The German choral conducor, organist, harpsichordist and church musician, Matthias Janz, studied music, theology, church music and conducting (including with Helmuth Rilling).
After his studies, Matthias Janz worked as organist and Kantor in Karlsruhe. In 1975 he became organist at St. Marien in Flensburg and director of the Flensburger Bach-Chor. As an organist and harpsichordist, he performed in many countries in Europe, in South Africa and the USA. In addition, he serves as a juror at music competitions and was a guest of many festivals.
In recent years, Matthias Janz is invited frequently as guest conductor of renowned orchestras and choirs, including the Bach Koor Holland, the Chor des Norddeutschen Rundfunks (NDR), the Münchener Bach-Chor, the Schleswig-Holsteinischen Symphonieorchester, the Orchester der Hansestadt Lübeck, the Hamburger Symphoniker, the Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester, the Odense Symfoniorkester, the Aarhus Symfonieorkester, Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Slovak Philharmonic Bratislava, the Czech Philharmonic Brno and Orchestre Regional de Cannes.
Matthias Janz is the artistic director of the Flensburger Bach-Tage, also since 1984 conductor of the Symphonischen Chores Hamburg and taught at the Musikhochschule in Lübeck for oratorios directing. Matthias Janz received in 1981, the Culture Prize of the City of Flensburg and was awarded the title of church music director (KMD); in 1992, he was appointed as a professor by the Minister of Culture of the Land Schleswig-Holstein. In 1997 he received - not least because of his contributions to the development of young players - the Federal Cross of Merit and in 2004 the Danish-German Culture Prize Sønderjylland-Schleswig. Since 1993 he also directs the Landesjugendchor Schleswig-Holstein. |