Wolfgang Schäfer (born 7 April 1945) is a German choral conductor and academic. He founded the Freiburger Vokalensemble, the BosArt Trio, and the Frankfurter Kammerchor.

Career

Born in Staufen im Breisgau, Schäfer studied music education, voice and choral conducting in Freiburg im Breisgau, and orchestral conducting in Stuttgart. He was a teacher at the

Hochschule für Musik Freiburg ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...

from 1971 to 1982. He has been the artistic director of the , which he founded in 1971. In 1982 Schäfer was appointed professor for choral conducting at the

Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (german: Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, italic=no, link=no, HfMDK) is a state Hochschule for music, theatre and dance in Frankfurt and is the only one of its k ...

(short: HfMDK, Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts), succeeding

Helmuth Rilling Helmuth Rilling (born 29 May 1933) is a German choral conductor and an academic teacher. He is the founder of the Gächinger Kantorei (1954), the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart (1965), the Oregon Bach Festival (1970), the Internationale Bachakademie ...

. In that capacity he conducted both the choir and the chamber choir of the Hochschule. He performed concerts with the chamber choir of the MfMDK at the university and also in the

Rhein-Main Region The Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region, often simply referred to as Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main area or Rhine-Main area (German: ''Rhein-Main-Gebiet'' or ''Frankfurt/Rhein-Main'', abbreviated FRM), is the second-largest metropolitan re ...

, such as 2007 in St. Martin, Idstein, a program of mostly

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

compositions, ''Das ist mir lieb'' (Psalm 116) by

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

, '' Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen?'' by Brahms, ''Eli Eli'' (based on Psalm 22) of Georgius Bárdos, Bruckner's '' Os justi'' (Psalm 37:19–20), and

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

's ''Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden'' (Psalm 117). Among his students are

Peter Reulein Peter Reulein (born 1966) is a German composer, organ improviser, academic teacher and church musician, from 2000 at the church Liebfrauen in Frankfurt am Main. In 2016 he composed for the Catholic Diocese of Limburg the Franciscan oratorio ''La ...

Christoph Siebert Christoph Siebert is a German choral conductor, coaching and directing ensembles including the Collegium Vocale Gent. He is also an academic teacher in the field. Career Siebert studied church music at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt. After his e ...

and Dan Zerfaß. In 2008, after 26 years of teaching, he conducted in a farewell concert '' Schicksalslied'' of Brahms and Schubert's '' Mass in A flat major''. Also in 1982 he was the director of the Frankfurter Kantorei, succeeding Kurt Thomas and Rilling. He conducted the choir until 1997. In 2008 he founded the Frankfurter Kammerchor. Schäfer has been a juror at international music competitions. He has been the artistic director of the annual ''Staufener Musikwoche'' in his hometown. Since his student days, Schäfer has also been a member of the musical comedy group BosArt Trio. In 1984 Schäfer conducted the premiere of the ''Mass'' of

Kurt Hessenberg Kurt Hessenberg (17 August 1908 – 17 June 1994) was a German composer and professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt. Life Kurt Hessenberg was born on 17 August 1908 in Frankfurt, as the fourth and last child of ...

with the Frankfurter Kantorei in the studio of the

Hessischer Rundfunk Hessischer Rundfunk (HR; "Hesse Broadcasting") is the German state of Hesse's public broadcasting corporation. Headquartered in Frankfurt, it is a member of the national consortium of German public broadcasting corporations, ARD. Studios Do ...

. In 1990 he recorded

Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hilde ...

's cantata ''Die Tageszeiten'' with Mechthild Bach,

Mechthild Georg Mechthild Georg is a German operatic mezzo-soprano, and a professor of voice at the Musikhochschule Köln. Career Georg studied Roman studies and history at the Cologne University, and music pedagogy at the Musikhochschule Köln. She then stud ...

Hans Peter Blochwitz Hans Peter Blochwitz (born 28 September 1949) is a German lyric tenor, who is known internationally in opera and concert, especially for singing parts in Mozart operas. Career Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on 28 September 1949, Blochwitz fir ...

, Johannes Mannov, the Freiburger Vokalensemble and Collegium Musicum, the second commercial recording of the cantata. In 2003 he recorded Telemann's Passion ''Das selige Erwägen des bittern Leiden und Sterbens Jesu Christi'' with Barbara Locher, Zeger Vandersteene, Stefan Dörr, Berthold Possemeyer, Jesus-Rene Schmidt, the Freiburger Vokalensemble and

L'arpa festante is a German chamber orchestra, specializing in the revival and performance of unknown works, especially from the Baroque era. It was established in Munich in 1983 by Michi Gaigg, who also led the ensemble as concertmaster until 1995. The ensemble ...

, then probably the only recording of the work. After retiring from the Musikhochschule Frankfurt, Schäfer founded the Frankfurter Kammerchor, mostly formed by alumni of the Hochschule. He conducted the chamber choir in concerts in the

Limburg Cathedral Limburg Cathedral (german: Limburger Dom, also known as ''Georgsdom'' ("George's Cathedral") after its dedication to Saint George, is located above the old town of Limburg in Hesse, Germany. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Limburg ...

, St. Martin, Idstein, and the

Stiftskirche, Stuttgart The Stiftskirche (''Collegiate Church'') is an inner-city church in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the main church of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg (''Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg'') as ...

, among others. He designed a program for Advent which includes several settings of

Ave Maria The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...

and Jan Sandström's

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen "" (literally "A rose has sprung up") is a Christmas carol and Marian hymn of German origin. It is most commonly translated into English as "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming" and is also called "A Spotless Rose" and "Behold a Rose of Judah". The rose ...

Awards

* 1981: BBC competition "

Let the Peoples Sing ''Let the Peoples Sing'' (known until 1964 as ''Let the People Sing'') is an international choral competition currently organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The final, encompassing three categories and around ten choirs, is offer ...

", first prize with the Freiburger Vokalensemble * 1984: Wettbewerb der Europäischen Rundfunkunion, first prize with the Freiburger Vokalensemble

Discography

Freiburger Vokalensemble * Anton Bruckner: ''Motetten''. EOM, Freiburg 1980 * ''Das deutsche Chorlied um 1600''. Christophorus, Freiburg 1982 * Anton Bruckner: ''Motetten''. Christophorus, Freiburg 1984 * Hector Berlioz: ''

Lélio ''Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie'' (English: ''Lélio, or the Return to Life'') Op. 14b, is a work incorporating music and spoken text by the French composer Hector Berlioz, intended as a sequel to his '' Symphonie fantastique''. It is written ...

''.

Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt The Frankfurt Radio Symphony (german: hr-Sinfonieorchester) is the radio orchestra of Hessischer Rundfunk, the public broadcasting network of the German state of Hesse. From 1929 to 1950 it was named ''Frankfurter Rundfunk-Symphonie-Orchester''. F ...

Eliahu Inbal Eliahu Inbal (born 16 February 1936, Jerusalem) is an Israeli conductor. Inbal studied violin at the Israeli Academy of Music and took composition lessons with Paul Ben-Haim. Upon hearing him there, Leonard Bernstein endorsed a scholarship fo ...

. Denon, 1987 *

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hild ...

: ''Die Tageszeiten''. BMG Ariola, Hamburg 1990 *

Cristóbal de Morales Cristóbal de Morales (c. 1500 – between 4 September and 7 October 1553) was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Tomás Luis de Victoria. Life Cristóbal de Mo ...

: ''Geistliche Werke''. Christophorus, Freiburg 1990 * Johannes Brahms: '' Zigeunerlieder''. Sonomaster, Stuttgart 1991 * Johannes Brahms: ''Deutsche Volkslieder''. Bayer, Bietigheim-Bissingen 1996 * ''Musik-Dokumente 1970 - 2003 aus der Freiburger Pauluskirche.'' Notabene, Freiburg 2003 *

: ''Das selige Erwägen des bittern Leidens und Sterbens Jesu Christi''. Sonomaster, Stuttgart 2003 * Joseph Rheinberger: ''Vom Goldenen Horn''. Carus, Stuttgart 2005 *

Conradin Kreutzer Conradin Kreutzer or Kreuzer (22 November 1780 – 14 December 1849) was a German composer and conductor. His works include the operas ''Das Nachtlager in Granada'' and incidental music to ''Der Verschwender'', both produced in 1834 in Vienna. ...

: ''Goethes „Faust“. Gesänge''. ARTS Frankfurter Kantorei * Arthur Honegger: ''

Le Roi David ''Le Roi David'' was composed in Mézières, Switzerland, in 1921 by Arthur Honegger, as incidental music for a play in French by René Morax. It was called dramatic psalm, but has also been performed as oratorio, without staging. The plot, bas ...

''. Christophorus, Freiburg 1985 * Gustav Mahler: '' Symphony No. 3''. Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt, Eliahu Inbal. Denon, Ratingen 1987 * Hector Berlioz: ''

''. Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt, Eliahu Inbal. Denon, 1987 * Igor Stravinsky: ''

Les noces ''Les Noces'' (French for The Wedding; russian: Свадебка, ''Svadebka'') is a ballet and orchestral concert work composed by Igor Stravinsky for percussion, pianists, chorus, and vocal soloists. The composer gave it the descriptive title " ...

'';

Carl Orff Carl Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, best known for his cantata '' Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. Life Early life Carl ...

: ''Catulli carmina''. Koch, München 1990 *

Harald Genzmer Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrada ...

: ''Deutsche Messe''. Cappella, Wiesbaden 1993 * Antonín Dvořák: Mass in D major. Freiburger Musik-Forum, Freiburg 1993 * Joseph Rheinberger: ''Mass in F minor; Sechs religiöse Gesänge; Requiem in d-Moll.'' Stuttgart, Carus 1998 * Felix Mendelssohn: ''

Die erste Walpurgisnacht ''Die erste Walpurgisnacht'' (''The First Walpurgis Night'') is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, telling of the attempts of Druids in the Harz mountains to practice their pagan rituals in the face of new and dominating Christian forces. It wa ...

''. Städtisches Opernhaus- und Museumsorchester,

Sylvain Cambreling Sylvain Cambreling (born 2 July 1948 in Amiens, France) is a French conductor. Biography Trained as a trombone player, Cambreling studied at the Paris Conservatoire. He joined l' Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon (OSL) as a trombonist in 1971. In 19 ...

. Frankfurter Museums-Gesellschaft 2001 BosArt Trio * ''Unerhörte Meisterwerke''. 1984 * ''Ein Schluck aus dem Opernglas''. 1987 * ''Scherzo wie Watsche''. 1991 * ''Musik von A bis Zett''. 1994 * ''Insalata Mista''. 1998 * ''Die Fledermaus und das Phantom''. 2000 * ''Bach Blüten''. 2001

References

External links

Wolfgang Schaefer
Frankfurter Kantorei

Frankfurter Kammerchor (in German)
BosArt Trio
website (in German)

on bach-cantatas {{DEFAULTSORT:Schafer, Wolfgang 1945 births Living people People from Staufen im Breisgau German choral conductors German male conductors (music) Academic staff of the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg 21st-century German conductors (music) 21st-century German male musicians