Born: 1962 - Gaienhofen (Bodensee), Germany

The German conductor and organist, Johannes-Matthias Michel, gained first musical experience with his father, the composer and church musician Josef Michel. Piano studies in Basel followed, afterwards studies of church music in Heidelberg and Frankfurt werwhere he finished the A-examination in 1988 (among his teachers were Wolfgang Dallmann, Horst Hempel, Heinz Werner Zimmermann and Violetta Dinescu). Until 1992 he studied in the solo class for organ at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart with Professor Dr. Ludger Lohmann and finished the soloist examinations.

From 1988 to 1998, Johannes-Matthias Michel was region cantor in in Eberbach at Neckar, director of the Eberbacher Kantorei and the Singschule Eberbach. Since January 1999 he is director of church music at the Christuskirche Mannheim, region cantor of Mannheim and state cantor of Nordbaden. Here he leads the Bachchor Mannheim and the Kammerchor Mannheim.

Johannes-Matthias Michel is chairman of Karg-Elert-Gesellschaft and publisher of their publications (reports, yearbook, bibliography) and composer of numerous church-musical works (Kreuzigung, Nach uns die Sintflut, Swing- und Jazz-Orgelbüchlein, Swing- und Jazz-Chorbuch, Das Gespenst von Canterville, Musical-Messe, etc.), which are published primarily by Strube-Verlag München.

Johannes-Matthias Michel teaches artistic organ playing at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik in Heidelberg, as well as the Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik in Mannheim. Apart from extensive concert activity, he has participated in numerous broadcast and TV and CD recordings. On the organ and the harmonium he produced for various labels more than 12 CD's (Karg-Elert Harmoniumworks Vol. 1-5, Duos für Klavier und Harmonium, Orgelwerke von Schlick, Bach, Karg-Elert, da Bergamo, Petrali, etc.).

Source: Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim Website & Christuskirche Mannheim Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (February 2005)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (February 2005)

Johannes-Matthias Michel: Short Biography | Kammerchor Mannheim | Recordings

Links to other Sites

Johannes Matthias Michel, Kirchenmusikdirektor (MUHO Mannheim) [German]

Kantor Johannes Michel (Christuskirche Mannheim) [German]

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