Wolfgang Seeliger
Wolfgang Seeliger (born May 30, 1946 in Heidelberg ) is a German conductor and choir director .
life and work
Seeliger received his musical training at the Salzburg Mozarteum and at the University of Salzburg from Hans Swarowsky , the mentor of modern orchestral education . His other teachers in Salzburg included Gerhard Wimberger , Helmut Eder and Nikolaus Harnoncourt , who had a lasting influence on him with his understanding of music as language. Wolfgang Seeliger completed his training with the conductors Kirill Kondraschin , Franco Ferrara and Herbert von Karajan , with whom he had close personal contacts. In 1983 he was assistant to Sir Colin Davis and from 1984 to Leonard Bernstein . From 1984 until his death in 1990 there was close cooperation between the conductors at all of Bernstein's concerts and recordings in Germany. Since then he has worked as a conductor and choir director at several opera houses and radio stations. In 1982 he followed a call as a lecturer for orchestral conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim . In addition, he continues to teach various choir, orchestra and conducting courses. Wolfgang Seeliger was already integrated into the Austrian jazz scene during his school and university days and worked a. a. with Friedrich Gulda . Even during his intensive collaboration with Bernstein, this music occupied and influenced him. So he also follows his motto: "There is only good and bad music, but no difference between popular and serious music".
In 1977 he founded the Darmstadt Concert Choir , of which he is still director today. From 1994 to 2000, Wolfgang Seeliger was the artistic director of the Jagdschloss Kranichstein Summer Games, which he initiated . In 2001 he founded the Darmstadt Residence Festival . In addition to the numerous concert engagements as the conductor of his Darmstadt ensembles, Wolfgang Seeliger works as a guest conductor with various orchestras and choirs, e. B. with the Munich Philharmonic , the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg , the São Carlos Lisbon State Opera , the Hilversum Radio Orchestra and the various German radio choirs. From April 2007 to summer 2010 he was also the artistic director of the Academic Philharmonic Heidelberg, of which he is now honorary conductor.
Wolfgang Seeliger opened up a stylistically comprehensive repertoire for his ensembles, which includes less well-known and unusual music to the same extent as the standard works of choral and orchestral literature from ancient to contemporary music. He has also directed or studied numerous world premieres of works by contemporary composers; In addition, he is also interested in almost forgotten composers from Darmstadt's musical history, such as Christoph Graupner and Carl Amand Mangold .
Appreciations
In June 2006, Seeliger was recognized by the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art for his life's work, with which he made a special contribution to the cultural development of the State of Hesse, and for his services as a "cultural ambassador for Darmstadt all over the world, for Hesse and for Germany" awarded the Goethe badge of the state of Hesse .
In 2019 he received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany on the ribbon .
Web links
- Website of Wolfgang Seeliger
- Works by and about Wolfgang Seeliger in the catalog of the German National Library
- Portrait on the side of the Darmstadt Concert Choir
- Portrait on the page of the Darmstadt Residence Festival
Individual evidence
- ↑ Man Darmstadt: Honor to whom honor is due. In: Darmstädter Echo . November 2, 2019, accessed November 27, 2019.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Seeliger, Wolfgang |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German conductor and choir director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 30, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Heidelberg |