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Gerry Welter has been a member of the Chorale St Michel since 1954, and has been its director since 1960. Trained violist, recipient of several first prizes from the Conservatoire de Musique de Luxembourg as well as a first prize in viola with distinction from the Conservatoire Royal de Liège, in 1966 he joined the Orchestre Symphonique de RTL, the current Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, which he left in 2006. He was also a lecturer at the Conservatoire de Musique de Luxembourg from 1967 to 2006 and actively participated in musical life in the country as a member of the Art Musical, Collegium Musicum, Actar and "Les Musiciens" ensembles. He was a founding member of the Amis de l’Orgue, Luxembourg (Friends of the Organ, Luxembourg), of which he was president from 1974 to 1986.
As director of the Chorale Saint-Michel, Gerry Welter transformed a small male choir into a mixed ensemble of around 50 singers who, outside of church services, performs regularly in concert with a wide variety of repertoire ranging from Russian Orthodox Songs (Sergei Rachmaninov) to Negro Spirituals and contemporary jazz, including major choral works such as George Frideric Handel's Messiah, Johannes Brahms' German Requiem, W.A. Mozart's Requiem and Great Mass, Haydn's Creation, Dvořak's Stabat Mater and Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, Cantatas by J.S. Bach and Psalms and the Missa Omnium Sanctorum by Jan Dismas Zelenka.
A very happy cooperation with two orchestras playing on period instruments, La Banda from Augsburg and the Neue Hofkapelle München, and with soloists such as Katharine Fuge, Christina Landshamer, Emma Kirkby, Mariette Kemmer, Véronique Nosbaum, Gerlinde Sämann, Monique Simon, Daniel Johannsen, Peter Harvey, Jan Kobow, Clint van der Linde, Guy de Mey, Christoph Prégardien, Anton Scharinger, Roman Trekel, Ionel Pantea, allows Gerry Welter to realize his authentic vision of works by composers such as Haydn , G.F. Handel, J.D. Zelenka and especially W.A. Mozart.
He also maintains a very long collaboration with "The Musicians" Orchester de Chambre du Luxembourg as well as with the "Estro Armonico" Ensemble. He regularly invites the best vocal soloists in Luxembourg to take part in the great musical undertakings of the Chorale Saint-Michel. |
