Freiburg Jazz Choir
| Freiburg Jazz Choir | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Seat: | Freiburg im Breisgau / Germany |
| Founding: | 1990 |
| Genus: | Jazz choir |
| Founder: | Bertrand Gröger |
| Head : | Bertrand Gröger |
| Voices : | 30 (SSAATTBB) |
| Website : | www.jazzchorfreiburg.de |
The Freiburg Jazz Choir under the direction of Bertrand Gröger was founded in 1990.
Tours through Germany, Korea, Japan and Russia, concerts in France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark, cooperation with world stars such as Bobby McFerrin , the Swingle Singers or the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra , the publication of CDs and participation in choir competitions, all of which resulted in first prizes (e.g. German Choir Competition 1998, Choir Olympiad Korea 2002), made the choir known nationally and internationally.
Detailed information
The Freiburg Jazz Choir was founded in 1990 by Bertrand Gröger. Tours and concerts in Japan, Korea, Russia, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark, successful participation in competitions (including 1st prize at the German Choir Competition in 1998 and 1st prize at the Choir Olympiad in Korea 2002), CD productions ("Hammenoma", "Live in Japan") as well as radio and television broadcasts made the choir known nationally and internationally.
The choir gives guest performances at festivals (e.g. "International Jazz Vocal Festival Russia", " Montreux Jazz Festival ", "Rheingau Music Festival"), in concert halls (including "Sunflower Hall", Yokohama; "Cappella", St. Petersburg; "Palais de la Musique", Strasbourg, Konzerthaus Vienna, Großes Festspielhaus Salzburg), in churches (monastery church, Zlatá Koruna; "Christianskirken", Århus; cathedral in Magdeburg), as well as in jazz clubs ("Sweet Basil Club", Tokyo ; "Jazz Art Club", Moscow; "Stadtgarten", Cologne).
The program of the jazz choir includes vocal jazz from swing to fusion with the attempt to build bridges between serious and popular music, aspiration and entertainment. The tracks, mostly arranged by Gröger, by z. B. Miles Davis, John Coltrane or Nat King Cole get new colors through scat choir movements, collective rap and shout choruses. With occasional excursions into the world of “Manhattan Transfer” or the “New York Voices”, the choir also brings familiar things to life in a multiplied quartet line-up.
In addition to some a cappella pieces, the choir is accompanied in the concerts by its band with piano, double bass and drums. The line-up is often expanded to include guest soloists with saxophone, tap dance or vocal solos. It was u. a. worked with artists such as the Swingle Singers, Bernd Schlott, Torun Eriksen , Cécile Verny , Norbert Gottschalk and Tap for Two.
Outside of the vocal jazz program, there have since been projects with Bobby McFerrin (“Circlesongs”, “VOCabuLarieS”), the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (“der und die (das)” by Bertrand Gröger), the Philharmonic Orchestra Freiburg (“Daphnis & Chloë "By Maurice Ravel), the Basel Sinfonietta (" Porgy & Bess "by George Gershwin) and the Hannover Big Band (" Concert of Sacred Music "by Duke Ellington) for performance.
The choirmaster
Bertrand Gröger, born in Wolfsburg, grew up in Bremen, studied classical music in Freiburg and Paris and jazz in Hamburg. With his band “Tune Up” and the classical ensemble “Trio Grande”, Gröger gave concerts in Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain and South Africa and made radio and television productions with these line-ups.
In 1990, Gröger founded the Freiburg Jazz Choir, with which he has toured throughout Europe, Japan and Korea and won first prizes in all competitions (Italy 1997, Germany 1998, Korea 2002). In 1997 he was awarded the ZMF Prize for his work as a choir director.
In the field of composition / arrangement, Gröger is self-taught and was a prize winner in the 1989 International Composition Competition in Berlin. He arranges and composes a large part of the Jazzchor Freiburg repertoire, published with Ricordi and wrote commissioned works for the Swingle Singers, the Bamberg Symphony, the WDR Radio Orchestra and the Northwest German Philharmonic. As a guest conductor, he led the Philharmonic Orchestra Freiburg with his composition "der und die (das)" for orchestra, jazz choir and band, as well as the 2000 member world children's choir from 115 nations at the UN "Festival Mondial des Enfants". In a joint project with Bobby McFerrin as part of the “Voices” festival, Gröger directed its compositions.
Gröger is a lecturer at the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg in Mannheim, where he leads the university's choir. Since 2004 he has also directed the Zug Gospel Choir. The "loop songs" composed by him and sung by the Swingle Singers were published by Schott and Hal Leonard and triggered a great response. He is also the editor of the “Jazz and Pop Choir Series”.
For many years, Gröger was a singing lecturer at the Jazz and Rock School Freiburg and lecturer for jazz-pop-rock choir conducting at the Musikhochschule Würzburg . He gave workshops for choir directors and choir singers at the music academies in Saarbrücken, Freiburg and Frankfurt a. M., the Landesakademie Ochsenhausen and the AMJ (“Working Group Music in Young People”) as well as the European Jazz Academy. Gröger is a juror at German and international choir competitions.
Discography
- 1991 Jazz Choir Freiburg Cassette
- 1995 HA-ME-NO-MA
- 1998 Duke Ellington - A Concert of Sacred Music, Lothar Krists Hannover Bigband & Jazzchor Freiburg
- 1999 Live in Japan audio samples
- 2003 Sportclub Freiburg - We want to jump, ... want to have fun! (Track No. 6: SCF)
- 2005 One year later - tsunami charity; "South Baden helps": Live recording of the Tsunami Charity Night of the ZMF Prize winners on January 23, 2005 in the Freiburg Theater
- 2005 Commemorative Album of 2005 Korean Tour
- 2006 Commemorative Album of 2006 Korean Tour
- 2012 A Cappella audio samples
- 2015 swing! Audio samples
Awards
- 1st prize in the international choir competition, Limburg 1996
- Int. ZMF Prize, Freiburg 1997
- 1st prize winner in the state choir competition, Baden-Württemberg, 1997
- 1st prize in the International Choir Competition, Riva del Garda 1997
- 1st prize winner in the 5th German Choir Competition, Regensburg 1998
- Improvisation Prize, Regensburg 1998
- Interpretation Prize, Regensburg 1998
- 1st Prize Winner Choir Olympiad, Korea 2002
- European Culture Prize 2006
- Award of the Int. Lake Constance Conference 2009