Wolfgang Schäfer (born 7 April 1945) is a German choral conductor and academic teacher. 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 Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

, and orchestral conducting in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. He was a teacher at the

Hochschule für Musik Freiburg The Hochschule für Musik Freiburg ("University of Music Freiburg or Freiburg Conservatory of Music") is a public music academy subsidized by the State of Baden-Württemberg for academic research and artistic and pedagogical training in music. ...

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 (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 Bachakade ...

. 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'', ''Frankfurt/Rhein-Main'' or ''FrankfurtRheinMain'', abbreviated FRM), is the third-l ...

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

psalm The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of H ...

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

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

, '' Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen?'' by Brahms, ''Eli Eli'' (based on

Psalm 22 Psalm 22 of the Book of Psalms (the hind of the dawn) or My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? is a psalm in the Bible. The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament of the Bible. In the s ...

) by Georgius Bárdos, Bruckner's '' Os justi'' (

Psalm 37 Psalm 37 is the 37th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section ...

:19–20), and

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

's ''Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden'' (

Psalm 117 Psalm 117 is the 117th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people." In Latin, it is known as . Consisting of only two verses, Psalm 117 is the short ...

). Among his students are Peter Reulein, Christoph Siebert and Dan Zerfaß. In 2008, after 26 years of teaching, he conducted in a farewell concert ''

Schicksalslied The ''Schicksalslied'' (''Song of Destiny''), Opus number, Op. 54, is an orchestrally accompanied choral setting of a poem written by Friedrich Hölderlin and is one of several major choral works written by Johannes Brahms. History Brahms ...

'' by 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 . In 1984 Schäfer conducted the premiere of the

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 o ...

's Mass with the Frankfurter Kantorei in the studio of the

Hessischer Rundfunk (; "Hesse Broadcasting"), shortened to HR (; stylized as hr), 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, A ...

. In 1990 he recorded

Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to be ...

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

''Die Tageszeiten'' with Mechthild Bach, Mechthild Georg, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Johannes Mannov, the Freiburger Vokalensemble and Collegium Musicum, the second commercial recording of the cantata. In 2003 he recorded Telemann's

Passion Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to: Emotion * Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing * Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions * Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...

''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 music, Baroque era. It was established in Munich in 1983 by Michi Gaigg, who also led the ensemble as concertmaster until 199 ...

, 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 (, 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. Its high location ...

, 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'') a ...

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

Ave Maria The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...

and Jan Sandström's

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen "" () 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 in the German text is a symbo ...

Awards

* 1981: BBC competition " Let the Peoples Sing", first prize with the Freiburger Vokalensemble * 1984: Wettbewerb der Europäischen Rundfunkunion, first prize with the Freiburger Vokalensemble

Discography

Freiburger Vokalensemble *

Anton Bruckner Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...

: ''Motetten''. EOM, Freiburg 1980 * ''Das deutsche Chorlied um 1600''. Christophorus, Freiburg 1982 *

: ''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,

Eliahu Inbal Eliahu Inbal (; born 16 February 1936, Jerusalem) is an Israeli conductor. Inbal has enjoyed a career of international renown, conducting leading orchestras around the worlHe has conducted a wide variety of works. He is best known for his interpr ...

. Denon, 1987 *

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

: ''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 Mor ...

: ''Geistliche Werke''. Christophorus, Freiburg 1990 * Johannes Brahms: '' Zigeunerlieder''. Sonomaster, Stuttgart 1991 *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

: ''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: ''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 a dramatic psalm, but has also been performed as oratorio, without staging. The plot, ba ...

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

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

Les noces ''The Wedding'', or ''Svadebka (''), is a Russian-language ballet-cantata by Igor Stravinsky scored unusually for four vocal soloists, chorus, percussion and four pianos. Dedicating the work to impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the composer described ...

'';

Carl Orff Carl Heinrich Maria Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, who composed the cantata ''Carmina Burana (Orff), Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Orff Schulwerk, Schulwerk were influential for ...

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

Harald Genzmer Harald Genzmer (9 February 1909 – 16 December 2007) was a German composer of classical music and an academic. Biography The son of the legal historian , Genzmer was born in Blumenthal, near Kiel, Germany. He studied composition with Paul ...

: ''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 efforts by Druids in the Harz Mountains to practice their pagan rituals in the face of new and dominating Christian forces. It was se ...

''. 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 197 ...

. 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)

Bach Cantatas Website {{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