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Table of conTenTs

Greeting from “Thomaskantor” Biller (Cantor of the St Thomas Boys Choir) ......................... 04

The “Thomanerchor Leipzig” St Thomas Boys Choir

Now Performing: The Thomanerchor Leipzig ............................................................................. 06

Musical Presence in Historical Places ........................................................................................ 07

The Thomaner: Choir and School, a Tradition of Unity for 800 Years .......................................... 08

The Alumnat – a World of Its Own .............................................................................................. 09

“Keyboard Polisher”, or Responsibility in Detail ........................................................................ 10

“Once a Thomaner, always a Thomaner” ................................................................................... 11

Soli Deo Gloria .......................................................................................................................... 12

Everyday Life in the Choir: Singing Is “Only” a Part ................................................................... 13

A Brief History of the St Thomas Boys Choir ............................................................................... 14

Leisure Time

Always on the Move .................................................................................................................. 16

... By the Way ............................................................................................................................ 17

Management on Every Level ........................................................................................................... 18

Scouting Talent ............................................................................................................................... 19

Visions Come True – 800 Years of Thomana – Foundation for the Future ................................... 20

Cooperation – “Singing Every Day. Awesome!” .............................................................................. 21

Encounters – Living Tradition ........................................................................................................ 22

En Route – Musical Emissaries ....................................................................................................... 23

Contact ............................................................................................................................................ 25

Imprint ............................................................................................................................................. 26

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GREETInG FRoM “Thomaskantor” Biller (Cantor of the St Thomas Boys Choir)

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For many, the name “Thomaner” inspires fascination, evoking

at once vastly different associations: the young boys’ radiant voices

raised in praise of God, on the one hand – on the other, the secular

overtones evoked by their navy-blue sailor suits. Ultimately, however,

it is the memory of Johann Sebastian Bach that is most closely asso-

ciated with the St Thomas Boys Choir. For, almost without fail, it is

mentioned whenever the music world focuses its attention on Bach,

as the choir with which he premiered most of his great works.

But the term “Thomaner” suggests something like a philosophy

of life, as well. Growing up in the milieu of great music nourishes the

conviction that exerting oneself and enduring sacrifi ces is worthwhile

to be part of a performance that moves so many. Yet, for the boys

the mysterious fact remains that music requires a certain measure of

“audacity” too …

We are thrilled to see the visible progress being made on the fo-

rum thomanum, the campus project designed to expand the complex

around the school. With the completion of the new daycare center

and reconstruction of the Villa Thomana, we have taken two of the

most important steps toward our future: we now have the additional,

and improved, rehearsal and lecture rooms we so urgently needed.

The campus in Leipzig’s Bach Street quarter will continue to grow un-

til the St. Thomas Choir’s 800th anniversary in 2012, offering current

members of the choir a better quality of life and bolstering the recruit-

ment of new young talent.

It is my hope that this pamphlet will intrigue and inspire you to

learn more about the fascinating story of Leipzig’s “Thomaner”.

Thomaskantor Georg Christoph Biller

Leipzig, im September 2008

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“now performing: The Thomanerchor Leipzig (St Thomas Boys Choir)”

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The announcement alone draws interested and enthused

crowds into concert halls worldwide, for Leipzig’s boys’ choir en-

joys international renown – and this is no recent development. The

choir’s fi rst international engagements took them to Denmark and

Norway as early as 1920 and, in addition to its numerous appear-

ances in Germany, the choir has received invitations for extended

guest performances abroad nearly every year since then. Whether

in Sweden, Greece, Spain, or Poland – the choir has been a fi rmly

established element of European cultural life for some time now.

In Asia and America, as well, the young singers have captured the

attention of an ever-wider audience through excellent performances

and extraordinary professionalism.

Postage stamps were printed in honor of the St Thomas Boys

Choir, even an express train bears its name. The christening of

asteroid 1023 “Stella Thomana” recognizes in addition the terrestri-

al triad of the St. Thomas Church, St. Thomas School, and St. Tho-

mas Choir: the “Thomana”.

St Thomas Boys Choir is devoted primarily to fostering sacral

music (Musica sacra), especially the cantatas, motets, and oratori-

cal works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Its musical repertoire ranges

from Gregorian chants to modern hymns.

Eight-hundred years of history of everyday life and music,

a widely acknowledged contemporary reputation, a unique, for-

ward-looking cultural and educational landscape and almost one

hundred boys and young men with individual personalities and

a common passion for music – that is St Thomas Boys Choir.

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Musical presence in historical places

< Dress code: The “Kiel Blouse” (Sailor Suit)

Originating in Victorian England in the mid-nineteenth century,

the dark blue suit with the striped collar became the standard boys’

wear for Sundays and holidays in bourgeois society. Fashioned af-

ter the typical sailor’s uniform, the suit remained en vogue in many

European countries until 1930. Since clothes for German sailors at

that time were manufactured exclusively in the north German city of

Kiel, the suit became known as the “Kiel Blouse”.

Initially worn with shorts and stockings, the soprano and alto

singers’ blouse by now has become the St Thomas Boys Choir’s vi-

sual trade mark. (The Domchor Berlin and the Wiener Sängerknaben

also adopted this suit as their choir uniform.) The older boys, the

tenor and bass singers, perform in traditional dark suit and tie.

Aside from regular concert tours, frequent appearances in the

media and numerous CD recordings, the St Thomas Boys Choir nat-

urally appears, above all, in its hometown. Its three performances

each week in Leipzig’s St.Thomas Church are a musical highlight,

attracting crowds of more than 2,500 people – citizens of Leipzig as

well as a large number of tourists – to the Motet every Friday eve-

ning and Saturday afternoon; the latter performance features a can-

tata by Johann Sebastian Bach performed in collaboration with the

Gewandhaus orchestra. And on Sundays, just as in Bach’s lifetime,

St Thomas Boys Choir provides the musical setting for the service at

this historical site.

The young singers have also left their indelible mark on the city’s

image, especially the younger boys who can be seen hastening to

St. Thomas’ at certain times dressed in their typical performance

outfit, the “Kiel Blouse” or sailor suit. More notably, however, the

choir has set the highest of standards in its regular performances of

Bach’s Passions, the Christmas Oratorio, and Mass in B minor, ma-

king a lasting impression on Leipzig’s music scene. Anyone who has

seen them perform knows: the mesmerizing sound of St Thomas Boys

Choir is simply breathtaking.

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The Thomaner: Choir and School, a tradition of unity for 800 years

The beginning of this long and unique choral tradition dates

back almost eight hundred years. In the year 1212 – when Leipzig had

just received its town and market charters – a monastery, church, and

school named after Saint Thomas were affi liated to Canons Regular

(“Augustiner-Chorherrenstift”) to instruct the boys particularly for the

musical services that they took over from the secular Canons Regular.

St. Thomas School was also open to the children of Leipzig’s burghers

and is thus regarded as Germany’s oldest public school. For 300 years

it also remained Leipzig’s only school, making the St. Thomas Choir

Leipzig’s oldest cultural institution.

Seen as refl ecting divine order, music played a very important

role in the medieval educational canon. The choir sang at the services,

at baptisms, weddings and funerals, as well as events of the town

council, as a kind of recompense for education and tuition.

After the Reformation reached Leipzig in 1539, St. Thomas School and

its choir were placed under the patronage of the city in 1543. Ten years

later, in 1553, a new building was constructed which – with some

mod ifi cations – housed St. Thomas School until 1902. At that time the

school was located directly adjacent to the St. Thomas Church. The

principal and the cantor lived in the school building together with the

weekly inspectors and a select group of students.

Today the Thomaner live, learn and rehearse in the alumnat,

about 1,000 yards away from the historic site, and attend St. Thomas

Secondary School just across the street. Given the short distance

between school, home, and practice rooms, they can shoulder both

the normal daily routine and heavy workload and still have enough

leisure time.

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Life in the “Box”, as the boys refer to their alumnat, is a world

of its own. Here, utter silence dominates in turn with polyrhythmic,

harmonized whistling to the noise of clopping feet in the crowded cor-

ridors. At other times, the hallways are completely deserted, while

the sounds of music emanate from behind closed doors.

The choral community is also strengthened by assigning a little

responsibility to each individual student, involving not only singing

and the choral chores but every aspect of life in the alumnat, thus

contributing to his personal development.

The principle of communal upbringing has proven itself at

St. Thomas’ for centuries, and the boys defend it fervently. Thoma-

ner of different ages live together like in a second family. Here, they

celebrate their birthdays and together make preparations for Christ-

mas. In this atmosphere of camaraderie, the boys quickly fi nd an ear

to voice their troubles – and not merely regarding school. The older

boys are responsible for younger roommates and readily attend to

their concerns, many of which are familiar to them from their own

experience.

Not the common experience of a wealthy background but mu-

tual talent has brought these boys and young men from different

parts of the country together to live in the alumnat. In Leipzig they

are given the opportunity to have a comprehensive musical edu-

cation. The students see this common background as a precious

enrichment. These youngsters are largely responsible for actively

shaping life in the choir and in the alumnat. Thus, despite its added

responsibilities and intensive practicing, this environment some-

times offers more freedom and opportunities for personal growth

than life at home.

“Just walking through the corridors you sense the unique at-

mosphere. Being a member of the Boys’ Choir is an incredible

opportunity. But, of course, we aren’t angels either ... ”

Patrick, 10th grade (2004)

“To engage with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in a com-

munity of nearly a hundred boys is an incredibly formative

experience. Beyond music itself, you learn to assume social

responsibility ... ” Christian, 12th grade (2008)

The Alumnat – A World of Its own

10

1“Keyboard polisher” or responsibility in detail

Since every student bears some responsibility, the alumnat vir-

tually runs itself; conflict arises seldom among the boys. Given the

daily responsibilities associated with the choir, the students are ac-

customed to taking direction. Criticism voiced by peers is seen as an

opportunity for self-reflection and personal development.

It is a matter of course that every “Thomasser”, as the boys

refer to themselves, contributes his share to create a well-balanced

community. Even the youngest of its members take on important

duties as keyboard polishers and guardians of the sheet music. Af-

ter all, what would happen if the boys realized just as a concert was

about to begin that they had no music? It’s all happened before, for

example, in the latest filming of the german children’s classic “The

Flying Classroom” by Erich Kästner.

Some of the scenes from the movie were filmed on site at

St. Thomas School. For a little while, the director experienced daily

life at the alumnat first-hand, and in many places the film offers in-

sight into the boys’ everyday life, which, while seen through an artis-

tic gaze, nevertheless reflects the special atmosphere life in such a

community naturally creates:

To live as a boy among boys, to sing every day and to have so

many friends – only a few yards away.

“With practices and performances, we naturally have less time for

school. On the other hand, life at the alumnat does have its advan-

tages ...

We can talk to each other anytime about things we didn’t understand

in school, even copy, though that doesn’t help. Well, of course, some-

times it does ...” Nikolaus, 7th grade (2004)

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“once a Thomaner, always a Thomaner”

Georg Christoph BillerBorn 20 September 1955 in Nebra (Unstrut) • 1965–74 Musical

education in Leipzig as member of St Thomas Boys Choir (choir

prefect) under Erhard Mauersberger and Hans-Joachim Rotzsch •

1976–81 Orchestral conducting studies under Kurt Masur and Rolf

Reuter, as well as singing under Bernd Siegfried Weber at the Music

Academy in Leipzig • Soloist for Lied and oratorios • 1976 founding

of “Leipzig Vocal Ensemble” • 1980–91 Director, Leipzig’s Gewand-

haus choir • Lecturer for choral conducting at the School for Church

Music in Halle • 1982 Diploma in orchestral directing at the Summer

Academy of the Mozarteum in Salzburg • 1985 Osaka music

prize • 1991/92 Lecturer for choral conducting at the Music Acad-

emy Frankfurt/M. and Detmold • 1992 to the present, cantor of

St. Thomas Choir, Leipzig • 1994

to the present, Professor of cho-

ral conducting at the University

of Music and Theatre, Leipzig •

1996 to the present, Member,

Saxon Academy of the Arts •

2005 to present, adjunct faculty

member at Detmold School of

Music

Georg Christoph Biller, mem-

ber of the Board of Directors of

Leipzig’s Bach Festival, is closely

associated with many contem-

porary composers and is himself

an active composer.

Music, naturally, is the center of life in St. Thomas Boys’ Choir.

Yet, in time, of course, students also develop other, individual in-

terests. After the completion of their studies at St. Thomas, students

are qualified to pursue higher education in the field of their choice.

Law, medicine, and theology are most popular among prospective

students, though some graduates go on to devote their careers to

music. Over the centuries, St Thomas Boys Choir has produced emi-

nent orchestra directors, singers, composers, and musicians. Some

have even returned to St. Thomas to become “Thomaskantor”,

as with Georg Christoph Biller, who has held the office since 1992.

The years living as part of the community in the choir and alum-

nat mean more than “merely” singing. Ultimately, they are a gift to

each individual that shapes life beyond the community. All former

“Thomasser” are and remain tied in some form not only to music but

to one another – even after years together at school they maintain

strong, lasting friendships. Many former students visit the school,

sing in the choir as guest performers or become active supporters

and benefactors of “their” St. Thomas choir. For they are all united by

the certainty: “Once a Thomaner, always a Thomaner.”

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Soli Deo Gloria

Daily practices, directed by St. Thomas’ cantor, form the center-

piece of choir life for the boys. Georg Christoph Biller, the 16th suc-

cessor of Johann Sebastian Bach, sees the choir’s chief purpose in

“Soli Deo Gloria”, singing “to the glory of God alone”, consciously

continuing in the 21st century the tradition of the choir’s most famous

cantor – Bach marked most of his works, as was customary at the

time, with the abbreviation S.D.G., often in place of his own name. He

thus made it clear that he saw his work as praise to God, that he had

composed it to honor him. Since the choir’s songs traditionally form

an integral part of the liturgy, as with readings and prayer, it is of ut-

most importance to Thomaskantor Georg Christoph Biller that all the

boys understand the lyrics they sing. He explains specific passages

so that the younger boys, too, understand them. Though currently

only around half of the boys in the choir were raised in Christian

households, during their years of intensive study not only of music

but of the lyrics, as well, many of them experience a new sense of

purpose, are baptized and later confirmed. It is not at all unusual for

young people to discover faith through music.

< St Thomas Boys Choir has had a number of renowned cantors. Many

of them not only decisively influenced musical history as a whole, but

were often role models for the boys. Johann Sebastian Bach, however,

shaped the choir in a special way. For nearly thirty years, he lived un-

der one roof with the boys, as an employee of the city in the cantor’s

apartment of St. Thomas School. Here, in Leipzig he composed the

most significant part of his sacral works, including the passions, the

Mass in B minor and the Christmas oratorio. The Boys’ Choir sang

primarily in the two main churches St. Nikolai and St. Thomas. For

these Sunday services, Bach composed a new cantata every week. As

Leipzig’s “Director musices”, Bach was also responsible for music in

the city as a whole.

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Everyday life in the choir: Singing is “only” a part

< Today as in the past, the cantor’s work in rehearsal is supported,

in addition to an assistant, by the choir prefects. These are older

members of the choir, who take care of the sheet music, direct prac-

tices, and occasionally even conduct in the church. For these young

men, the office of prefect is both a mark of distinction as well as a

challenge, for in addition to professional ability a certain degree of

pedagogical talent is also required to work with members of the choir

who are, in part, of the same age in an atmosphere of trust and pro-

fessionalism.

After school and concentrated time for homework, music be-

comes the chief focus of activity at the alumnat until dinnertime. The

lecture halls and practice rooms are well-frequented: weekly individ-

ual sessions in voice training and instrument instruction, regular

practice sessions on selected instruments, and, as the central focus

of the day, choir practice.

Before the choir gathers in the rehearsal hall, there are usually

practices for each of the voices under the direction of the cantor’s

assistant or a prefect, since the cantor himself cannot be everywhere

at once. He is already in the hall practicing with a smaller group of

singers – achieving a homogeneous sound requires attention to a

wide range of variables, every nuance must be right. The singers are

taught to sing from the sheet music, to pay attention to rhythm, yet

still to look at the choir conductor, for everything – cue, phrasing, and

dynamic – plays an important part in creating the proper character

of a piece.

By and by the other boys join the general rehearsal. They open

the door to the hall as quietly as possible, careful to avoid any unne-

cessary noise. Those who aren’t singing presently take a bit of time to

relax, or they read the music handed out by the boy in charge. Even

when individual passages must be repeatedly rehearsed, the boys

exert themselves to create the sound envisioned by the cantor.

Even this brief glance into everyday life in the choir makes it

clear: Res severa est verum gaudium – True joy is a serious matter.

From the Augustinian Canons Regular until today, 800 years

have passed since the founding of the choir in 1212. The choir has

experienced not only social transformation but, as a highly acclaimed

ensemble, was present at important historical events – for example,

at the founding of the University of Leipzig in 1409 in the refectory of

St. Thomas Cloister, which led to the close relationship of the univer-

sity, the St. Thomas School and choir. In June 1519, cantor Georg Rhau

conducted a self-composed 12-part motet in St. Thomas’ Church on

the occasion of the disputation between Martin Luther and Johann

Eck.

Not least as a result of the choir’s reputation, which even before J.

S. Bach was known beyond the boundaries of the city, the city of Leip-

zig, particularly since the time of the Reformation in 1539, devel oped

into an important center of musical culture. In addition to St. Thomas’

cantors, a number of other celebrated composers (among others,

Heinrich Schütz) dedicated their own works to St. Thomas’ Choir.

Many exceptional personalities have had a marked infl uence on

the development of the Boys’ choir in the past. They were not only

important musicians and composers but educated scientists as well,

whose impact extended beyond their work to their broader environ-

ment. Moreover, they maintained active relationships and friendships

to prominent contemporaries.

Cantor Sethus Calvisius was at once musician, mathematician,

chronologist, and astronomer; his successor Johann Hermann Schein

studied “jurisprudence along with the liberal arts” at his Alma Mater

Lipsiensis; Sebastian Knüpfer was a philologist and took offi ce at the

mere age of 25.

Johann Kuhnau, who held the offi ce of cantor for some 21 years

and was the immediate predecessor of Bach, studied law and theolo-

gy, was a master of foreign languages, and poet.

With Johann Sebastian Bach, however, St Thomas Boys Choir

made lasting history. Since Bach held the offi ce of cantor, his music

has become an integral part of everyday life in the choir. Through the

renown of his works, he has proven over and again to be the choir’s

patron saint in diffi cult times. His successors decisively infl uenced

the Bach Renaissance beginning in the 19th century. The Bach Soci-

ety, founded in Leipzig in 1850 by Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt,

aspired to publish a complete edition of Bachs compositions. The

A Brief history of the St Thomas Boys Choir

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Society’s chairman was cantor Moritz Hauptmann. His successor,

Wilhelm Rust, edited the fi rst 23 volume, complete edition of Bach’s

work.

His successor Gustav Schreck was the founding member of the

“New Bach Society”, which organizes Bach festivals in various cities

to this day. In 1912 on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the

“Schola Thomana” he organized a concert featuring exclusively the

works of St. Thomas cantors. The compositions performed spanned

seven centuries of musical history, from Georg Rhau, one of the fi rst

St. Thomas cantors, through to Gustav Schreck, who, by the way, re-

spectfully referred to his offi ce as the “leading cantor position of the

world”.

As a so-called church orchestra, members of the Gewandhaus

Orchestra in the beginning performed together with the choir in

Leipzig’s two main churches. To this day, the collaboration of the or-

chestra in the performance of cantatas and oratorios in St. Thomas’

is part of its offi cial charter. Since the beginning of the 19th century,

the choir has played an increasingly more frequent role in the choral

symphonic performances of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. St Thomas

Boys Choir and the Gewandhaus Orchestra are the two most signifi -

cant musical envoys of the city of Leipzig.

In fact, several of St. Thomas’ cantors were engaged fi rst at the

Gewandhaus: Johann Adam Hiller and Johann Gottfried Schicht con-

ducted the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Karl Straube and Günther Ramin,

who earned their reputations fi rst as organ virtuosos, were organists

at St. Thomas and conducted the Gewandhaus choir, as well – as did

Georg Christoph Biller later.

The renown of St Thomas Boys Choir grew signifi cantly in the

20th century, as a result not only of the increasing number of perform-

ances abroad but, among other things, to its premier radio broadcast

in the 1930s, featuring performances under Straube’s direction of all

of Bach’s extant cantata and transmitted throughout Europe and over-

seas.

The commitment of Günther Ramin, Kurt Thomas, Erhard Mau-

ersberger and Hans-Joachim Rotzsch – the latter, by the way, the only

Leipzig native among St. Thomas’ cantors – to the choir sustained the

institution even in politically diffi cult times and fostered its artistic

achievement.

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Always on the move

The life of a Thomaner is not likely to become boring. The excite-

ment of concert tours throughout the world, the collective summer

retreat and, above all, the passion for leisure activity number 1 – foot-

ball – ensure that. There is never a shortage of players at the alumnat,

and the gymnasium and sizeable playing fi eld are available for use

anytime.

The individual dormitories compete against one another in the

“Kastenmeisterschaften”, the intramural championships. The “TC-Ju-

nior” meets weekly, and the older boys’ team, “TC 1212”, even has its

own trainer to get them into shape for the two most crucial games of

the season: St Thomas Boys Choir vs. Dresden’s Choir of the Church

of the Holy Cross (Kreuzchor) (DKC). St. Thomas usually loses, they

say, but the trophy cup has made the trip to Leipzig on several oc-

casions. After all, not every tradition is worth keeping ... At least the

fans seem to think so, too. Friends, parents, teachers, among others,

and, of course, Thomaner cheer on their kickers with heart and soul,

making even the sometimes coarsest of football battle cries sound

unusually refi ned and melodious: Once a singer, always a singer.

In the summer, aside from the football fi eld, the volleyball courts

and large courtyard of the alumnat are also booming with activity.

Students meet here to play their favorite chasing game “Bannehef”

or table tennis. Though, at times, some prefer the virtual movement

of a Gameboy.

“I have lots of friends here who I can play football or do other

things with when we’re not practicing. There’s always something

going on; it’s never boring. I’ve learned, too, just avoid those

I don’t get along with.” Kien, 6th grade (2008)

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“Nowhere else would I have found as many good friends as I have

in St. Thomas’ Choir. We are all united through the music.”

Stefan, 9th grade (2008)

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… By the Way

In a Thomaner’s free time, as they say, music is more than Bach.

While over the years they incidentally become Bach fans, rock and

pop are naturally a part of the boys’ everyday life. On the headsets

of their MP3 players, they immerse themselves in the sounds of their

favorite contemporary bands and sometimes start their own. Drums

and technical equipment are available in the band practice room.

But, it doesn’t always have to be music either, some say and use

their free time to pursue other interests. A favorite spot of aesthetes

is the student-run and well-organized St. Thomas library. In the cozy

reading corner is a broad selection of books and magazines for stu-

dents to peruse in their own fashion.

Whether history and politics, natural sciences or far-off places,

whether fi tness studio or just reading, perhaps even producing their

own play – the boys of St Thomas’ Choir are as individual as are their

various hobbies. Regardless which direction they choose, the resour-

ces of the alumnat, almost without boundary, fosters the creativity of

each individual.

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“Music aside for the moment, I don’t now if I would have developed

my strong affi nity for history and politics somewhere else.”

Patrick, 10th grade (2004)

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Managing on every level

Ensuring the well-being of every Thomaner requires the commit-

ment and engagement of many people behind the scenes to provide

a smooth daily routine:

Students eat together in the dining hall and meals are pre pared

fresh daily in the school’s own kitchen. Teachers, or inspectors, as

they are called, organize free time activities and accompany the youn-

ger boys on their way to the church or to the cinema. They are availa-

ble at all times and are actively involved with students, occasionally

intervening to regulate confl ict in the community.

The superintendent of building and grounds is there to take care

of various, daily repairs – including the perfect football fi eld, while

the tailor shop sews and alters concert suits. In short, it is not only

in the technical and fi nancial management of the choir, of concerts

and events, as well as the alumnat but in managing, above all, the

seemingly “natural” aspects of life that so much dedication can be

found.

In addition to the fundamental municipal funding of the school

and choir, friends and supporters of the choir have come together to

form a sponsors’ circle and foundation, which offer alumni practical

aide and support.

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Scouting Talent

Being a Thomaner in the fi rst instance doesn’t mean leaving

home as much as it does fi nding a home-away-from-home. Life here

is like a big family with lots of siblings, yet with the distinction that

every summer the oldest boys leave and new, younger boys join the

community.

To keep the choir from having to “reinvent” itself every year and

to preserve the high quality of its sound, St Thomas Boys Choir works

closely with various educational institutions in Leipzig.

While in the 19th century boys could continue to sing soprano

and alto till the age of 17 and beyond, today their voices change as

early as 12 or 13. Actively fostered early education, however, gives

even the youngest members of the choir the necessary tools to sing

diffi cult works from the start.

Cooperation with the newly erected, bilingual day care center

and grade school E. Manet enable a comprehensive musical exposure

from the age of 3: instrumental play, music theory, and, of course, sin-

ging make up the core of these preparatory years. Children can have

their fi rst experiences as a member of a choir community as part of

a children’s choir. The up-and-coming singers participate in the pro-

duction of the St. Matthew Passion and are allowed to sing the cantus

fi rmus as part of the opening chorus.

For many, the experience of having sung together with a large

choir is unforgettable. Afterward, most of them can hardly wait until

they can fi nally be “real” Thomaner.

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800 Years of Thomana – Foundation for the future

From the start of his offi ce as cantor, Georg Christoph Biller be-

gan to perform all of Bach’s extant cantata, cyclically in chronologi-

cal order. Aside from maintaining and continuing the great tradition,

Biller used the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the St. Thomas

Choir, Church, and School to expand the tradition of collaboration

and take it in new directions.

With the forum thomanum, an international educational center

adjoining St. Thomas school and alumnat to be completed in 2012,

St. Thomas choir strives to increase the involvement of others in their

own work, to “infect, incite, and excite” them with, to and for music –

not merely to consume but rather actively create music.

New rehearsal rooms and the extension to the alumnat currently

under construction will offer improved living conditions for the stu-

dents. In harmony with St. Thomas’ School, art and music can be

lived and experienced as a natural part of the educational canon.

From Kindergarten through to qualifi cation for university, children are

offered a musical education that specifi cally focuses on expanding

and fostering the growth of their existing talents. This regards not

only individual abilities but also a comprehensive understanding of

and interest in music. Even the young Kindergarten children take fi eld

trips to instrument builders, to the Bach museum, to see organs in

Leipzig’s surrounding community, to St. Thomas’ Church, and the Ge-

wandhaus. Beginning in 2012, Luther’s Church (“Lutherkirche”) at Jo-

hannapark, located in the campus area, will be available for concerts

and theater presentations, church services, and as an auditorium.

Together, St. Thomas’ School, Choir, and Church are an 800-year-

old tradition bursting with creativity and serve through their daily in-

teraction as a source of innovative change.

More detailed information is available at:

www.forum-thomanum.de

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< St. Thomas cantor Georg Christoph Biller works closely with

St. Thomas’ organists and the famous Leipzig Gewandhaus Orche-

stra, founded in 1743, still in Bach’s lifetime, by the city’s musicians.

Several of the instruments used at that time are exhibited in the

south sacristy of the St. Thomas Church. Unfortunately, the organs

from Bach times no longer exists.

In the age of absolute media presence, Thomaskantor Georg

Christoph Biller is not only focused on fostering the musical educa-

tion of the youngest, the “pre-Thomaner”, but continually looks for

new forms of public outreach through various event locations and

cooperation partners. After all, “Serious art does not conform to rat-

ings. The readiness to engage with it must fi rst be cultivated.” (Inter-

view G.C. Biller / GewandhausMagazin Nr. 54)

For members of the choir, this engagement comes in the form of

daily musical activity, with the unspoken goal of delivering the high-

est possible performance. Though we increasingly hear complaints

about how little singing is done these days, here at St. Thomas’ alum-

nat the boys agree: “Singing every day. Awesome!”

The St. Thomas Choir works together with various institutions

in Leipzig, and its work is supported by active private citizens, the

St. Thomas Choir Foundation, and the sponsors’ circle. The continued

presence of the choir in Leipzig has preserved the city’s reputation as

a center for Protestant sacral music. The most signifi cant internation-

al music festival attracting renowned artists from across the globe,

the “Bachfest”, takes place annually in Leipzig and is traditionally

opened with a performance by the St Thomas Boys Choir.

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“Singing every day. Awesome!”

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1Living Tradition

Beyond the boundaries of the city of Leipzig and of Germany,

as well, the choir maintains close relationships to publishing houses

and other choirs, as well as soloists. It is sought out by Bach resear-

chers and admirers. Its historical library is a rich source of material for

musicologists. The diversity of opportunities presented by the newly

developing campus, forum thomanum promises to continue the tradi-

tional and effectual synthesis of music and academic education.

For visitors – companies, schools, youth groups and Bach spe-

cialists – it is the choir itself that is the attraction. They enjoy hearing

about the daily work and life of the Thomaner. Often, these encoun-

ters lead to new contacts for potential, perhaps even sustained sup-

porters.

< Many distinguished publishing houses enjoyed and continue to

enjoy close personal ties with the St. Thomas Choir, e.g. Breitkopf

& Härtel. Around 1865, Heinrich Brockhaus ensured the printing

of the first church service programs with lyrics. Anton Kippenberg

was a close acquaintance of cantor Straube, while B. G. Teub-

ner Publishers, as the most important publisher of editions of

classical philology, initiated the donation of entire class sets of

“Bibliotheca scriptorum graecorum et romanorum Teubneriana”.

Even during the time of socialism, the choir worked closely not

only with publishing houses such as Union Verlag Berlin but also

Bärenreiter-Verlag in Kassel, a relationship which still exists to-

day. It also collaborates with Carus Verlag and the Evangelische

Verlagsanstalt.

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Musical Emissaries

Since their first international tour in 1920, the choir has em-

barked on ever-longer tours throughout Europe. In the two decades

thereafter, it was not only numerous times in Denmark, Norway, Swe-

den, France, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia, but was also invited to

Belgium, Hungary, and Italy, countries it would visit again for longer

tours after the end of the war.

As part of East Germany, the choir naturally made frequent visits

to the Soviet Union and Poland. With its tours to West Berlin, the Fed-

eral Republic of Germany, to Japan, Finland, Luxemburg, Spain, and

Liechtenstein, the choir crossed political boundaries as well.

In 1955 the choir made its premiere on the American continent:

The adventurous trip took the choir to Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.

Twenty years later, it captured the musical hearts of the Japanese.

Since then, the choir has been a regular guest in the land of the rising

sun.

Concert tours in North America were inaugurated by the choir

under Georg Christoph Biller with the widely successful USA tour in

1998; England, Greece, and South Korea are among the newest stops

on its tour, and contact has been made with Australia and China. A

love for travel and the many unforgettable experiences it brings is

shared by all the members of the choir. Applause from all over the

globe is something they are certain to hear, for this time-honored yet

ever-youthful choir is greatly esteemed around the world and a wel-

come guest at international music centers everywhere.

Whether Europe, Asia or America – the diversity and profound

complexity of Bachs work is venerated throughout the world. The

bearer of this music in the highest quality is a musical institution of

world-renown: Leipzig’s St Thomas Boys Choir.

Hungary 2007: “The friendly German teachers from the

Hungarian school even offered to give the younger boys

a private, evening tour of Budapest, which thankfully

they accepted. Then the older boys were able to take in

the sights of Budapest’s beautiful inner city at night in

peace.” Lucas, 11th grade (2008)

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TE“I have been in the USA, in Italy, I was on Mallorca ..., because [I did] something to earn it.”

Christian, 8th grade (2004)

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Music speaks for itself, provided we give it a chance. (Yehudi Menuhin)

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Contact

Thomanerchor Leipzig

Adress Hillerstraße 8

04109 Leipzig

Phone +49 (0) 341 - 9 84 42 – 11

Fax +49 (0) 341 - 9 84 42 – 41

Web www.thomanerchor.de

offi ce of the Cantor

Speaker Uta-Maria Thiele

Phone +49 (0) 341 - 9 84 42 – 26

e-mail [email protected]

Managing Director / Concert Inquiries

Director Dr. Stefan Altner

Phone +49 (0) 341 - 9 84 42 – 22

e-mail [email protected]

Choir membership information

Director of the Alumnat Thoralf Schulze

Phone +49 (0) 341 - 9 84 42 – 24

e-mail [email protected]

Director of Education Roland Weise

Phone +49 (0) 341 - 9 84 42 – 27

e-mail [email protected]

Förderkreis Thomanerchor Leipzig e.V.

(Registered Benevolent Association)

Chairman Dr. Michael Kampf

Adress c/o Thomanerchor Leipzig

Hillerstraße 8, 04109 Leipzig

Phone/Fax +49 (0)341 – 983 93 53

e-mail [email protected]

Donations Account Nr. 115 800 501

Bank Code: 860 400 00

Commerzbank Leipzig

Stiftung Thomanerchor (Foundation)

Chairman of the Board Dr. Stefan Altner

Adress Hillerstraße 8, 04109 Leipzig

Phone +49 (0) 341 - 9 84 42 – 22

Fax +49 (0) 341 - 9 84 42 – 43

e-mail [email protected]

Donations Account Nr. 114 848 500

Bank Code 860 400 00

Commerzbank Leipzig

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Imprint

Editor Thomanerchor Leipzig –

an organization of the city of Leipzig

Editorial Staff Dr. Stefan Altner, Uta-Maria Thiele

Text Birgit Nitschke

Translation from German Staci von Boeckmann, Hartmut Keil

Photos Gert Mothes, Roland Weise (S. 23)

Graphic Design & Set DIE WERFT – Kommunikationsdesign

Katja Hillscher / Tanja Schnurpfeil

Image Editing Sina Fischer

Printshop Merkur Druck- & Kopierzentrum GmbH

Circulation 1.000 Copies

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