Professional and fun acappella singing show
"a-live" brings excitement to your event or party by it's energetic and passionate performance. 7 beautiful voices and a great sense of humour never fail to make your event a very special and unforgettable one.

Personal Touch
"a-live" always looks for a way to bring it's show very close to the spectators. Including the personalized "a-livesong" to your event will remind your guests of this special day for a long time! Let "a-live" personalize a song for you - singing the lyrics that you write or that we write for you! Surprise your guests with this and better even: let them take home a CD copy of this song - in a beautifully designed packaging - and they will never forget your event!

International setup
The "a-live" singers come from all different parts of the world: USA, Middle East and Europe. This international setup makes performances in all different languages possible: english, spanish, italian, french, german and even arabic or hebrew!

Uncounted Performances- Live, TV or radio
The "a-live" singers are all experienced performers and very passionate ones as well. Since November 2000 they have been seen and heard on various TV and radio shows and have performed uncountable concerts at events and parties. In february 2002 a-live came in 2nd place for the Swiss Eurosong Qualification (see video here in Real format)

The singers
The following pictures were taken during the "staying a-live" CD cover shoot.

 

Full name: Jon Emerson Colbath Birth date: 16.12.1964 Vocal part: Tenor Family/Civil status: Divorced, daughter Maxine Nationality: USA Where is home: Zurich What do you do outside a-live: Teach English and make a nuisance of myself How long have you been an a-liver: Since December 23, 1999 Musical background: My Father put music in my soul, his father did the same, the rest is not important. Thanks, Dad. Musical influence: I love it all, but Jerry Garcia, Van Morrison, and Jackson Browne stand out. Worst stage experience: Singing with a-live for a bunch of drunken louts in Basel who thought it great fun to sing a completely different song, loudly, during our show. Best stage experience: A public concert in Geneva with my parents in the audience Most embarrassing stage experience: When we recently started 'Higher' wrong and had to stop after only a few measures. Funniest stage experience: Burning down the house in Merligen, Christmas 2002 Absolute first stage experience: At age ten singing Chuck Berry's 'Rock around the Clock' at the after party of a 'Walk-a-Thon' in Houlton, Maine. What would you be doing if not part of a-live: I would create my own cult. What do people like about you: Woody says I am funny and extremely social. What do people dislike about you: I push my points too emotionally and un-empathetically. What is strange about you: My toes What hobbies do you have: Juggling, disking, reading, playing guitar, bank robbery What hidden talents do you have: I can balance a bicycle on my chin What do you like most about a-live: That it is about music What do you like least about a-live: That it is about business What excites you about the coming tour: Real audiences

 

Full name: Andre Schmid Birth date: 26.05.63 Vocal part: Tenor Family/Civil status: Just married Nationality: Swiss Where is home: Geneva What do you do outside a-live: Singing How long have you been an a-liver: 3 years Musical background: 10 years singing with various groups Musical influence: All music Worst stage experience: No idea anymore to old Best stage experience: Future Most embarrassing stage experience: Don't remember Funniest Stage experience: Don't remember Absolute first stage experience: 10 years ago What would you be doing if not part of a-live: Singing and crying What do people like about you: You have to ask them What do people dislike about you: You have to ask them too What is strange about you: Everything What hobbies do you have: Going on tour with groups What hidden talents do you have: I haven't found them yet What do you like most about a-live: A big part of thinking and singing professionally What do you like least about a-live: A small part of thinking and speaking unprofessionally What excites you about the coming tour: Everything I'm very excited

 

Full name: Peter Zehnder (Pete) Birth date: 7.10.1968 Vocal part: Tenor / Vocal Percussions Family/Civil status: Married to Anja, Daughter Lili Nationality: Swiss Where is home: Kuesnacht ZH What do you do outside a-live: Run an entertainment company I founded with my friend Manuel in 1999 (The A-live Music Company AG) How long have you been an a-liver: Since the very beginning Musical background: Piano lessons from age 5 till 14. Refused to read notes, learned everything up to Beethoven's first piano concert by ear. Developed my own style in the area of Boogie, Blues and Ballads. Performed with Piano Duo "Slippery Fingers" till I was 26. Got to know Acappella Singing in the US at Harvard College in 1987 and ever since founded Acappella groups wherever I lived. Zurich: The Singing Pinguins (1991), Geneva: The Snappers (1995), led the Acappella Group at the Harvard Business School "Heard on the Street" (1999), founded 4 "a-live" Groups in Zurich (2000), Munich (2001), Hamburg (2002) and Berlin (2002). Musical influence: Pop and Acappella The Blenders (best recordings), M-pact (best live sound), Voice Male (Belgium), Basix (Denmark), Acappella Express (Russia) Worst stage experience: You want names??... Best stage experience: Open air Festilac 2001 First time with truly professional stage sound, super audience, perfect weather conditions, and charming ambience. Most embarrassing stage experience: When the lights failed at public concert in Geneva Funniest Stage experience: During a private concert in Winterthur, Andre as lead had a laugh-attack, soon after 4 of us joined him we had to stop the song. Absolute first stage experience: I was ten and played piano in front of 500 people I also sang there, but that was nothing to write home about... What would you be doing if not part of a-live: Probably be in brand management with a consumer goods company. Spend more time with my family and friends and sing on the side. What do people like about you: Positive attitude, directness, curiosity, energy, humor What do people dislike about you: Impatience, non-punctuality, and what else a-live boys...? What is strange about you: My career path! What hobbies do you have: Families, friends, sports What hidden talents do you have: I have a black belt in Karate What do you like most about a-live: Musical quality, friendship, and diversity What do you like least about a-live: Time constraints, the high-maintenance of its members What excites you about the coming tour: Self-made campaign (posters, TV and radio spot, new CD), the audiences we will excite, the unknown!

 

Full name: Oded Ben-Horin Birth date: 2.10.70 Vocal part: Bass Family/Civil status: Married to Bettina Smith Nationality: Earth Where is home: Wherever my wife is What do you do outside a-live: Compose, write lyrics and sing jazz/experimental music How long have you been an a-liver: 3 years Musical Background: B.A in Musicology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem; 2 years jazz studies at the Royal Conservatory, the Hague, Netherlands; Masters degree in Vocal Jazz Performance from the Musikhochschule Luzern, Switzerland; Composing and recording for SWR German Radio. Musical Influences: Yoni Rechter, Mati Caspi, Take 6, Stevie Wonder, Lauren Newton, Ken Nordine, Mark Murphy, Kurt Elling, Jack Kerouac, J.S.Bach Worst stage experience: Performing my compositions and lyrics on the wrong sound system Best stage experience: Various a-live concerts - Group energy and audience reaction Most embarrassing stage experience: Same as "Worst stage experience" Funniest stage experience: There are many, and most have to do with a-live. I can't tell about number 1 because I'm a polite person, but number 2 was Jon's almost burning a stage during a Christmas Concert, and number 3 was singing for two giraffes Absolute first stage experience: Playing 'We Are the World' on a synthesizer at a school party at the rip old age of 13 What would you be doing if you were not part of a-live: Trying to get into a-live. What do people like about you: They say I'm honest and that I overcome my weaknesses. What do people dislike about you: I lose my cool and freak out once every few months and this frightens people who don't know me because I make bizarre faces and recite strange monologues during these sessions, which can last between 2 minutes and a week. People who know me just laugh when this happens. What is strange about you: My personality and my innermost thought processes What hobbies do you have: Reading books and staying up all night thinking thoughts What hidden talents do you have: I write vocalese (lyrics) for instrumental jazz solos of John Coltrane, Mark Murphy, Cannonball Adderley, John Scofield, Joe Lovano and more! What do you like most about a-live: Laughing, solving problems together, daring to explore new territories together as a group, and MANY magical moments on stage What do you like least about a-live: That I have to iron my shirts for each show What excites you about the coming tour: An opportunity to improve as a music making group that grooves together if we just let it happen and don't force it to happen.

 

Full name: Francesco Saraceno Birth date: 11.03.72 Vocal part: Baritone Family/Civil status: Just married Nationality: Swiss Where is home: Geneva What do you do outside a-live: Sleep How long have you been an a-liver: One month Musical Background: Singing with various bands Musical Influences: Folk and Rock - Elvis, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen Worst stage experience: Too many Best stage experience: Too Many Most embarrassing stage experience: Breaking five guitar strings in one set Funniest stage experience: Couldn't stop laughing Absolute first stage experience: 14 years ago What would you be doing if you were not part of a-live: Flying Elvis in Vegas What do people like about you: My way of Laughing What do people dislike about you: My Paranoia What is strange about you: Everything What hobbies do you have: Playing tennis What hidden talents do you have: I like cooking pasta What do you like most about a-live: I finally get some back up singers What do you like least about a-live: Having to learn all this crazy choreography What excites you about the coming tour: Being in front of an audience

 

Full name: Dani Lüdi Birth date: 11.01.80 Vocal part: Baritone/Vocal Percussion Family/Civil status: I'm the only a-live member that isn't married yet, right? Nationality: Swiss Where is home: Lucerne What do you do outside a-live: Student at the Jazzschool Lucerne How long have you been an a-liver: since May 04 Musical Background: 10 Years of piano studies, Classical singing since 5 Years, Funk-, Jazz- and A-cappella-experience Musical Influences: Kurt Elling, Thomas Hampson, Norbert Gottschalk, my teacher Ruth Rütimann and many others Worst stage experience: Singing with a Funkband for some very formal politicians (I don't know why they moved further and further away...) Best stage experience: Singing with the same band at an openair for a great crowd Most embarrassing stage experience: well, everyone knows these mean blackout situations... Funniest stage experience: feeling I had at my first a-live show (was kind of singer and part of the audience at the same time...) Absolute first stage experience: has to be a youth-chorus gig in church What would you be doing if you were not part of a-live: selling No. 1 Hits with a boygroup :-) What do people like about you: hard to tell, I think most of them hate me, they just don't show it :-) What do people dislike about you: Some say I talk to much, but that isn't really true.... I mean, don't we all feel the urge to tell people our thoughts sometimes. Where would the whole humanity be without people who let others know how they feel and what they think. It's not that bad, isn't it? Besides that......:-) What is strange about you: My curly hair that keeps growing wilder and wilder What hobbies do you have: singing, making music, listening to music, talking about music, living music and if I feel I had about enough music: sports, reading and of course, meeting friends. What hidden talents do you have: I don't have a "shut-up"-Button + I keep eating lots of chocolate and I'm still the skinniest of the group. What do you like most about a-live: A whole bunch of crazy people, who I really love to work with. What do you like least about a-live: Sometimes I feel so awfully old around these guys :-) What excites you about the coming tour: Lots of shows, lots of people, great concerts and I'm part of it, yeehaaw!