Klaus Hähnel

Klaus Hähnel (* 1941 in Stollberg , Erzgebirge ) is a German music teacher and founder of the Gotha Children's Choir .

Life

Hähnel received initial impulses for his work from Prof. Hans Stange , one of the most important music teachers and choir trainers of the post-war period in the former GDR . At the University of Leipzig he completed a teacher training course (1959–1963) in the subjects of music and German and obtained the exam in 1963, later the degree of "qualified pedagogue" in distance learning. Klaus Hähnel gained his first educational experience in a small rural community not far from Leipzig , then moved to Gotha in 1970 and set up a school choir here. In 1978 this now renowned choir was relocated to the then Pionierhaus and was able to open up to talented singers from all over the city. This laid the foundation stone for the development of one of the most powerful children's choirs in the GDR.

The connection to the changed conditions in the reunified Germany succeeded seamlessly: Klaus Hähnel and the Gotha Children's Choir are well known among experts. Klaus Hähnel was a music teacher without interruption until August 2004 and as a grammar school teacher until his retirement.

meaning

Valuable impulses for the choir work were provided by the many years of active participation in the central choir conducting seminars in Berlin under Wolfgang Berger (1921–2007, former children's choir director of the Dresden Philharmonic ), the voluntary work in various committees of the artistic layman and the study of the high level Children's choir work in the former CSSR . The regular participation in international festivals in Olomouc and Pardubice and the many encounters with the best choir directors from the neighboring country were also reflected in the choir directing seminars he supervised in the Thuringia area (from 1975 to today).

Personal contacts with composers who specifically devote themselves to literature for children's choirs led to fruitful collaboration and gave the choir numerous world premieres. Klaus Hähnel is a lecturer at seminars for children's choir conductors and a juror in performance comparisons and competitions at national level. Until 2010 he was Bundeschorleiter of the Thuringian Choir Youth in the German Choir Association (DSB), member of the Choir Youth Music Committee in the DSB, represented the Working Group Music in the Youth (AMJ) in the State Music Council of Thuringia and was chairman of the Choir Committee in the State Music Council.

For his services, Klaus Hähnel received the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon on September 16, 2004 from the Thuringian Minister of Education and the Badge of Honor of the State Music Council of Thuringia on March 5, 2011. He is still a sought-after lecturer at choral conducting seminars and choir meetings throughout Germany. Once a year he organizes a rehearsal weekend for former Gotha Children's Choir with a final concert under his direction.

Awards

• Federal Cross of Merit 2004
• Badge of Honor of the State Music Council Thuringia 2011 [1]