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The Stuttgarter Kantorei was founded in 1994 by Stiftskantor Kay Johannsen and consists of around 80 semi-professional singers. The choir was awarded 1st and 2nd prizes at the German Choir Competitions 2006 in Kiel, 2014 in Weimar and 2018 in Freiburg and received further prizes at the Landeschorwettbewerben Baden-Württemberg: 1997 (2nd), 2001 (2nd) 2005 (1st prize) .) 2013 (1st) and 2017 (1st).
The ensemble's repertoire includes compositions by Johannes Brahms, Bruckner, Edward Elgar, Max Reger, Debussy, Arnold Schoenberg, Zoltán Kodály, Benjamin Britten, Martin, Francis Poulenc, Penderecki, Schnebel, Orbán, Swider and Kay Johannsen as well as choral symphonic works in the field of a cappella literature by L.v. Beethoven, Berlioz, Verdi, Bruckner, Dvořák, Edward Elgar, Gustav Mahler, Zemlinsky, Schmidt, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Martin, Orff, Francis Poulenc, Leonard Bernstein and Rihm.
The Stuttgarter Kantorei mainly gives concerts in the Stuttgart's Stiftskirche, but has also been a guest at the Berlin Philharmonie, Lucerne Festival, Festival Europäische Kirchenmusik Schwäbisch Gmünd, Oriental Arts Center Shanghai and the Forbidden City Beijing Concert Hall. In 2014 the choir could be heard at the Deutschen Chorfest in Leipzig. In the Stuttgart cycle Bach:vokal, the Stuttgarter Kantorei regularly performs on concerts together with the Ensemble Stiftsbarock Stuttgart.
Recordings have been made on the Carus label (Franz Schubert: Messe As-Dur) as well as on CD's from SWR and Strube-Verlag. The Stuttgarter Kantorei can often be heard on the radio (most recently Johannes Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem 2013 and Franz Schmidt: Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln 2014) and could be seen several times on television broadcasts.
The Stuttgart Kantorei was heard on Good Friday 2015 with J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245 and on Good Friday 2017 with J.S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion BWV 244, both as part of Bach:vokal. At the regional church music festival in Stuttgart, the Stuttgarter Kantorei organized the opening concert with an a cappella program and in autumn the world premiere of Kay Johannsen's new work Credo in deum on the occasion of the festival concert commemorating the Reformation, which was performed again in an expanded version on Good Friday 2018.
The extensive and intensive work of the Stuttgarter Kantorei is made possible by the extraordinary commitment of the selected singers as well as by musical and vocal training and accompaniment. The Stuttgart Kantorei rehearses weekly (Wednesday evening) and also on 2-3 weekends per year. |
