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Wiesbaden Boys' Choir

The Wiesbaden Boys' Choir, founded in 1960, regularly performs in churches and concert halls in the city. Its repertoire includes both sacred and secular music. As part of choir exchange projects and joint concerts, it has been able to establish contacts worldwide.

The Wiesbaden Boys' Choir was founded in 1960 by Pastor Hugo Herrfurth in the tradition of Central German boys' choirs at the Wiesbaden Ringkirche and was later for many years the choir of the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau. Since 1997, the Wiesbaden Boys' Choir has been organized as an independent association. In addition to membership fees, the choir's work is made possible by financial support from private sponsors, the state capital of Wiesbaden and the Wiesbaden Protestant Deanery.

The repertoire of the Wiesbaden Boys' Choir is diverse. It ranges from Gregorian chant to works from the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical periods to gospels and works by contemporary composers, from simple songs to oratorios. Secular and sacred music is cultivated in the choir's work and provides the singers with an incentive to sing with commitment in community. The Wiesbaden Boys' Choir can be heard regularly in churches and concert halls in Wiesbaden and the surrounding area and has earned a good reputation through its musical work with children and young people. Voice training and choral pedagogical approaches combined with high artistic standards are at the heart of its work. Participation in a wide range of cultural events is just as much a part of his commitment as radio and television recordings or CD productions. Concert tours within Europe and beyond as well as maintaining contacts with choirs all over the world are an important part of the choir's work. As ambassadors for Wiesbaden and Germany, the Wiesbaden Boys' Choir has established worldwide contacts through choral exchange projects and joint concerts.

In addition to the concert choir, there are also Musikgarten courses for children of kindergarten age and pre-choir groups that prepare children for polyphonic and demanding singing. The brass section of the Wiesbaden Boys' Choir has been in existence since 1982, enabling children to learn to play a brass instrument.

The choir members in summer 2013.
The choir members in summer 2013.

The Wiesbaden Boys' Choir sets the tone in the lives of young people, and not just musically. The community of the choir also promotes their development in a holistic way. Social competence is just as much a part of this as independent action and the promotion of teamwork in the development of musical projects. The choir's engagement with Christian music literature also provides young people with important religious education. But getting to know people from different cultures during concert tours is also a formative experience for the boys in the choir. The Wiesbaden Boys' Choir thus offers meaningful leisure activities that stimulate creativity and help young people to find their bearings in life.

In 2013, the Wiesbaden Boys' Choir was awarded the Culture Prize of the State Capital of Wiesbaden.

Previous conductors of the Wiesbaden Boys' Choir were: Founder Dr. Hugo Herrfurth (1960-1963), Dr. Konrad-Juergen Kleinicke (1964-1989), Jörg-Dieter Süß (1990), Jörn Edler (acting 1990), Klaus Ullrich (1990-1997), Hans de Gilde (1997-1998), Nicol Matt (1998-2000) and Roman Twardy (since 2001).

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Explanations and notes

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