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Kurt Elsasser

'Kurti' Elsasser, shown at left with his mother, was born during the year 1967 in Österreich/Steiermark. He studied singing, dance and acting at the Salzburger Mozarteum. It is believed that he did release some recordings on vinyl during his treble years. They are out there, but they are hard to find. He also did several television performances which have been preserved. Videos of these go back to one, taped in black and white, which was made in 1979. It and some interviews (in German) may be viewed from his current website (see link below).  We have borrowed two of his early videos which may be downloaded for playback through our system. "Video 1" (click on the above, left photo) was made at a 1980 TV appearance at a Sejorenclub. The video has major glitches both before and after he sings "Lam Montanara", but is solid during his performance. You may be reminded a bit of Demis during the short interview, as Kurti seemed a bit shy about it all. But as soon as he began to sing, the audience was all his! "Video 2", made in 1982, shows how well, then as a fifteen year old, he was adapting to the start of his voice change. The performance is from an operetta in the Wiener Stadthalle. In it he does "Heinerl" with Prof. Franz Stoss. Kurt is still a very active performer. Over the years he has recorded six albums and some 60 singles. What is Kurt doing these days? You can find out by visiting his website.

Laffer & Ammer

These two boys have become popular in Thailand and have gained fans in other parts of the world.  Laffer (real name Sunsagoth Rodpothong) was born October 30, 1993. He began his entertainment career when he entered a dancing competition at the age of six. He enjoys ice skating and says he would someday like to be in a 'ghost movie'. He claims to have once seen a ghost while in a hospital elevator, and says the incident cured him from playing with elevators!  ·  Ammer (real name Allen Yongyuenan) was born January 17, 1992. He was a child model and acted in in the soap opera ‘Jau sau mu ay cheep’ ("The Professional Bride"). He told an interviewer that he would one day like to be an astronaut.  ·  Both boys attend private schools. This video is from their Karaoke DVD.

Yvann

Yvann Sangsue was born October 17, 1987 in Porrentruy. When he was nine years old, he recorded his first CD "écoute..." which featured songs composed by his mother, Dominique. Success was not long in following. He was soon discovered by several producers, including Jean-Rene Petignat, host of "Fréquence Jura"; Alain Morisod and Jean-Marc Richard. He was featured on three broadcasts of "Coups d’Coeur". In December 1999, a wide range of artists surrounded Yvann: Yvan Rebroff, Hugues Aufray and Jane Mansons. German television has featured him on several occasions. Yvann has also performed on tour in Quebec. This young singer has become well known not only for his voice, but also for his empathy toward others. One of his recorded songs was written especially for a school friend, Arnaud, who lost a foot because of bone cancer. To hear one of his recordings in stereo, click on his album cover at left, above! You may also view two Windows Media videos by clicking on either of the small photos at right (cable or other broadband connections), or, if you have 56K dial-up, by right-clicking the photos and then using "Save Target As" to download the files before playback.

Jeroen de Vaal

Jeroen was born September 14, 1973 in Utrecht, Netherlands. He sang in a local musical at the age of seven. He took classical singing lessons when he turned nine. Following his voice change at age 15, he performed at approximately 300 concerts at home and abroad, and recorded 20 albums. Click on his photo for a stereo sample of his unchanged voice! The selection came from his CD "King of Love My Shepherd Is" and he sang with the Rotterdam Boychoir.

Billy Gilman

William Wendell Gilman was born May 24, 1988 in Westerly, Rhode Island. The youngest artist ever to have a US hit country single, Billy began singing at home and his first real exposure was playing regular opening slots at country fairs. He was signed by Epic Nashville after they heard the demo tape he recorded with Ray Benson of veteran swing act Asleep At The Wheel. When asked the role of his parents in getting into "the business", Billy told the UK's DOTMUSIC, "At 3 they were like yeah, yeah, at 5 they were like 'whatever'. At 8 they really knew 'cos I loved to sing and it was my hobby, it was my dream, it was everything. So they said 'alright Billy it's time to get you into the music business'. They're not pushy parents, I pushed them 'cos I wanted it so much. Finally it happened and all this great stuff has been happening to me. I'm just on a whirlwind but I won't trade it for the world." If you have Windows Media and a fast connection, click on Billy's picture for a slide show combined with one of his enthusiastic renditions. Slow connections with Internet Explorer can RIGHT CLICK on the picture and "Save Target As" to download the show before playing. Billy can also do a great job on smooth, easy-going songs. To hear a stereo reproduction of a selection sung in a completely different style, click on the picture of his CD album at right!