The German Youth Choir "Junger Chor Speyer" is counting the days until their very first North-American Performance Tour. The ensemble from
Speyer is going to land in New York City on March 24.
The "Big Apple" is the starting point for an 11-day tour leading them via New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio to Illinois. The choir directed by Marie Theres Brand is flying out of Chicago on April 3.
Their concert schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, March 26, 7:30 PM concert at
St. Matthias R. C. Church - Ridgewood, NY
Friday March 28, &:30 PM concert at
Church of Ascension - Lakewood, OH
Sunday, March 30, 10 AM worship service at
Faith Lutheran Church - Fairlawn, OH
Sunday, March 7:30 PM concert at
Fairlawn Lutheran Church - Fairlawn, OH
Additional performances and exchanges are scheduled at and with:
Central Christian Concert Choir,
SCC Touring Choir,
Firestone H.S. for Visual & Performing Arts, Red Rose Children's Choir of Lake County.
The "Junger Chor Speyer" thanks all hosts for their hospitality. The choir also says a special Dankeschoen to St. Matthias Church, the
Summit Choral Society as well as the
Goethe-Institute for their generous support.
Junger Chor Speyer - Speyer Youth Choir
The Junger Chor Speyer was founded in 1993 by the St. Joseph Parish and the city of Speyer's Conservatory. This non-profit organization presently offers choral music education to nearly 100 boys and girls (beginning at age four) in various levels and ensembles. These young singers learn and perform a great variety of repertoire consisting mainly of classical literature, but also many selections from international folk music. In addition, the choir is known to premiere specially commissioned works by young German composers. The Speyer Youth Choir sings regularly for Sunday Mass at St. Joseph's in Speyer, presents concerts locally and in nearby communities and parishes. The choir's touring ensemble has performed internationally in England, Russia, Norway and Switzerland. The singers and their families have also hosted several visiting choirs in their 2000-year-old hometown of Speyer. The Junge Chor Speyer has been featured on both national TV and radio. The ensemble has also recorded several independent CDs.
Speyer Touring Choir
Twenty-four young singers between the ages of 12 and 22 form the touring choir arriving in the US on March 24, 2008. They are joined by a string-quartet and adult chaperones which bring the traveling group to a total of thirty-two - although they actually had to book 33 plane seats as the cello required its own spot. These young musicians, their friends and supporters are very excited about their upcoming tour to New York City, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. They are being supported by the Goethe Institut, the Summit Choral Society of Akron, Ohio and Incantato Concert Management with a special emphases being placed on musical and cultural exchanges. The Junge Chor Speyer will meet with fellow musicians in parishes and fine music organizations almost every day of their sojourn. In addition to the three formal concerts titled: "Mozart & Friends", several recitals and impromptu performances will take place. While in the USA these young singers and their director consider it their mission to contribute to international understanding and friendship through the universal language of music.
Artistic Director – Marie Theres Brand
Marie Theres Brand, a renowned organist and church musician from Speyer serves as the Artistic Director of the Speyer Junge Chor as well as the Speyer Motettenchor which she founded in 1986. Mrs. Brand holds both under-graduate and graduate degrees in choral conducting, organ and music education from the University of Mainz as well as the Conservatory of Music and the Performing Arts Mannheim-Heidelberg (founded in 1776). She has been the music director at St. Joseph in Speyer since 1981, the same year she started teaching at the Speyer Conservatory of Music. Additionally, Brand is a member of the staff at the Bishop's Institute for church music in Speyer. She is frequently called to adjudicate in international choral competitions and is heading to Moscow for just such an event immediately after returning from this tour – the Speyer Junger Chor's very first performance tour to the United States.
lmost everyone attending when the concert concluded. Especially the selection of German folk songs were true crowd pleaser: "Kein schoener Land" was requested as an encore and became particularly moving when many of the German-speaking guests sang along during that repeat performance. Mozart's "Sancta Maria" - accompanied by the string-quartet traveling with the choir - was also performed twice.
