St Thomas Boys Choir, Leipzig
The world-famous boys choir of the St Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, one of Europe’s oldest cultural entities and one of the oldest choirs in the world, will be thrilling audiences in Singapore in their debut here.
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With a nearly 800 year-old history, the Thomanerchor is one of the oldest as well as leading ensembles in the German choral tradition.
More importantly, it boasts a direct line back to composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
He was their erstwhile choirmaster, who during his 27 year tenure composed his most important works such as the St Matthew Passion, and they are one of the foremost interpreters of his legacy.
Buried under a bronze memorial plate in front of the altar, Bach – himself a Thomaner – managed to compose enough church cantatas for one to be sung every Sunday for five years without repeating.
While their repertoire ranges from Gregorian to modern music, the heart of the choir’s musical work are motets and Bach cantatas.
Many of his cantatas, oratorios, masses and passions were performed in the St Thomas Church by the choir for the first time and this unbroken tradition continues to draw thousands to their weekend concerts to this day.
Concerts at home and since 1920, in every major music-centre abroad, showcase the choristers’ versatility.
They have performed with major orchestras ranging from the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra to the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Kurt Masur.
Famous Thomaner alumni include composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (the son of J.S. Bach), vocal group Ensemble Amarcord, baritones Stephan Genz and Matthias Weichert, organist/composer Hanns-Martin Schneidt and pop/rock group Die Prinzen.
