Psycho-Choir of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena

Psycho-Choir of the FSU Jena eV
The Psycho Choir performing in the Volkshaus Jena (2019).
General information
origin	Jena, Germany
Genre (s)	a cappella ensemble
founding	2011
Website	www.psycho-chor.de

As a university choir, the Psycho Choir of the FSU Jena is a modern a-capella ensemble , which mainly consists of students from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena . The repertoire ranges from pop songs by U2 or Alice Merton to Nirvana and punk by Die Toten Hosen . The choir was founded in 2011 by Maximilian Lörzer, who has directed it to this day. With over six million clicks, the Psycho-Chor is the best-known German pop choir on YouTube .

history

In the summer semester of 2011, the music student Maximilian Lörzer started a women's ensemble of around 30 singers at the Institute for Psychology at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena . The name "Psycho-Chor" is derived from the establishment at the psychological institute and was initially intended as a project name. After the first series of concerts, the name established itself and became the permanent name of the ensemble. After one semester, the choir opened up to male students and developed into a mixed ensemble with almost 80 members. Since October 2011, the choir has been supported in its choral work by students from the Liszt School of Music Weimar and / or the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The choir conducting team consists of the director Maximilian Lörzer, a voice trainer and an assistant choir director. In addition to the musical direction, the work in the choir is supported by a board of directors. The choir offers its members the opportunity to participate in the work of the choir. B. in the choir board, as a section leader or in the marketing of the choir. In June 2012 the choir founded the non-profit association Psycho-Chor der FSU Jena eV , which is the legal sponsor of the choir.

In January 2015 the Psycho-Choir Jena produced its first CD takt | los !, which was financed by crowdfunding . The second CD was recorded in January 2019. The choir’s 3rd CD will be released in spring 2020, a double CD with the best live recordings of recent years.

The chamber ensemble of the Psycho Choir was founded in the 2018 summer semester. It appears in a changing line-up at public and private concerts.

Concert series

Every semester the psycho choir studies a new program, which is presented at the end of the semester in various concerts in and around Jena .

In addition to these semester concerts, the choir regularly cooperates with other artists. Collaborations took place with the Bolongaro-Sextett ( Frankfurt aM ), the Soundbites ( Darmstadt ), the vocal ensemble zimmmt! ( Berlin ), Kathy Kelly , the Free Orchestra Jena, the Octavians ( Jena ) and the poetry slammer Friedrich Herrmann (Jena). To promote young talent, the Psycho Choir regularly organizes concerts with Thuringian school choirs and gives a children's concert once a semester.

Since 2019, the choir has given double concerts once or twice a year with German ensembles invited to Jena. Within this row, the psycho choir stepped and still occurs. B. with the Detmold university choir Pop-Up, ONAIR (band) , Basta (band) , Hartmuth and the Hitmaschine or Maybebop .

The Psycho Choir is part of the trilateral Weimar Triangle project together with university choirs from Amiens ( France ) and Kraków ( Poland ) . As part of the project, the choir hosted a joint concert in October 2016 under the direction of Maximilian Lörzer. Together with the guest choirs, as well as the children's choir Schola Cantorum Weimar , band and soloists in Weimar , the work of the Picard composer Rodolphe Pierrepont was performed. In October 2017 and April 2021, the return visits to Amiens and Kraków followed.

In March 2018, the psycho choir was part of the international project Total Vocal of the Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) in New York . Under the direction of acapella arranger Deke Sharon , the Psycho Choir performed with choirs from India , Mexico , America and Great Britain in Lincoln Center in front of 2,800 spectators. During this trip the choir sang before members of the UN Parliament at the United Nations headquarters in New York through the mediation of the German Consul General in New York .

repertoire

With a few project-related exceptions, the Psycho Choir only sings a cappella literature. The repertoire serves a wide range of styles within the modern a cappella soundscape and ties in with modern a cappella bands such as WiseGuys , Maybebop , Basta and ONAIR , but also makes use of pop music . The choir director and members of the choir always perform their own arrangements.

Discography

• 2015: clock | go! (In-house production)
• 2019: sonorous ( Rondeau Production )

Awards

• May 2018 Prize Thuringian of the Month of the MDR for Maximilian Lörzer
• December 2018 Walter Dexel scholarship from the city of Jena and the Stadtwerke Energie Jena-Pößneck for Maximilian Lörzer
• March 2019 Winning of the regional Daniel Elster competition in Gotha by the Psycho-Choir Chamber Ensemble

Reviews

“It was a concert evening full of intellectual abundance: lyric and drama were popularly implemented in swing, jazz sounded, but also contemplative, even thoughtful contemplations of our world and in the rhythm typical of the pop genre across all vocal registers of the choir. Bravo! “OTZ, September 12, 2019

"Where folk choirs complain about a lack of young talent and some even break up, (...) [the] psycho choir apparently sings against the trend." OTZ, January 22, 2014

"With their clear, fresh voices, a cheerful charisma (...) and a huge portion of sympathy, the students gave the visitors a very special concert." Vogtlandspiegel, January 27, 2013

Web links

• Homepage
• YouTube
• Soundcloud

Individual evidence

1. ↑ OTZ, Ulrike Merkel , Most Successful Pop Choir on YouTube, December 20, 2018.
2. ↑ Choir Blog , About Us.
3. ^ Vocals on Air , Young Student Choir: Psycho-Chor der FSU Jena.
4. ↑ Psycho-Choir , About Us.
5. ↑ Psycho choir , choir direction.
6. ↑ OTZ , Psycho-Chor builds on crowdfunding.
7. ↑ Fridericianum , Our performance together with the Jena Psycho Choir on November 23, 2019.
8. ^ Melanchthonhaus Jena , children's concert by the psycho choir.
9. ^ Weimar Triangle , Thuringia Student Union and its trilateral projects.
10. ↑ Press release , Studierendenwerk Thuringia invites you to a tri-national choir meeting.
11. ↑ lifePR , tri-national choir meeting with 150 students from Jena, Amiens and Krakow.
12. ↑ DCINY , Total Vocal 2018.
13. ↑ Choir Blog , Day of Truth.
14. ↑ MDR Thüringen Journal , Thuringian of the Month Maximilian Lörzer April 2018 (Psycho-Choir of the University of Jena).
15. ↑ Stadtwerke Jena , Walter Dexel grant 2018 goes to Maximilian Lörzer.
16. ^ Jena Kultur , The 2018 Walter Dexel Scholarship goes to Maximilian Lörzer.
17. ↑ OTZ Walter Dexel Scholarship goes to Maximilian Lörzer, November 15, 2018.
18. ↑ Campus radio , In conversation: Maximilian Lörzer from the Psycho-Chor.
19. ↑ Psycho-Choir , Chamber Ensemble.
20. ↑ OTZ, Hans Lehmann , across all electoral registers, February 12, 2019.
21. ↑ OTZ, Michael Groß , Psycho-Chor Jena completely against the trend, January 22, 2014.
22. ↑ Vogtlandspiegel, Antje-Gesine Marsch , 2nd concert by the Psycho Choir of the FSU Jena in the city church of St. Marien Greiz, January 27, 2013.