Biography
Ten thousand concertgoers every year, standing ovations wherever they perform, millions of views on Instagram & YouTube, a fan cult like rock stars - welcome to Café del Mundo, currently the hottest guitar act.
It is their unmistakable tone, their love for the authenticity of a Paco de Lucía, combined with the joy of modern pop music like Coldplay or U2, that makes these two concert artists unique. In dealing with the great musical traditions from Bach to DeFalla, Café del Mundo shows the highest sensitivity and powerful sovereignty.
As a result, the two guitarists find enthusiastic audiences worldwide, work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, produce at Abbey Road Studios, London and build up an ever-growing fan base.
Café del Mundo is pure joy of life in the concert hall. Jan and Alex open the guitar to the general public, far away from all genre boundaries - that's what the guitar sounds like today!
Jan Pascal and Alexander Kilian come from the Franconian-Baden-Hessian border triangle, which they affectionately call "Alemándalucía". They are fundamentally opposites like fire and water - and that is precisely why they complement each other to become a world-class music act. Their live performance together is the rousing dialogue between two gifted virtuosos, who now flatter each other, now challenge each other and elicit their best from each other - intense and explosive, a magical aura is created that no one can escape. But the two instrumental artists are much more than just entertainers: in their art Take a stand, commit to pure, original music, make a statement in a fluid, fluctuating world. Let yourself be surprised by the incredible musical diversity of two flamenco guitars with a repertoire that forms a fine link between classical and jazz, techno and world Music binds.
The band name is derived from a concert review in which a critic wrote that he felt transported to the legendary "Café Cantante", which became the band name "Café del Mundo".
Jan Pascal, born in 1975, comes from a family of musicians. He received his first guitar from his grandfather in Spain and his first lessons from an uncle. He grew up with his Silesian grandmother Edeltraud Bonk (soprano and church musician). He later attended the music boarding school in Münsterschwarzach, where he had piano lessons with Father Domenikus Trautner. After taking singing lessons with John Porter and classical guitar lessons with Bernhard Weber in Heidelberg, he founded his own recording studio in 1996. He learnt his flamenco guitar skills from Rafael Cortes and Mariano Martín.
Alexander Kilian, born in 1987, is regarded as a guitar prodigy. He received his multicultural musical training from Zaza Miminoshvili. At the age of 15, he won his first international competition with the piece "Guajiras de Lucia" by Paco de Lucia. This was followed by numerous masterclasses and concert invitations to Israel, Russia, Georgia, Spain and Italy. In 2011, he received his artistic diploma in jazz guitar.
