Dirk Michaelis in Dessau

Dirk Michaelis is a German singer, composer and pianist, born in 1961 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, now Chemnitz. He became the lead singer of the rock band Karussell in the 1980s and composed the music for “Als ich fortging,” one of the best-known songs from the final years of East Germany. After leaving the group, he continued as a solo artist, writing and performing German-language rock and ballads. From 1985, Michaelis fronted Karussell in concert before establishing his own live career in the following decade. His performances have ranged from solo appearances at theatres and churches to concerts backed by a band. He has also appeared in the Ost-Rock Klassik concert series, where rock singers perform with the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg.