivals such as the Rheingau Music Festival, the Slask days (Poland), or the JazzOpen Stuttgart shape their concert career. Milestones include a concert at the legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club London, invitations to Paris, and recordings at Abbey Road Studios London. The album "Famous Tracks" (2019) is nominated for the Opus Klassik in the category Classical without Borders. The duo creatively meets the challenges of the global pandemic. Café del Mundo produces twelve podcast episodes "Talking Guitars," with detailed information about the guitar, as well as the album "Winterhauch" (Nov. 2020), dedicated to their namesake homeland in the Odenwald. Alex and Jan enjoy creating. They bring their homeland to life at the "Heimatsound" festival in 2020 and 2021. The current tenth album "Symphonic" is recorded together with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Abbey Road Studios in London and is released in May 2023 and as vinyl on 15 October 2023 exclusively on the band's own label "vision-in-music". Café del Mundo takes a stand. The band parts ways with Spotify and programs its own streaming app, the "mundo-App," thus innovatively venturing into new territory. Meanwhile, a second version of the app has been released. The "mundo-App Vol.2," which can also be integrated into live concerts. Another statement. "Another world is possible. We just have to want to make it."
The band name derives from a concert review in which a critic writes that he feels transported to the legendary "Café Cantante," from which the band name "Café del Mundo" is born.
Jan Pascal, born in 1975, comes from a musical family. He receives his first guitar from his grandfather in Spain and his first lessons from an uncle. He grows up with his Silesian grandmother Edeltraud Bonk (soprano and church musician). Later, he attends the music boarding school Münsterschwarzach, where he takes piano lessons with Father Domenikus Trautner. After singing lessons with John Porter and classical guitar lessons with Bernhard Weber in Heidelberg, he founded his own recording studio in 1996. He acquires his flamenco guitar knowledge from Rafael Cortes and Mariano Martín.
Alexander Kilian, born in 1987, is regarded as a guitar prodigy. He receives his multicultural musical education from Zaza Miminoshvili. At the age of 15, he wins his first international competition with the piece "Guajiras de Lucia" by Paco de Lucia. Numerous masterclasses and concert invitations follow to Israel, Russia, Georgia, Spain, and Italy. In 2011, he obtains a diploma in jazz guitar.
Doors open: 6:00 PM