Gottfried Biller

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Gottfried Biller (2015)

Gottfried Biller (born September 16, 1951 in Nebra ) is a German church musician and most recently worked full-time in the Quedlinburg parish and at the St. Servatii Cathedral . He was the founder of the Quedlinburg Music Summer and directed it until his retirement in March 2017.

Life

Biller was born in Nebra as the son of a Protestant pastor. In 1966 he graduated from the Nebra Polytechnic . In the following year he moved away from Nebra in order to take his Abitur at the Extended High School Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in Roßleben in 1970. He studied church music at the Evangelical College for Church Music in Halle (Saale) . After graduating in 1976, he taught as a lecturer at the preacher's seminary in Gnadau near Schönebeck.

In 1980 Biller became organist at the Quedlinburg Cathedral. In the following year he took over the tradition of individual summer concerts and brought them together in a series for the Quedlinburger Musiksommer, which he organizes and directs without interruption to this day. After the reunification, Biller expanded the youth meeting and work center (JuBa) in Quedlinburg as managing director, which has been run as a pure youth hostel by the German Youth Hostel Association since 1997 . In June 2000 he was given the honorary title of church music director . On October 2nd, 2010 he became an honorary citizen of the city of Quedlinburg as head of the round table at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall due to his services in the field of culture, for the Quedlinburg music summer and for the democratic new beginning of Quedlinburg . For these achievements he received the Federal Republic of Germany's Medal of Merit on December 10, 2012 from the Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt .

Biller at the organ of the Westerhausen Church during a concert during the Quedlinburg Music Summer 2015

In addition to the summer of music, he has directed the Quedlinburg Oratorio Choir, founded by Carl Künne in 1966, since 1982, is a member of the Quedlinburg Community Foundation and conducts and organizes numerous concerts every year. He also founded the Quedlinburg Youth Choir in 1993 (conductor until 2006).

On January 1, 1998 Biller was to be appointed as the successor to Wolfgang Elger as regional church music director in Dessau . For family reasons, he returned the appeal that had been made in June 1997.

Biller has four children with his wife. The only son was in training as a Thomaner in Leipzig with Biller's younger brother, the then Thomaskantor Georg Christoph Biller .

Biller played the organist in the film Goethe! (2010, Warner Brothers).

On March 1, 2017, Biller retired, but stated that he would like to work on the organ in the next few years in the wider area. His successor in the office of church musician is Markus Kaufmann, who was introduced to his office on March 19, 2017.

literature

Petri, Holm: Gottfried Biller , in: Qurier: the official gazette of the World Heritage City of Quedlinburg with the villages of Bad Suderode and City of Gernrode. 2016, no. 11 (29. Oct. 2016), p. 6. ( available online )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b Dieter Jäger in Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, ex-Nebraer in old homeland: standing applause and coveted handshake; Gottfried Biller got the locals on their feet - sparks literally jumped at the choir concert. Nebra, July 8, 1997 ( Memento from February 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  2. ^ Mitteldeutsche Zeitung: Youth Hostel Association is favored as the new provider; Main and finance committee discussed the Juba situation - Biller's merits never questioned. Quedlinburg, June 20, 1997. ( Memento from February 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  3. ^ The Citizen Portraits - Gottfried Biller: A Summer in Quedlinburg , accessed on January 3, 2011
  4. Mitteldeutsche Zeitung; Biller is now music director; Achievements recognized. Quedlinburg, June 27, 2000 ( Memento from September 11, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  5. http://www.liste2004.de/press/herforder-buergermeister-erschien-als-einziger-ohne-amtskette
  6. http://www.quedlinburg.de/index.php?id=118057000089&cid=118057005509
  7. Program for the ceremony 20 years of German unity (PDF, 183 kB)
  8. Resolution draft of the Quedlinburg City Council on the award of honorary citizenship (PDF, 24 kB)
  9. Ingo Kugenbuch: Gottfried Biller receives Order of Merit . In: Mitteldeutsche Zeitung . Quedlinburg December 11, 2012 ( mz-web.de [accessed November 10, 2017]).
  10. Quedlinburg Oratorio Choir
  11. Marc Mathees in Mitteldeutsche Zeitung: Carl Künne built up the choir - first appearance in 1966 with Handel's "Messiah" - rehearsal every Wednesday evening. Quedlinburg, November 14, 1996 ( Memento from February 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  12. http://www.kirchequedlinburg.de/qlb/gemeinde/jugend/jugendchor.php?navid=193175193175
  13. Mitteldeutsche Zeitung: Gottfried Biller with a new task; Now regional church music director. Quedlinburg, June 1, 1997 ( Memento from February 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  14. ^ Mitteldeutsche Zeitung: Martin Herrmann, music director; Appointment of the Evangelical Church on January 1st. Dessau, November 20, 1997. ( Memento from September 11, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )