Vera Scherr (Contralto)

Born: 1944 - Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany

The German contralto, Vera U.G. Scherr, studied singing with Lore Fischer at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart. She received DAAD-scholarship and a scholarship of the King Edward VII, German-British Foundation to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with Walther Gruner (opera school and concert singing). She won several prizes. Private studies followed with Franziska Martienssen-Lohmann in Luzern, with Margarethe von Winterfeld in Berlin, and with Gisela Rohmert. She was prize-winner at the 16^th Federal selection "Das Podium junger Solisten", and won the 1^st prize at the competition of GEDOK.

Vera Scherr has sung as a concert singer in Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain and France. She also sang in professional choirs. She made radio recordings and appeared in several premiers. Apart from oratorio concerts her Lieder recitals were especially acclaimed. She has sung all the Bach oratorios and many of his cantatas. Since 1993 she is Professor for singing at the Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Mannheim.

Vera Scherr has rich experience with the difficulties of Latin pronunciation. It is strange that so little attention in phonetic regard is given to one of the main languages of music. After five years of intensive research, she published two books on Latin pronunciation in vocal music, Aufführungspraxis Vokalmusik Handbuch der lateinischen Aussprache (Bärenreiter, 1991). The latter is considered as a standard work in this field. Now there is a supplement on the traditional French pronunciation of Latin: www.latin-pronunciation.eu

Source: The Artist (December 2006), English translation by Aryeh Oron (December 2006)
Contributed by Vera Scherr (November 2006)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Wolfgang Gönnenwein

Alto

BWV 244

Paul Kuentz

Alto

BWV 244

Links to other Sites

Homepage von Vera U.G. Scherr [German]