sToa

sToa was founded in 1991. Olaf Parusel (composition/arrangement) looked at this time for a new way to connect his musical and philosophical thoughts. He found a voice in Conny Levrow. In the same year the first song "Stoa" was released on the compilation "From Hypnotic ... to Hypersonic" (Hyperium). The CD "Urthona" (Hyperium) followed in 1992. This CD was in the charts in several countries.
Both members worked a lot in other projects in the years before. Olaf was in his childhood a member of the "Stadtsingechor Halle" the oldest chorus of the world. Later he played in many musical projects and bands. He studied musicology and philosophy.
In 1994 the second CD "Porta VIII" (Hyperium) was released. This CD is an album with a concept based on the fairy tale "Ariadne et Barbe Bleue" by Maurice Maeterlinck. Porta VIII is a continuation of the original fairy tale. This album climbed the charts in various countries.
Since 1997 there was a new line-up. Conny left sToa for following her classical career. The new singer was Antje Buchheiser. She was playing violin for many years and was singing in the classical chorus "Hallenser Madrigalisten" where she performed a lot in classical music for example in Japan, Germany, Cuba ...
Another new member since 1996 was Christiane Fischer. She plays the Cello and is singing the second voice at live concerts. sToa signed to the german publisher Alster Musikverlag. In 1997 sToa left their old label Hyperium.
sToa performed sporadically at special places or events. They played for example at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in a one hundred years old and eighty metres high monument, in the netherlands and several times in Mexico (inter alia with the Goethe-Institut).
Since 2001 Mandy Bernhardt is the new voice of sToa. Olaf is composing from time to time for TV and Cinema. In 2001 they finished their third album "Zal". It has been released worldwide first in Mexico at "Samadhi Musik". sToa signed now to the german label "Alice in ..." where they released “Zal” for Europe and the rest of the world and re-released “Urthona” and “Porta VIII”.