Wernigerode radio youth choir

Wernigerode radio youth choir
Seat:	Wernigerode / Germany
Carrier:	State high school for music Wernigerode
Founding:	1951
Genus:	mixed choir
Founder:	Friedrich Krell
Head :	Peter Habermann
Voices :	approx. 100 ( SSAATTBB )
Website :	www.rundfunk-jugendchor.de

The Rundfunk-Jugendchor Wernigerode is a mixed choir ( SSAATTBB ) under the direction of Peter Habermann. It consists of students from the Landesgymnasium for Music in Wernigerode (formerly: special classes for music of the EOS "Gerhart Hauptmann"). The choir is one of the most successful choirs in Germany, as proven by numerous MC, LP, CD, radio and television productions as well as national and international awards.

history

The ensemble was founded in 1951 by the chemistry and music teacher Friedrich Krell on behalf of the then director of EOS, Rudolf Bensing . The first rehearsal with 191 singers took place on May 16, 1951, and the first radio production took place from October 29 to 30, 1952. In 1961 the choir took part in the filming of the television film Old Town and Young Voices . In 1973, the choir, previously known as the “Choir of the Gerhart Hauptmann Oberschule Wernigerode”, was awarded the title “Rundfunk-Jugendchor Wernigerode”. This title was retained after 1990, although there are no longer any connections to broadcasting.

In 1963 the first performance of the cantata Wir look forward to the wind of tomorrow by Rolf Lukowsky and Rainer Kirsch took place. In the years 1972 to 1982 there was regular participation in the international Béla Bartók Festival (contemporary music of the highest level of difficulty) in Debrecen , Hungary. Concert tours took the choir to Japan in 1992 and 2006, to Georgia (USA) in 1994, to Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein in 2000, to Liechtenstein and Switzerland in 2001, to Switzerland in 2002 and to southern Germany / Liechtenstein / Italy in 2003 and to Denmark for the Jule concert in 2009 in the Europahalle Aalborg . In 2010 and 2015 the choir visited Vietnam.

In 1954 the choir was awarded first prize as the “best a cappella choir in the GDR” and in 1956 first prize for the chamber choir at the 1st International Olympiad for amateur choir singing in Paris. In 1990 the first place at the European youth choir competition in Stuttgart was achieved. At the state choir competition in Saxony-Anhalt in 1993 and 1997, first place was also achieved. Further first places were at the competitions Nemzetközi Kòrusverseny Budapest, V. Concorso Corale Internazionale Riva del Garda (Italy) and at the International Choir Days in Pohlheim . At the Choir Olympics in Linz (2000) the choir won a gold medal. At the German Choir Competition , which is held every four years and requires first place in the previous State Choir Competition , the choir achieved first place in the “Mixed Youth Choirs” category every time it participated (1990, 1998, 2006, 2014). As a result, the choir opened the 8th German Choir Competition in Dortmund in spring 2010 together with the Hannover Girls' Choir , which also took first place in its category in 2006.

In 1992 the Rundfunk-Jugendchor Wernigerode participated in the musical accompaniment of the festive meeting of the Bundestag and Bundesrat on the Day of German Unity , in 1998 at the festive meeting "50 Years of the Conference of Ministers of Education" in Bonn and in 2010 at the ceremony "20 Years of the State Government of Saxony-Anhalt" in Magdeburg in Presence of the Federal President Christian Wulff .

The choir took part in around 100 television and film recordings and recorded around 1,500 radio and audio recordings, including around 30 records and CDs (as of March 2010).

Discography (selection)

1972: In the most beautiful Wiesengrunde - the choir of the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Oberschule Wernigerode sings folk songs ( Eterna ; production of the first LP in our own newly created recording studio)
1991: Student songs for Japan (CD)
1995: Lullabies for Japan (CD)
... looks at me of the tones light (CD, repertoire cross section)
2000: A Thousand Stars Are A Cathedral (CD)
2002: evening serenade (CD)
2004: Des Knaben Wunderhorn (CD)
O valleys wide o heights (CD)
Wake up, the beautiful of my heart (CD, repertoire cross-section)
2010: let us rejoice! (CD)
2013: How Can I Keep From Singing (CD)