|
The German choral conductor, organist renor singer and and church musician, Peter Gortner, came into contact with the great works of church music early on as a choir singer in the Evangelischen Jugendkantorei der Pfalz and developed a passion for sacred music that remains unbroken to this day. In his home town of Thaleischweiler-Fröschen in the Palatinate, he has worked regularly as an organist since the age of 16 and led the local singing group Schir beMataná from 2006 to 2016, with which he primarily performed popular music choral works.
The national men's ensemble Man(n) Singt!, was founded by Peter Gortner in 2007. Under his direction, it has established itself as a sought-after vocal ensemble and was able to present its first CD release, "Evolution", in the past anniversary year of 2017. Man(n) Singt!, can be experienced regularly in the area between Saarland and Württemberg with its varied programs. Engagements such as the Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz, in the Abteikirche Otterberg or in Dom zu Speyer complement the regular concert activities in the southwest. Concert tours have already taken the 12 singers to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin as well as to the Berliner Dom and, in the summer of 2018, to St Paul's Cathedral in London.
While studying church music in Heidelberg, Peter Gortner continued to develop his choir conducting and voice training skills, worked intensively as a choir director in the Rhein-Neckar-Region and directed the Evangelischen Singkreis Neckarhausen from 2012 to 2016. After successfully completing his church music studies with the A-exam, he deepened his singing skills in the Artistic Training Singing course with Ekkehard Abele. In addition to regular engagements as tenor in the Capella Spirensis ensemble at Dom zu Speyer, he expanded his solo repertoire, particularly in the area of early music, and was heard for the first time in 2017 as the evangelist of J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245.
Peter Gortner organ teachers included Professor Dr. Martin Sander and Stefan Göttelmann, as well as Professor Gerhard Luchterhandt and Professor Christiane Michel-Ostertun in liturgical organ playing. Master-classes in singing and choir/orchestra conducting with Professor Harald Jers, Professor Simon Halsey and Markus Theinert and Peter Schreier round off his training. The ambitious conductor also received important impulses at the Staufen choir seminar and through intensive private studies with Professor Wolfgang Schäfer. In the summer of 2018, he completed the Master of Arts in Choral Conducting postgraduate course at the University of Birmingham with top grades. His professor, Simon Halsey, is one of the most important choir conductors in the world and most recently led the Rundfunkchor Berlin.
Since September 2018, Peter Gortner has been Kantor at the Christuskirche Karlsruhe, one of the church music centers in southwest Germany. The further development of the traditional choral work with the Oratorienchor Karlsruhe der Christuskirche, the Kammerchor der Christuskirche Karlsruhe and the Konzertchor Mädchen der Kinder- und Jugendsingschule Cantus Juvenum Karlsruhe e.V. is just as much a part of his multi-faceted area of responsibility as organ music in church services and concerts on the large Klais organ (2009/IV/85). In 2018, he also founded The vocal ensemble Capella Carlsruhe and, under his direction, works on selected Baroque masterpieces on a project-related basis. The impressions experienced in dealing with both amateur choirs and professional choirs are a great stylistic and musical enrichment for the young artist and will now flow into the choir work at the Christuskirche.
Peter Gortner, has found success in Germany, as his new recording with the Kammerchor der Christuskirche Karlsruhe has been named by Classical Music magazine as one of the “best Christmas classical music CDs and recordings released in 2020”. |
