Team

Artistic Team

Artistic direction

Johannes David Wolff

Choir Director

Schöneberg, Berlin Choir, Youth Choir & The Vocals

  • More about Johannes

    Johannes studied music theory at the Berlin Akademie der Künste and choral conducting at the University of Birmingham, UK. His most important mentors include Christian Grube and Simon Halsey, with whom he continues to collaborate regularly. He received additional conducting instruction from, among others, Julian Wilkins and Georg Christoph Sandmann. During his studies in Birmingham, Johannes David Wolff conducted Britten's "The Beggar's Opera" and worked with the Birmingham University Singers. Through numerous collaborations and assistantships with choirs such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and the London Symphony Chorus, he honed his skills in both choral-symphonic and a cappella performances. Johannes David Wolff has also directed "Das Vokalsystem" since its founding in 2012. He has played a leading role in several major choral projects at the Philharmonie Berlin. Under the artistic direction of Sir Simon Rattle, he prepared the choral parts for world premieres of operas by Jonathan Dove (2015) and Andrew Norman (2017). Under his direction, the Youth Choir of the Vokalhelden produced a song together with Herbert Grönemeyer in 2017.

Choir conducting and vocal training

Judith Kamphues

Vocal Pedagogy

Berlin Choir

  • More about Judith

    Judith studied stage and concert singing and music education at the Musikhochschule Lübeck and the Universität der Künste Berlin, graduating with distinction. After engagements at venues including the Thalia Theater Hamburg, the Komische Oper Berlin, and as a concert singer, Judith now dedicates herself to teaching, including at the Universität der Künste Berlin. She also works as a voice and speech trainer at the ARD/ZDF Media Academy and is the author of the voice training primer "Mach mal: Stimmbildung!" (Zwiebelbook-Verlag, 2011) and the voice training cards "Mach mal: Stimmtraining" (Zwiebelbook-Verlag, 2020). Judith also directs Ensemble Ultrasound, a 16-member female vocal ensemble in Berlin specializing in avant-garde and improvisation.

Victor Sepúlveda Rodriguez

Workshops & Special Events

  • More about Victor

    Victor studied jazz, rock, and pop vocals with a focus on jazz in Dresden and completed a master's degree in performing arts at the Pop Academy Baden-Württemberg. He was also a soloist with the children's and youth project The Young ClassX Hamburg, a scholarship recipient of the Oscar Vera Ritter Foundation, a member of the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra (BuJazzO), and the founder of a duo, an a cappella ensemble, and a quartet. In addition to his work with the vocal group Vokalhelden, he directs the gospel choir "Joyful Singers."

Christiane Hiemsch

Choir Director

Moabit

  • More about Christiane

    Christiane comes from Bremen and initially worked at ZDF as an editor and presenter before studying stage and concert singing at the Musikhochschule Lübeck. As an opera singer, Christiane has performed at numerous opera houses, including those in Lübeck, Berlin, Geneva, and Cologne; as a concert singer, she has performed all the major oratorios, particularly the works of J.S. Bach. In addition to her concert career, she works as a vocal coach and voice trainer.

Linus Hohlweg

Choir Director

Neukölln

  • More about Linus

    ...coming soon

Anna Lena Auer

Choir Director

Schöneberg (Spreewald-Elementary School) & Lichtenberg

  • More about Anna Lena

    Anna Lena initially studied music education with a focus on voice and piano at the Karlsruhe University of Music, as well as English studies at Heidelberg University. During her music education, she discovered a passion for choral conducting and, in particular, children's vocal training, and has since worked with various children's and adult choirs as a conductor and vocal coach. At the Karlsruhe University of Music, Anna Lena also taught "Practical Singing for Schools" (pop/rock/jazz/musical) to music education students. After completing her studies in music education and English, Anna Lena devoted herself entirely to singing, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in voice and a Master's degree in opera singing, which she will complete in February 2025 at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) under Prof. Carola Höhn. She has made her debut at theaters such as the Mecklenburg State Theatre, the Rostock People's Theatre, and the Vorpommern Theatre. In addition to musical theatre, Anna Lena is also passionately dedicated to oratorio and art song. In May 2024, she opened the "Vocations" concert series at the Haus für Poesie Berlin with a performance of Aperghis Récitations and performs regularly in concerts in Berlin and Rostock. For many years, Anna Lena has also worked as a music educator, teaching voice, piano, early childhood music education, and music-making with parents and toddlers. She also works as a vocal coach for the Philharmonic Choir of Humboldt University in Berlin. Since October 2024, Anna Lena has been a member of the Vokalhelden team, leading the Minis choir in Schöneberg and the choir club at the Spreewald Elementary School. Anna Lena is a scholarship recipient of the Paul Hindemith Foundation Berlin and Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now e.V. Rostock. (Photo: Zebu Kluth)

Azadeh Azimi

Choir Director

Kreuzberg

  • More about Azadeh

    coming soon...

Yuval Halpern

Choir Director

Hellersdorf

  • More about Yuval

    coming soon...

Neele Kilanowski

Choir Director

Wilmersdorf

  • More about Theo

    Theo Rüster studied opera singing at the Berlin University of the Arts with Professor Aris Argiris. As a prize winner of the MUT Competition at the Gärtnerplatztheater, he was engaged for several seasons at the Komische Oper Berlin. He sang Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) in Israel and the First Armored Man (The Magic Flute) in Munich and Bayreuth. In the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, he returned to the Komische Oper Berlin for Paul Abraham's "Ball im Savoy," the world premiere of the children's opera "Pippi Longstocking," and the world premiere of Kurt Weill's "Tom Sawyer." As a vocal coach, he has mentored numerous internationally active musical theatre performers and actors for many years. He also teaches singing in the preparatory musical theatre program at the Paul Hindemith Music School in Neukölln. He works as a vocal coach for various Berlin choirs and has been active with the Vokalhelden (Vocal Heroes) since 2016.

Theo Rüster

Voice training

Youth Choir

  • More about Theo

    Theo Rüster studied opera singing at the Berlin University of the Arts with Professor Aris Argiris. As a prize winner of the MUT Competition at the Gärtnerplatztheater, he was engaged for several seasons at the Komische Oper Berlin. He sang Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) in Israel and the First Armored Man (The Magic Flute) in Munich and Bayreuth. In the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, he returned to the Komische Oper Berlin for Paul Abraham's "Ball im Savoy," the world premiere of the children's opera "Pippi Longstocking," and the world premiere of Kurt Weill's "Tom Sawyer." As a vocal coach, he has mentored numerous internationally active musical theatre performers and actors for many years. He also teaches singing in the preparatory musical theatre program at the Paul Hindemith Music School in Neukölln. He works as a vocal coach for various Berlin choirs and has been active with the Vokalhelden (Vocal Heroes) since 2016.

Instrumental accompaniment

Hratschya Gargaloyan

Piano

  • More about Hratschya ("Artschi")

    Artschi attended the CPE Bach Music Gymnasium in Berlin and was a junior student at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in the class of Birgitta Wollenweber. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Piano Accompaniment at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in the class of Professor Alexander Vitlin. He then completed his Master's degree in Chamber Music under the tutelage of pianist Jonathan Aner. Artschi works as a freelance piano accompanist and as a piano teacher at the École de Musique in Berlin. He performs throughout Germany and internationally with his two chamber music ensembles, ArvesTrio and Trio Pausenlos.

Andreas Lammel

Piano

  • More about Andreas

    ...coming soon

Jacob Kelly

Piano

  • More about Jacob

    ...coming soon

Tom Georgel

Piano

  • More about Tom

    ...coming soon

Aaron Seitz

Piano

  • More about Aaron

    ...coming soon

Administrative Team

Salome Beber

Managing Director

Pari Ludin

Project coordination

Johanna Slaby

FSJ Culture

Susanne Böltes

Fundraising

Volunteers

Bettina von Hardenberg (Schöneberg)

Magelie Gärtner (Schöneberg)

Marianne Grevenbrock (Schöneberg)
Ulla Zanke (Schöneberg)

Katrin Irmscher (Hellersdorf)

Regina Stadtmüller (Hellersdorf)

Astrid May (Moabit)

Gabriela Brenner (Moabit)

Steffi Gäbler (Moabit)

Claire Watters (Neukölln)
Amin Razi (Kreuzberg)
Marion Gossert (Kreuzberg)
Shirin Rehaag (The Vocals)

Vacancies

Volunteers


Support young singers on and off the stage!

The Vokalhelden are looking for dedicated volunteers to supervise children and teenagers during their weekly singing sessions and assisting our choir conductors.

Our choir program brings together around 450 young people aged 6 to 18 at four locations in Berlin (each location has several choirs of different age groups), as well as in the youth choir, regardless of their background or prior experience. The children sing a wide range of songs from classical to pop, and through various performances and projects, including at the Philharmonie Berlin, they have the opportunity to express themselves boldly and confidently on large and small stages.


Support the Vokalhelden at rehearsals, concerts or school workshops and become part of a musical community.


All you need to bring is a love of working with children, an interest in music, a willingness to work in a team, and a valid extended certificate of good conduct ("erweitertes Führungszeugnis").


Interested? Then get in touch with us via our application form.