Günther Arndt (choir director)

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Grave of Günther Arndt in the Dahlem forest cemetery in Berlin

Günther Arndt (born April 1, 1907 in Charlottenburg ; † December 25, 1976 in Berlin ) was a German choir director and producer .

After finishing school, Arndt studied at the Academy for Church and School Music in Berlin. At first he held the post of director of the choir of the Berlin Adult Education Center from 1932 to 1940, he was also employed as a music teacher at a middle school and also directed the Heinrich Schütz Choir Berlin, which he founded .

After his military service in World War II , the reawakening of Berlin's music and art scene was just right for the busy artist. He began his radio activity on the Berlin radio in Masurenallee. After making a significant contribution to the creation of a chamber music repertoire, he was hired from 1949 as a consultant for the radio station RIAS , which was founded by the US military administration . Also in 1949 he founded the Berliner Motettenchor , a mixed youth choir with around 60 singers.

Arndt subsequently made a significant contribution to the music associations supported by the RIAS. His greatest merit was leading the famous RIAS Chamber Choir , which he held for eighteen years, from 1954 to 1972. During this time he made numerous recordings with well-known singers such as Rudolf Schock with the choir , sometimes referred to as the Günther Arndt Choir on records, on the one hand, and on the other hand, in addition to the standard repertoire for chamber choirs, many contemporary works by composers such as Arnold Schönberg and Hans Werner were also recorded Henze , Ernst Krenek and Aribert Reimann , some of which were specially composed for the choir.

From 1964 until his retirement in 1972, Günther Arndt was artistic program manager and producer at RIAS. In 1971 he was awarded the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Günther Arndt died in Berlin in 1976 at the age of 69. His grave is in the Dahlem forest cemetery .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b biography on bach-cantatas.com [1]
  2. ↑ Unofficial blog about Rudolf Schock [2]
  3. ↑ Official website of the RIAS Chamber Choir [3]
  4. ^ Hans-Jürgen Mende: Lexicon of Berlin burial places . Pharus-Plan, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-86514-206-1 , p. 577.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Arndt, Günther
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German choir director and producer
DATE OF BIRTH April 1, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Charlottenburg
DATE OF DEATH December 25, 1976
Place of death Berlin