Martin Rieker (Conductor, Organ)

Born: 1953 - Heilbronn, Germany

The German conductor and organist, Martin Rieker, was initially trained as an organ farmer, and finished his church music studies in Esslingen in 1976. Starting from 1977 he studied at the Musikhochschule in Vienna with Michael Radulescu and Anton Heiller in the subject "artistic organ playing".

1978 Martin Rieker became the only full-time church musician outside of Austria placed at the Evangelischen Stadtkirche in Vienna. He created the Evangelischen Kammerchor. In 1980 he was appointed as chairman of the Federation for Evangelist Church Music in Austria. In 1985 he took over the Wiener Bach-Gemeinde.

Since 1988 Martin Rieker is Kantor in Halle/Westphalia and director of the Halle's Musikschule. He is the artistic director of the annual festivals "Haller Bach-Tage" and "Musikalischer Herbst" and is lecturer at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik in Herford. In 1997 he was given the title Kirchenmusikdirektor (Director of Church Music).

Source: Haller Bach-Tage Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (June 2005)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (June 2005)

Martin Rieker: Short Biography | Bachchor der Johanniskantorei Halle | Recordings of Vocal Works | Haller Bach-Tage

Links to other Sites

Rieker, Martin (Haller Bach-Tage) [German]