Brandi and Max Himmelreich are the award winning rock opera vocal duo known as BRAXI MUSIC. Both classically trained singers with a combined vocal range of over 7 octaves, Brandi and Max fuse the sounds of their lifetime of training with the modern elements of rock and glam. The element of theatricality figures prominently in their work, drawing influence from artists who are well known for taking chances and bringing unique entertainment value to the stage, such as the iconic Kate Bush, David Bowie, Freddy Mercury, Bette Midler and Shakespears Sister. Classical and crossover influences are drawn from artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and the great Luciano Pavarotti.
Individually, Max and Brandi each have extensive experience in both classical theatre and musical theatre. Brandi Himmelreich, formerly known as Brandi Russell, is no stranger to the stage. Born and raised in America, she spent her early years singing for Walt Disney World in the two musical shows Tarzan Rocks! and A capella vocal group American Vybe. She also performed for Universal Studios in the singing / dancing show Beetlejuices Rock & Roll Review in both Orlando, Florida and in Osaka Japan. She has performed various leading roles in different American musical theater productions, such as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Frenchy in Grease! (together with Alfonso Ribero, Jeff Conway and Joey Fatone) and received media attention for her role as Flo Manfred in the world premiere of the musical Meat Street and for her acting in The Vagina Monologues. In 2006, she moved to The Netherlands, where her career took a turn into pop music. Brandi was crowned the first place winner of Dutch television show POPSTARS in 2008, where she was signed to Warner Music Benelux. She has performed and recorded official songs for various festivals and events, including the Ride for the Roses, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Antwerpen Pride, and the Tour du France. However her desire to break boundaries and adapt her classical training and theatrical influences into her music and performances drove her to focus only on BRAXIMUSIC, where she can combine her true love of theatre with the passion and edginess that rock concerts bring.
Her husband and fellow BRAXIMUSIC member, stage performer Max Himmelreich, is a graduate of the Musical Theater program at the Amsterdam University of Theater Arts. He toured The Netherlands in the all-male acting group HELT, and has performed leading roles in The Breakfast Club Musical, and a special musical production based on The Diary of Anne Frank. Max has also worked as a model for brands such as Diesel, where he did a viral online Christmas campaign.
The two lives came together in 2011, at a Theater Restaurant in Amsterdam, where they fell in love at first sight. They were married within a year and devoted their lives to making music.
Success came quickly, with a special single release for Amsterdam and Antwerpen Pride, an event they support each year, which became a #3 summer hit in Belgium. Shortly after, they decided to branch out to fans outside of Western Europe, and began focusing on audiences in Great Britain.
In 2013, they brought out their first album of acoustic covers, called Two Souls, Two Lives, One Voice, which sold out within the first year.
Since then, Brandi and Max travelled the world to find new influences to their sound. After four years of studying, touring and writing, the new rock opera branding of BRAXIMUSIC was born. In 2017, the results were encompassed on their new album Musical Esemplastic. The first single release from this album, IL NOSTRO AMORE (Our Love) won 1st place in the international songwriting competition Unsigned Only in the Vocal Performance category, and was a finalist in the UK Songwriting Competition.
BRAXI MUSIC has spent the past three years performing their headlining show Crossing the Classics: From Bowie to Bocelli & Prince to Pavarotti, where they have been seen on various cruise lines, theatres and resorts across the globe.Together, the two are not only a musical and theatrical tour de force, they are also a married couple, whose undeniable chemistry lights up the stage in every production they take on. From the moment they met, their powerful connection has been enchanting audiences far and wide, from intimate living room concerts to festival stages performing for thousands, around the Benelux and beyond. They are always fighting against bullying, and want to spread the idea of embracing individualism and love within their music, which is why they fight to promote LGBTQ rights and education for children in under-developed countries.