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| Göttinger Mendelssohnchor | |
|---|---|
| Name | Göttinger Mendelssohnchor |
| Origin | Göttingen, Germany |
| Founded | 1850 |
| Genre | Choral music, Oratorio, A cappella |
| Years active | 1850–present |
Göttinger Mendelssohnchor is a mixed choir founded in 1850 in Göttingen with a primary focus on oratorio and a cappella repertoire. The ensemble links the musical traditions of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, and Ludwig van Beethoven while participating in regional and international festivals. Over its history the choir has engaged with leading conductors, soloists, and orchestras from institutions such as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and the Philharmonia Orchestra. The choir maintains relationships with universities and conservatoires including the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, and the Royal Academy of Music.
The choir was established in the mid-19th century amid cultural ferment in Hanover and the Kingdom of Prussia by advocates of Mendelssohnian choral revival connected to the Mendelssohn family and circles around the Munich Bachgesellschaft. Early repertoire and patronage linked the ensemble to performances in venues such as the Göttingen City Theatre and the St. Johannis Church (Göttingen). In the 19th century it engaged with figures from the Romanticism milieu including interpreters associated with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and performers from the Gewandhaus Orchestra. During the early 20th century the choir worked with conductors whose careers intersected with the Bayreuth Festival, the Frankfurt Opera, and the conservatory networks of Leipzig and Berlin. The choir navigated political changes across the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic, and Federal Republic of Germany while preserving a focus on sacred and secular large-scale works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, Joseph Haydn, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Programming ranges from Baroque masterpieces to contemporary commissions. Standard cycles include the Passions and cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach, the oratorios of Georg Friedrich Händel, Joseph Haydn's The Creation and The Seasons, and choral-symphonic works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, and Antonín Dvořák. The choir also performs works by Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Hector Berlioz, and Ernst Krenek, while commissioning living composers from networks at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and the Conservatoire de Paris. Performance venues have included the Great Hall of the Gewandhaus, the Elbphilharmonie, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Saarlandhalle as well as ecclesiastical settings like the St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, the Notre-Dame de Paris, and the Sagrada Família.
Artistic direction has passed through many conductors tied to institutions such as the Leipzig Conservatory, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, and the Mozarteum University Salzburg. Guest conductors have included maestros associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Collaborations have involved conductors known from the Bayreuth Festival, the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and the Royal Opera House. The choir has worked with choral specialists from the King's College, Cambridge Choir, the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, and the Monteverdi Choir.
Membership draws singers from the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, conservatoires such as the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, and professional networks linked to the NDR Chor, the Rundfunkchor Berlin, and regional ensembles in Lower Saxony. The organizational structure includes a board connected to municipal cultural offices of Göttingen (district), fundraising through foundations like the Kulturstiftung des Bundes, and partnerships with local ensembles including the Göttingen Symphonieorchester and chamber groups from the Südwestrundfunk (SWR) network. The choir has professional sections for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, and engages répétiteurs and vocal coaches from the Royal College of Music and the Sibelius Academy.
The choir's discography covers live and studio recordings on labels that collaborate with the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft, harmonia mundi, Sony Classical, and independent regional labels. Broadcast partners have included Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Deutschlandfunk, BBC Radio 3, and Radio France Musique. Recorded repertoire spans Bach Mass in B minor, Handel Messiah, Beethoven Missa Solemnis, Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem, and contemporary commissions premiered in partnership with the European Broadcasting Union.
Regular festival appearances include the Göttingen International Handel Festival, the Salzburg Festival, the Bachfest Leipzig, the BBC Proms, and the Lucerne Festival. Collaborative projects have connected the choir with opera houses such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Hamburg State Opera, and the Semperoper Dresden, and with historical-performance ensembles like the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Les Arts Florissants.
The choir maintains outreach with schools in Göttingen, youth choirs linked to the Deutscher Chorverband, and educational programs with the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen and conservatoires across Lower Saxony and Bavaria. Initiatives include workshops with directors from the Royal Academy of Music, masterclasses featuring soloists from the Metropolitan Opera, and participatory concerts in collaboration with municipal cultural institutions and the German Music Council.
Category:Choirs Category:German musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1850