Leoni Jansen & Carel Kraayenhof
Biography Leoni Jansen & Carel Kraayenhof
Leoni Jansen
is a Dutch singer and stage-director. She started out as tv-personality: anchor-woman on Dutch national tv for the daily “Children’s News”. After that she hosted various art and music-programs on television and ended up with her very own tv-show: “Jansen & Co”.
Wishing to devote more time to singing and the theatre she said goodbye to tv, and produced a number of music-theatre productions: She has made a range of programs such as a Pyjama night in the Concertgebouw, an Opera party for children in Vredenburg and directed theatre shows for pop groups like Room Eleven, Sensual and Giovanca.
Over the past few years she has been busy mainly creating music programs which bridge different cultures. She was, for instance, co-responsible for the theatre hit: Female Factory, a show in which 13 female top stars from 10 different countries presented themselves simultaneously. A show which was also seen in Moscow and Madrid, following a week when the Carré theatre was completely sold out. Leoni produced the series Wereldwijven, which featured a Dutch singer with a singer from a different continent. She produced the show She got game (three versions!) with amongst others Astrid Seriese, Lucretia van der Vloot, Rocq’E Harrell, Izaline Callister, Ricky Koole and Nurlaila Karim), which attracted capacity crowds throughout the country over four seasons. And she created the multi-cultural shows Made in Holland, in response to 11 September, held in Carré, and in which 45 artists from 22 different cultures took over the space for one week.
She sang at the wedding of Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima in the Arena in Amsterdam, and she was responsible for the music- production of Faranani, a homage to Nelson Mandela from the Koninklijk Theater Carré in 2002, which was broadcast live in dozens of countries.
She has worked with many international musicians from the world music scene over the past few years, including: Busi Mlongo, Toumani Diabate, Rosi Flores, Angelique Kidjo, Les Frères Guisse, Sibongile Khumalo, Mohammud Ahmed, Annie Grace, Karin Polwart, Lilian Vieira, Kine Lam and Tshala Muana. She performed with Youssou Ndour, singing his worldwide hit “ 7 seconds ” on the IDFA festival in Amsterdam.
She was knighted by Queen Beatrix into Companion of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2006, for her contribution to world music and for empowering women in music.
She directed three large African productions: The African Mama’s in 2005, Daughters of Africa in 2010 (12 young African women from 8 African countries) and in 2013 the African Mama’s sing Mama Africa, a tribute to Africa’s most famous singer, the late Miriam Makeba.
Recurring themes throughout her career are social issues and women’s rights, especially in African countries. In Senegal she directed a play which was a complaint against Senegalese fishing-laws.
In 2014 Leoni directed MasterPeace in Concert. A huge peace concert in Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam. During this concert artists from conflict areas all over the world shared the stage together to spread their message of peace and unity, accompanied by the Metropole Orchestra. Leoni also performed a song together with the Senegalese Baaba Maal and a Kenyan Choir.
Leoni has a number of solo CDs to her name: “Three magic little words“, “ Heartstrings and Loose Ends”, “ Second Wind” and “Third Road”. Her album “Nina” is a joint project with Les Frères Guisse from Senegal., and last year she made the album “Santiago“, with renowned Flamenco guitarist Eric Vaarzon Morel, with which she toured the Dutch theaters. Her latest album “Storyteller ” contains songs from the theatre production “Geheim” ( secret) , in which she traces her fathers war-history, who fought on the German side in WW II. She also wrote a book about this, which was well received by literary critics.
Carel Kraayenhof
bandoneonist, composer and arranger, is the most fascinating and versatile contemporary bandoneon player. Unique in his style due to his profound knowledge of the of Argentinean tango, he moves/touches any audience worldwide with his enchanting and honorable play. By working closely together with Astor Piazzolla (†1992) in 1987 during the Broadway show ‘Tango Apasionado’ and his long lasting personal friendship with the beloved Tango Maestro Osvaldo Pugliese (†1995), he developed into one of the most beloved bandeonists of this moment. One of his highlights was on 2-2-2002 as he passionately performed the moving ‘Adiós Nonino’ during the marriage ceremony of H.R.H. Prince Willem Alexander and H.R.H. Princess Maxima. Next to his work during the previous 21 years with his Sexteto Canyengue, he also worked with celebrities from the classical music scene such as: Ennio Morricone, Yo-Yo-Ma, the violinists Janine Jansen, Joshua Bell, and the cellist Quirine Viersen. He is an internationally welcome bandoneon soloist with various international symphonic orchestras such as for instance: the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berliner Philharmoniker, l’Orchestre National de Lyon,Tonkünstler Orchestra (Wenen), the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cincinnatti Symphony Orchestra, the Sidney Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra with STING and many others.
That Carel does not limit himself to one single style of music is proven by his work together with singers Dulce Pontes and Sting. In the Netherlands he has recorded numbers with for instance André Hazes (Bloed, zweet en tranen), Blᴓf (Barcelona, Bougainville, Geen Tango), Trijntje Oosterhuis (Nu dat jij er bent), Dana Winner (Afscheid van een Vriend) and he performed with Marco Borsato.
Carel has received many awards, such as the ‘Edison Publieksprijs’ in 2003 for his CD ‘Tango Royal’ and in 2005 he was awarded by the Argentinean Government for his inexhaustible worldwide efforts for the Argentinean tango.
