Festival Schedule
Magician Tom Verner
Magician Tom Verner is the Founder of Magicians Without Borders. He has toured the world entertaining children wherever a little magic and laughter is desperately needed including multiple trips recently to Ukraine. Since 2002, Magicians Without Borders has traveled to over 40 countries using magic to entertain, educate, and empower. They have entertained over one million of the most forgotten people in the world.
Mathis Andersen Trio
Mathis Andersen is the latest musical alter ego of Paris-based singer-songwriter, playwright and actor Mathieu Gerhardt. Having grown up between France and Germany, he began his musical journey with Bam! Carousel (a Franco-Irish-Burkinabé pop-rock band) and later joined the pop trio Cassiopée A. He also collaborated with Moussa Koita (African pop) and Pierre-Michel Sivadier (jazz chanson). Since 2014, he’s co-led the theater company Regarde il neige, blending music and performance. From his travels to South America he learned to play the Charango, an ideal instrument for catchy melodies and colorful harmonies. When he plays his electric guitar you can definitely hear the influence of 70’s classic rock along with some West African inflections. He loves to interweave French, German, English and Spanish songs, making the audience feel comfortable hearing songs in a language they do not know. His debut EP as Mathis Andersen, Monde Monde, was released in May 2024.
The trio includes Mathis Andersen (vocals, guitar, charango), Gaëlle Hispard (piano, vocals, accordion, theremini) and Glenn Goodwin (bass).
Dobet Gnahoré
GRAMMY-winner Dobet Gnahoré is a virtuosic singer, dancer, percussionist, songwriter and one of Africa's most amazing talents. Besides her powerful voice, this Combancha recording artist graces the stage with music, dance and theatre. Gnahoré has taken the modern Afropop sounds of her country in exciting new directions, showcasing her incredible range as an artist with soul stirring energy and mission driven lyrics. Through a combination of traditional and contemporary influences, she crafts a unique sound that is both distinct and accessible to audiences worldwide.