Leonard Cohen’s songs speak of love, loss, longing, darkness, comfort and dignity. They are quiet and precise, tender and unsparing at once – and that is exactly why they still feel so immediate today.

With “Tex sings Leonard Cohen”, Tex brings these songs into an intimate setting: pared back to voice, guitar and the power of the songs themselves. No spectacle, no mere retelling, but a focused encounter with Cohen’s work – close to the audience and entirely devoted to the songs.

TEX is a musician, songwriter and founder of TV Noir. For many years he has performed on stage himself, approaching songs with a distinctive blend of clarity, intimacy and attentiveness. On this evening he opens up Cohen’s songs not as a monument, but as a living present: still, intense, direct.

Joining him is SACHA HEATH, a singer known for her collaborations with musicians from The Police and The Rolling Stones. In her own work she combines voice, mantra and meditative soundscapes into an expressive and deeply resonant musical presence.

On the intimate stage of the Hofkultur at the Tannerhof in Bayrischzell, this becomes a special concert evening amid the mountains – calm, focused and close.

Tex sings Leonard Cohen

Speidel, who has lived in Japan for many years, presents in this exhibition images from his three-month, 2,000 km walk across Japan: with no fixed schedule, step by step. The walk marks the transition between the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of a new one.

The photographer Stefan Speidel, who has lived in Japan for more than 30 years, set out on a long, reflective journey through his adopted homeland. From Tokyo, Speidel walked west as far as Kyoto and Osaka, then left the main island of Honshu and travelled to Kyushu. From Beppu he returned along the San’in coast to Kyoto, before making his way back to Tokyo over the old Nakasendo trail.

Speidel captured his journey in photographs – sometimes lyrical, sometimes symbolic – and in a detailed written account in which he gathered his thoughts and encounters along the way. Rendered in black and white, the images often resemble ink drawings. As the walking continued, his perception changed. Time began to flow differently, and his gaze grew more attentive.

His photographic work revolves around time, perception and the conscious act of being on the move.

“As I continue my walk, I am aware that I move differently than at the start of this journey. I notice the wonderful scent of the forest, the raindrops on my face and my feet meeting the ground with every step. I savour each day, but the days begin to blur, and it is not easy for me to remember exactly whether I was in a particular place two or three days ago.”

The images speak of landscapes, transitions – and of the realisation that even on foot one can still be moving too fast.

stefanspeidel.com · Just Walking (book)

Paul Brändle (Munich) and Andreas Dombert (Regensburg) are two jazz guitarists of international standing whose joint playing was a long time coming. Each first developed his own unmistakable musical language and identity independently of the other. They now bring this individual maturity, with full passion, into their newly formed guitar duo. Their music is a masterful balance between lyrical beauty and a delight in risk, a homage to tradition and at the same time a contemporary look into the modern. Here two musicians have found one another who understand each other blind and whose interplay becomes a fascinating musical symbiosis – a magical “Night of Jazz Guitars”. A real treat – and not only for guitar fans.

PAUL BRÄNDLE (*1992) is one of the most renowned jazz guitarists of the younger generation. In the last two years alone he has performed more than 300 times in over 15 countries worldwide. Among his most significant projects are collaborations with the Mongolian singer ENJI (Erkhem), the band FAZER (Munich) and the American drummer RICK HOLLANDER. More than a dozen recordings document his outstanding abilities as bandleader, composer and sideman. Since 2018 Brändle has also taught popular music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.

ANDREAS DOMBERT (*1979) has for over two decades been one of Germany’s most innovative and exciting guitarists. His musical range extends from minimal music for solo guitar through successful pop projects to experimental music in its most varied forms. Despite this astonishing variety, his roots remain anchored in traditional jazz. With the ensemble he founded, NIGHT OF JAZZ GUITARS, he has appeared at numerous renowned international festivals, often alongside world stars such as LARRY CORYELL (USA), PHILIP CATHERINE (BEL) or AIRTO MOREIRA (BRA). In 2017 Dombert was nominated for the ECHO Jazz in the “Guitar national” category. In 2024 a nomination followed in the “Ensemble of the Year” category (German Jazz Prize).

PRESS

A chapter of its own: Paul Brändle and Andreas Dombert conjure up the legacy of Nieberle and Kagerer
“The jazz guitar at the Birdland. That truly is a chapter of its own. Many greats such as John Scofield, Bireli Lagrene, Larry Coryell, John Abercrombie, Ralph Towner and Jim Hall were guests there, but so too, regularly and always just before Christmas, was the legendary duo Helmut Nieberle and Helmut Kagerer. (…) The Brändle/Dombert duo has not existed all that long, yet already works splendidly. Melody and accompaniment passages shift back and forth constantly, the areas of responsibility move continuously, and each takes the lead or acts as accompanist. This works with such perfection only because both listen and respond to one another, their playing forming one large, internally coherent sound structure, the individually spun melodic and rhythmic threads woven into a filigree total work of art.” Karl Leitner, Donaukurier

The two jazz guitarists Paul Brändle and Andreas Dombert pass the ball to each other beautifully in a packed Kulturwirtschaft Kempten
“The two have been playing as a duo for a year. And how! It is simply fascinating how expressively these duo partners live their guitar music (…). Amid all the visible shades of feeling, however, the matter-of-fact virtuosity of the two’s guitar playing is astonishing. (…) Wonderfully clear, transparent and close, every guitar run, however fast, rings out. And again and again this seamless switch between melodic and chordal improvisation – in Attila Zoller’s ‘Waltz For Joy’, in Benny Golson’s ‘Whisper Not’, in ‘Danny Boy’, an Irish folk song arranged in jazz colours by Brändle.” Rainer Schmid, Allgäuer Zeitung

The duo Paul Brändle and Andreas Dombert give away an enchanting jazz evening at the Birdland
“Minimal music for guitar(s) (...) is a fitting title for this kind of very fine, often very quiet jazz art that is (seemingly) very simple in its musical means. But the way these two highly committed guitarists, focused to the point and improvising very freely with youthful willingness to take risks, present their pieces turns minimal music into maximum pleasure. (…) In truth, Dombert and Brändle have something exciting, indeed sensational, to offer. Take ‘A day in the life of a fool’, better known under the label ‘Black Orpheus’. From the short, song-like theme that everyone knows, the two develop an ever more refined cabinet piece, drifting off into crazy chords and driven forward by spontaneous inspiration.” Peter Abspacher, Augsburger Allgemeine

The Ebersberg Jazz Days – a magnificent togetherness
“(…) the guitar duo DOMBERT & BRÄNDLE presented an immensely exciting programme at the music school, ranging from traditional to modern sounds. (…) Thank you, Ebersberg, for this wonderful festival!” Thomas J. Krebs, Jazzzeitung

Cabaret pop from the deepest provinces

You lose most of your warmth through your head – you could simply put on a hat now, or instead go to a concert by Shakti and Matze.

They are spreaders of good cheer, helpers in escaping the everyday; their songs and stories are real sources of warmth. Over hundreds of concert evenings across Germany they have taken their audiences’ minds off things and won many fans.
Shakti and Matze sing of a golden record, Beatles messages, a magic bus, the Captain Picard frog, their journeys through the night, seven-zone-tonne-pocket-sprung mattresses, and they have a farewell song for people who still say “Tschüssikowski”.

You will surely recognise yourself in their songs and stories.
Alongside guitars and vocals, you can hear an autoharp, a stylophone, wah-wah tubes, jew’s harps, a keyboard glockenspiel, kazoos, percussion and whatever else fits in the travel case.

They spent several months on the Liederbestenliste, won the Belziger Bachstelze cabaret prize, are nominated for the Franconian Cabaret Prize 2026 and the Emmendingen Cabaret Prize, and one of their many albums was just named “Best Chanson Album” at the 43rd Rock & Pop Prize 2025.

Die Rheinpfalz writes: “Between musical cabaret and the singer-songwriter genre, the very finest cabaret pop blossoms in the provinces, and the newest German wave without electronics washes into the ear canals of highly amused concertgoers.”

www.shaktiundmatze.de

With cookies enabled, there’s a YouTube video of the two of them here.

At the centre of the evening is Yuko Kuhn’s reading from her novel Onigiri. In it she tells, with quiet intensity, of Aki, who travels to Japan with her mother Keiko, who has dementia; back to family roots, memories and an almost lost closeness. Between moments of being lost and of surprising clarity, a deeply moving story emerges about identity, origins and the fragile bond between the generations. At the Taishōgoto keyboard instrument, the pianist Masako Ohta creates a special musical dimension with sound-poetic improvisations. Literature and music interlock organically, lending the evening an almost intimate density.

YUKO KUHN
was born in Munich and studied cultural economics in Passau and Aix-en-Provence. In 2019, through her work at the University of Television and Film Munich, she found her way to writing. Her debut novel ONIGIRI was published by Hanser in 2025.

MASAKO OHTA
is a pianist, sound performer and composer. The Munich feuilleton aptly described her as the “poet of the piano”. Trained in Tokyo, she moves with assurance between classical and new music, improvisation and performative formats, and has been awarded numerous prizes for it.

ONIGIRI
When Aki learns that her grandmother Yasuko has died, she books two flights. One last time she wants to bring her mother to her family in Japan, even though she knows how risky it is to tear a person with dementia from familiar surroundings. And indeed she has never seen Keiko as lost as on that first night in the hotel. But then they are sitting eating in the old family home, and suddenly she, who has grown so silent, speaks cheerfully and clearly for herself. Only on this journey does Aki recognise in her mother the brave, life-hungry woman she once was, before that great weariness – so threatening to Aki – settled over her in Germany. With gentle clarity, Yuko Kuhn lets the fascinating story of a German-Japanese family unfold, a family that gets lost between cultures and finds itself anew.

“Heartbreakingly wonderful, Yuko Kuhn writes about two worlds: Japan and Germany, mother and daughter, rich and poor, old and young – and about herself in the midst of it. Beautiful enough to make you weep.” Doris Dörrie

“We become what we are out of small experiences, out of encounters, out of sentences our family gives us. That is what this novel tells of: carefully, precisely observed, tender and delicate, full of love.” Lena Gorelik

“A family gets lost and finds itself again. Comforting, like the favourite meal of childhood.” Isabel Bogdan

“A book with great pull… I couldn’t stop… A very tender, very beautiful book.” Elke Heidenreich

“Onigiri is a book full of contrasts, full of farewells and rediscoveries, full of holes and emptiness, but also full of warmth and optimism; above all, though, it is a book about a daughter who honestly strives to understand her mother and to do her justice.” Julie Metzdorf

“It is probably the most unsensational novel of the year – and precisely for that reason one of the most touching.” Christoph Amend

Qigong Camp with Susanne Pries

17 to 24 Oct 2026. Qigong is a Chinese self-healing method whose aim is health and inner growth. Through the combination of movement, breath and concentration, one’s own life energy is activated. “Chan Mi Gong” Chan Mi Gong starts from gentle, wave-like movements of the spine. In this camp we will learn and deepen the basic exercises of Chan Mi Gong. Exercises from Five Elements Qigong wake us in the morning. Stillness and meditation let us feel our centre. Relaxation and simultaneous strengthening of the body, composure and clarity are the aims of the exercises.

Beginners and advanced participants of all ages are welcome at the camp. No prior knowledge is required. The day begins with an invigorating morning exercise. After a healthy breakfast you learn a simple sequence of exercises that you can later apply well in everyday life. On four days the programme includes an additional exercise session in the late afternoon for relaxation and to deepen the practice. Walks in nature round off the week.

Saturday: arrival by 5 PM, introduction 5:30 – 7:00 PM
Sunday to Friday: 8:00 – 8:45 AM and 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 5:30 – 7:00 PM

In addition to the camp fee there is accommodation, depending on room category and board. Please book separately.
Reduced course fee for DQGG members €520.00 

Susanne Pries, born 1966, interior designer and Qigong teacher, instructor for children’s and adults’ Qigong. Member of the German Qigong Society. Regular Qigong courses and weekend seminars are held under my guidance.

www.qigong-susanne-pries.de 

A retreat that gives you clarity and lightness. With coaching impulses from positive psychology, personal development, and mental training. Lively, holistic, resourceful, strengthening.

Over these 4 days, you'll learn more about your individual strengths, your values, and the potential still dormant within you. You'll receive a compass to shape your life pro-actively and with ease. For greater self-awareness and clarity in decision-making. Unfold your full potential! If not now, when?

What awaits you:

• Inspiring workshops: Each morning you immerse yourself in an intensive workshop (approx. 90 minutes). Solution-oriented, giving you clarity and new perspectives with ease.*
• Activities for body and soul: Each afternoon is yours — time for yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, aqua gym, hiking, biking, or simply enjoying yourself. Relax in the sauna, treat yourself to a massage, or enjoy good conversation by the fireplace — the landscape, the murmur of the brook, and the Tannerhof create the perfect atmosphere.
• Optional one-on-one coaching sessions: Want to go even deeper into your themes? Take the chance for an in-depth individual coaching session with me.

Up for 4 well-deserved days just for you? I look forward to meeting you!

Trixi Wolfseher — Dipl. Psychologist, Systemic Therapist, certified Coach for Positive Psychology, Yoga Teacher

‍www.wolfseher-coaching.de

*There's room here for exchange among participants, but it's not a must. Take the inspiration in whatever way feels right for you — knowing that this is a retreat for personal development and not a self-help group ;)

Participant voices on the Heroine Days:

"They were once again very intense and lovely days with you that recharged my batteries – thank you so much for that!"

"Thanks for the tailwind…, the camp was great, I constantly think of your input over little things and try to preserve the calm of the Tannerhof."

Better together: bring a fellow heroine and save on accommodation costs plus €20 off the camp!

Takes place with a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 12 heroines. Starts Thursday at 3:00 p.m. and ends Sunday midday.