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Konrad Junghänel (born 27 February 1953) is a German
lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can re ...
nist and
conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...
in the field of historically informed performance, the founder and director of the vocal ensemble Cantus Cölln.


Career

Junghänel studied at the
Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln The Cologne University of Music ( is a music college in Cologne, Germany. Founded in 1850, it is Europe's largest academy of music. History The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as ''Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln''. In 1895 Ger ...
. He has given solo concerts internationally and has worked with ensembles such as Les Arts Florissants, La Petite Bande,
Musica Antiqua Köln Musica Antiqua Köln was an early music group that was founded in 1973 by Reinhard Goebel and fellow students from the Conservatory of Music in Cologne. Musica Antiqua Köln devoted itself largely to the performance of the music of the 17th and 18th ...
and
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (also known simply as Tafelmusik) is a Canadian Baroque orchestra specializing in early music and based in Toronto. They often perform with choir and play period instruments. The orchestra was founded in 1979 by o ...
. As a lutenist, he recorded works by Jacques Bittner in 1984. He is particularly known for his lute recitals of
Johann Sebastian 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 wo ...
and
Sylvius Leopold Weiss Sylvius Leopold Weiss (12 October 168716 October 1750) was a German composer and lutenist. Born in Grottkau near Breslau, the son of Johann Jacob Weiss, also a lutenist, he served at courts in Breslau, Rome, and Dresden, where he died. Until ...
, and received the
Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik The Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik ("German Record Critics' Award") was established in Germany in 1963 by publisher Richard Kaselowsky with the aim of setting the "most rigorous standards for supreme achievement and quality" in the field ...
for his solo recording of a piece by Weiss in 1985. He has collaborated with countertenor
René Jacobs René Jacobs (born 30 October 1946) is a Belgian musician. He came to fame as a countertenor, but later in his career he became known as a conductor of baroque and classical opera. Biography Countertenor Born in Ghent, Jacobs began his music ...
and gambist Wieland Kuijken, and has also played
theorbo The theorbo is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck and a second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box (a hollow box) with a wooden top, typically with a sound hole, and a neck extending out ...
, such as a 13-course chitarrone and a 14 course liuto attiorbato, among others. In 1987, Junghänel founded the vocal ensemble Cantus Cölln, which he has directed ever since. Numerous recordings of Cantus Cölln have received international recognition. They recorded, among others,
Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is conside ...
's '' Vespro della Beata Vergine'',
Dieterich Buxtehude Dieterich Buxtehude (; ; born Diderik Hansen Buxtehude; c. 1637 – 9 May 1707)  was a Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period, whose works are typical of the North German organ school. As a composer who worked in various vocal ...
's ''
Membra Jesu Nostri ''Membra Jesu nostri'', BuxWV 75, is a cycle of seven cantatas composed in 1680 by Dieterich Buxtehude and dedicated to Gustaf Düben. More specifically and fully it is, in Buxtehude’s phrase, a ''�devotionedecantata,”'' or “sung devotion ...
'' and ''Geistliche Kantaten'' (Sacred Cantatas), and Johann Rosenmüller's Vespers, ''Weihnachtshistorie'' ( Christmas Story) and ''Sacri Concerti'' (Sacred Concerts). In 1989, they recorded ''Psalms, Motets and Concertos'' 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. H ...
, with the Knabenchor Hannover and singers
Johanna Koslowsky Johanna Koslowsky is a German soprano and vocal coach in the field of historically informed performance. Koslowsky began her vocal training with Hilde Wesselmann in Essen. After graduation, she studied church music at the Hochschule für Musik K ...
,
María Cristina Kiehr María Cristina Kiehr (born in Tandil, Argentina) is a soprano vocalist associated with Baroque music. After receiving her early musical training in Argentina, she moved in 1983 to Europe and studied under René Jacobs at the Schola Cantorum Ba ...
,
Heike Halaschka Heike may refer to: * Heike (given name), a (not exclusively) feminine given name, derived from the male name Anri (Henry) * Taira clan, sometimes referred to as "Heike" * Heike crab, a species of crab named after the Taira (Heike) clan * Heike On ...
,
David Cordier David Cordier (born 1 May 1959) is an English countertenor. He made an international career based in Germany, and appeared both in concert and opera. While focused on roles by Handel such as Radamisto, he has also performed in contemporary oper ...
, Herbert Klein,
Andreas Scholl Andreas Scholl (born 10 November 1967) is a German countertenor, a male classical singer in the alto vocal range, specialising in Baroque music. Born into a family of singers, Scholl was enrolled at the age of seven into the Kiedricher Chorbuben ...
,
Wilfried Jochens Wilfried Jochens is a German tenor. A graduate of Hamburg University and the State College for Music and Fine Arts, studying under Johannes Hoefflin, he has been a concert vocalist since 1972. He is particularly noted for his performances as the ...
, Gerd Türk, Frans-Josef Selig and
Stephan Schreckenberger Stephan Schreckenberger (born 16 February 1955) is a German bass singer and conductor, especially in the field of early music. From 2003, he has been a teacher at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt, and from 2011 the directo ...
. In 2000, they recorded early Bach cantatas, ''Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen'', BWV 12, the '' Actus Tragicus'', ''Der Herr denket an uns'', BWV 196, and ''Christ lag in Todesbanden'', BWV 4, with singers Koslowsky, Elisabeth Popien, Jochens, Türk and Schreckenberger. In 2002, they won the Gramophone Award in the category "Baroque Vocal" for the first complete recording of Monteverdi's '' Selva morale e spirituale'', accompanied by the Concerto Palatino. Following the concept of
Joshua Rifkin Joshua Rifkin (born April 22, 1944 in New York) is an American conductor, pianist, and musicologist; he is currently a professor of music at Boston University. As a performer he has recorded music by composers from Antoine Busnois to Silvestre Re ...
of one singer on a part, they recorded in 2003 Bach's
Mass in B minor The Mass in B minor (), BWV 232, is an extended setting of the Mass ordinary by Johann Sebastian Bach. The composition was completed in 1749, the year before the composer's death, and was to a large extent based on earlier work, such as a Sanct ...
with ten singers, one on each part for the six-part and eight-part movements, but two on each part for most of the four-part and five-part movements. Junghänel has featured on over 100 recordings with
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (founded 1958) is a German classical music record label. It was founded by Rudolf Ruby and based in Freiburg, Breisgau. The company was acquired by BMG Music in 1992 and is now part of Sony Music Entertainment. Ruby had Al ...
, Harmonia Mundi France, EMI,
Accent Accent may refer to: Speech and language * Accent (sociolinguistics), way of pronunciation particular to a speaker or group of speakers * Accent (phonetics), prominence given to a particular syllable in a word, or a word in a phrase ** Pitch ac ...
and
Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family o ...
/Archiv Produktion. Junghänel became professor of the Hochschule für Musik Köln in 1994. He conducted opera at the
Theater Basel Theater Basel is the municipal theatre of the city of Basel, Switzerland, which is home to the city's opera and ballet companies. The theatre also presents plays and musicals in addition to operas and operettas. Because the theatre does no ...
, the
Staatsoper Hamburg The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Hamburg) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''Genera ...
,
Staatsoper Hannover Hanover State Opera (german: Staatsoper Hannover) is an opera company in Hanover, the state capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. The company is resident in the Hanover Opera House (), and is part of a publicly-funded umbrella performing arts orga ...
and
Staatsoper Stuttgart The Staatsoper Stuttgart (Stuttgart State Opera) is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Staatsorchester Stuttgart serves as its resident orchestra. History Performances of operas, ballet and ...
,
Cologne Opera The Cologne Opera (German: Oper der Stadt Köln or Oper Köln) refers both to the main opera house in Cologne, Germany and to its resident opera company. History of the company From the mid 18th century, opera was performed in the city's court th ...
,
Komische Oper Berlin The Komische Oper Berlin is a German opera company based in Berlin. The company produces opera, operetta and musicals. The opera house is located on Behrenstraße, just a few steps from Unter den Linden. Since 2004, the Komische Oper Berlin, a ...
, Deutsche Oper am Rhein and the Staatstheater Saarbrücken, among others, working with directors such as Herbert Wernicke,
Nigel Lowery Nigel ( ) is an English masculine given name. The English ''Nigel'' is commonly found in records dating from the Middle Ages; however, it was not used much before being revived by 19th-century antiquarians. For instance, Walter Scott published ...
, Karin Beier and Calixto Bieito. Since the 2009/2010 season, Junghänel has collaborated with director
Uwe Eric Laufenberg Uwe Eric Laufenberg (born 11 December 1960) is a German actor, stage director for play and opera, and theatre manager who has directed at international opera houses and festivals, such as '' Elektra'' at the Vienna State Opera and '' Parsifal'' at ...
at the Cologne Opera. In 2012, he conducted
Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his train ...
's opera '' Xerxes'' at the
Komische Oper Berlin The Komische Oper Berlin is a German opera company based in Berlin. The company produces opera, operetta and musicals. The opera house is located on Behrenstraße, just a few steps from Unter den Linden. Since 2004, the Komische Oper Berlin, a ...
, directed by Stefan Herheim, with