VITA
"Fresh soprano meets catchy chords" Westphalian News (Münster)
"Clear soprano voice with flowing piano sound" Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo)
"What poignant songs. What a moving evening. " Free Word (Suhl)
"An enjoyable and at the same time pedagogically meritorious concert" Thuringian General (Erfurt)
"Anna Gann's multifaceted voice and Christ-Kato's brilliant playing conjure up the special charm of the songs." The Record Geijutsu (Tokyo)
The ensemble
The Gernsheim Duo, founded in 2015 by Anna Gann and Naoko Christ-Kato, brings works by forgotten Jewish composers back to the concert stage. In 2019, it released the CD ‘Verborgene Schätze’ (Hidden Treasures) with 22 world premiere recordings of piano songs by its namesake Friedrich Gernsheim (1839-1916).
Concerts have taken the ensemble as far as Japan, where major Japanese daily and music newspapers have reported on them, including the Tokyo-based Asahi Shimbun. In 2023, the Japanese public television broadcaster NHK featured a report on the two musicians' commitment to forgotten Jewish composers in its nationwide magazine programme ‘Good Morning, Japan’. In Germany, articles appeared in various print media; radio reports were broadcast i.e. on MusikWelt on SR2 Kultur, in Konzertsaal on hr2 Kultur, in TonArt on WDR3 Kulturradio and in Tag für Tag on Deutschlandfunk.
In 2023, the two musicians and the actor Enno Hesse founded the ensemble 3klangspiel , which has since been performing Anna Gann's radio play for the stage about Moses Mendelssohn.
The musicians
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Naoko Christ-Kato was born in Yokohama and studied piano in Tokyo, Hanover and Lübeck, where she completed her studies with the Artist Concert Examination in 2006. She was a prize winner at the Young Artist Piano Contest and the Best Players Contest in Japan. As a soloist and in projects with other artists, she is particularly dedicated to the works of ostracized and persecuted composers. In 2025, she was a scholarship holder of the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Thuringia, and in November, GENUIN released her CD with world premiere recordings of works by Rosy Wertheim (1888-1949).
Anna Gann grew up in the Hanover region. As a Catholic theology graduate, she worked as a freelance author for ARD radio stations for over 15 years, producing programmes on topics such as Jewish issues. In 2008, she developed a programme about the Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn featuring music by forgotten Jewish composers, which has since been performed in various German cities.
Anna Gann received her vocal training in Münster and Hanover. She was a prize winner at the Euregio Vocal Competition and co-founder of various chamber music ensembles. As a soloist, she has made guest appearances for example at the Louis Spohr Days in Kassel, the Göttingen International Handel Festival and the Thuringian Festival of Early Music Güldener Herbst,.
