"A Christmas evening full of stories with music"
In December 2026, audiences can look forward to the most beautiful moments of the Christmas season when two-time Grimme Award winner Claudia Michelsen invites them to festive Christmas readings. At her side: the celebrated jazz trumpeter and exceptional young artist...
In December 2026, the audience can expect the most beautiful moments of the Christmas season when two-time Grimme Award winner Claudia Michelsen invites them to festive Christmas readings. At her side: the celebrated jazz trumpeter and exceptional young artist Jakob Bänsch, who won the German Jazz Prize at the age of just 20 and creates magical moments of sound with his unique sound.
Christmas is all about love and twinkling lights, family and joy. But there are also misunderstandings, great emotions and the legendary "wrong presents". This whole range is what makes this evening so magical. With her warm, unmistakable voice, Claudia Michelsen brings contemplative, cheerful and thoughtful stories to life. Stories of longing, memories, new beginnings, family and winter wonders interweave with Jakob Bänsch's unique music to create an evening that touches the heart and mind in equal measure. Text and sound enter into a lively dialog - sometimes tender, sometimes powerful. With his music, Bänsch creates sound spaces that carry the words, thoughts and moods, deepening and sometimes surprisingly breaking them. Claudia Michelsen and Jakob Bänsch combine literature and music to create an atmospheric stage experience between humor, melancholy and wintry magic. "A Christmas Evening Full of Tales" is not a classic reading evening, not a concert, but a finely composed stage experience. Claudia Michelsen: "As always, time flies faster than you think, which is why we are delighted to invite you to our Christmas program now! You can expect a musical reading with very special stories. The various texts promise little journeys into wonderful winter worlds of literature, and perhaps we'll see you soon after a beautiful summer and fall! We would be delighted."
About Claudia Michelsen
Claudia Michelsen was born in Dresden and studied acting in Berlin, where she performed at the Volksbühne, Deutsches Theater and Schaubühne. She can be seen in many major film and television productions, e.g. in "Der Tunnel", "12 heißt: ich liebe dich", in the TV multi-part series "Ku'damm". Since 2013, she has been a detective in Magdeburg's "Polizeiruf 110". She has received several awards as an actress, including the Golden Camera, the Bambi, the Golden Hen and twice the Grimme Prize. She tours with various reading programs and repeatedly lends her unmistakable voice to audio books. She is committed to the Christian children's and youth charity "Die Arche". About Jakob Bänsch
The award-winning trumpeter and composer Jakob Bänsch is one of the most promising rising stars on the European jazz scene. His debut album Opening was awarded the German Jazz Prize 2024 as "Debut Album of the Year". This was followed in February 2025 by his second album All The Others, which interweaves impressionistic classical music, modern jazz and folk elements. He has already performed with his bands in the most renowned jazz clubs and at leading festivals in Germany and has worked closely with international greats such as Nathan East, Nils Landgren, Wolfgang Haffner, Emil Mangelsdorff, Wolfgang Niedecken, Max Mutzke, Michael Abene and as a soloist with the WDR Big Band.
